Using Poetry In Worship

As a highly compact form of speech capable of stimulating the imagination, poetry can be effectively used in almost any of the various dimensions or acts of public worship. This article catalogues a variety of ways that poetry can be used in worship and gives guidelines to worship planners for selecting poems and readers. When we come together to worship God, we are participating in an ancient ritual expressed through many traditions. The unifying factor is that we come as God's children to enter into a dialogue with him. Though our worship may be experienced and expressed in various ways, a major dimension of worship is verbal. We hear God speak through his Word and through the words of his people. We respond in words and songs of praise and thanksgiving as well as confession and supplication. While many of the words come directly from Scripture, we often use words from other sources, including the words that spring from our own hearts and minds. The songs we sing, the prayers we …