The power of poetry

Dear Friends,

I know you join with me in offering a prayer of profound thanksgiving that we had a peaceful transfer of power during this past Wednesday’s presidential inauguration. This is something that we no longer take for granted. It was wonderful to see that the steps of the U.S. Capitol, that two weeks before had been a scene of destruction, violence, and desecration, became a place of unity, peace and a hopeful new beginning for our country. There are many miles to walk as we rebuild and tend to our nations wounds, and we pray God’s continued blessings upon President Biden and Vice-President Harris as we begin the work of reconciliation.

There were so many blessings during the inauguration, and one of the most striking ones was the poem offered by 22 year old Amanda Gorman, our U.S. National Youth Poet Laureate. If you have not yet heard it, I commend it to you. “The Hill We Climb” is balm for the soul and Amanda is a national treasure.

Amanda was asked by a reporter prior to the inauguration what her poem was about and she said this. "I think it's about a new chapter in the United States, about the future, and doing that through the elegance and beauty of words.”

Words are powerful. They can be used to build up or to destroy. And poetic words have a particular power to massage our hearts and minds. Poetry, like music, can seep into us more deeply than normal, everyday speech. I think that is probably why over 1/3 of the Bible is written in poetry. It speaks to our deepest longings to connect with God and to become our best selves. Amanda referenced a Scriptural passage, Micah 4:4, in her poem, “everyone shall sit under his vine and his fig tree and no-one shall make them afraid.” That is a lovely vision indeed. May God give us the imagination to see it and the will to strive for it.

We live in hope as we go forward as a nation and as we come together online this Sunday for worship, prayer and poetry.

Yours in Christ,

Shearon+