Lutheran Church of Mahomet, The Invitation Lent 2018 | Page 14

Poetry is unlike any other form of communication. It’s a blend of symbol-
ism, reality, dreams, interpretation, despair, hope, love, and brokenness.
In this first session, we will read some of the great poets of the past and
present and acclimate ourselves to this new way of communicating with
each other and God.
Sometimes, it’s difficult to find God in the thick of our every-day life, or
to make sense of the brokenness we experience on a daily basis. Poetry
helps us make connections that are not obvious and make meaning
where there seems to be only chaos. In this session, we will learn to make
connections and see patterns in our daily lives through the use of poetry.
Poetry is unique in the written world in that the negative space on the
page—i.e. that white paper that doesn’t have any text on it—can be just as
important as the text itself. Sometimes, we can find God where we nor-
mally wouldn’t see anything at all. In this session, we will look for God’s
activity in the negative spaces and find meaning where we feel most
empty and alone.
We have put in a lot of hard, creative, vulnerable, and prayerful work
during the first three parts of this seminar. Tonight, we celebrate our
shared vulnerability and this gift of poetry as prayer in a pot luck feast!
Please bring a small side or dessert to share with everybody and a bit of
your writings if you’d care to share with the group. We’ll fill our plates,
say a prayer of thanksgiving before we feast, and reflect on our growth
over the preceding weeks.