“The poet’s job is to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, in such a beautiful way that people can’t live without it; to put into words those feelings we all have that are so deep, so important, and yet so difficult to name. The poet’s job is to find a name for everything; to be a fearless finder of the names of things; to be an advocate for the beauty of language, the subtleties of language. I think it is very serious stuff, art; it’s not just decoration. The other job the poet has is to console in the face of the inevitable disintegration of loss and death, all of the tough things we have to face as humans.
We have the consolation of beauty, of one soul extending to another soul and saying, ‘I’ve been there too! Remember Frost’s lovely little poem, about going out to clear the pasture spring? ‘You come too,’ he says.”
-Jane Kenyon
What do poems have to do with sermons? How do these different art forms seek to inspire their audiences?
In November 2025, the Moench Center for Church Leadership hosted author, writer, and professor Donovan McAbee to lead a workshop as part of the Nashville Preaching Cooperative initiative.
Donovan helped pastors explore the interactions of these seemingly different genres of writing and performance. By reading poems and trying their hands at creative writing, the participating pastors considered how poems might bring new creative energy into their sermons. In one exercise, Donovan laid out a table of random trinkets – a harmonica, a domino, and perfume, to name a few – and asked the pastors to pick one out and write about it. By writing for ten minutes, these ordinary items took the pastors on a journey, inviting them into deep spiritual reflection on loss, grief, and dreams of the future.
The Jane Kenyon quote above speaks of poets, of course, but if one substitutes the word “poet” for “pastor,” striking similarities arise. Both seek to use beautiful language to bring truth, healing, and fresh perspective.
In your work as a church leader, how are you using beautiful language to bring comfort, healing, and new perspective into the life of your community? What writing, visual art, or poetry have stirred your imagination? And how might you bring that sense of wonder to your congregation?
Because let’s be honest—we could all use a little more wonder in our lives. And a good dose of wonder goes a long way.
The Moench Center’s Nashville Preaching Cooperative initiative is made possible with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc.
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