Poetry and the Gospel

If you asked a poet how does she prepare to recite a poem, depending on the poet, you may get a lot of different answers.  If we focused on spoken word poets you would still get a pretty diverse amount of responses.  The poet who performs anticipates a lot.  She anticipates the crowd, its demographics and its tastes.  She anticipates what the crowd will be familiar with and what they will respond to.  The poet has to adjust, if possible, to racial, age and economic differences that vary from crowd to crowd.  Their content does not change but good poets can deliver their words in a way that can best feed the ears in front of them, even when their words may cause an ear ache.  This takes preparation. 

Performance poets also recite and memorize their pieces until it naturally roles off their tongues and they don't have to think about the words but rather concentrate on the other 90 percent of their communication, their body language.  When this happens the performance becomes a better physical representation of the unseen passion and inspiration of the heart that the piece was written with.  Visualizing the performances, practicing in front of the mirror, holding a comb as a stand-in for the microphone...this is preparation.  Though this is not a standard list or an exhaustive list (really just a few things I've learned from other poets and a bit of my own habits), the point is that preparation happens and it is what any poet must do to perform well and give their piece the proper representation.  A poet prepares so that listeners can receive the full beauty of their piece.
As a Christian I love the gospel, I love the story of Jesus and the potent ways in which it can enter into the hearts of those who don't know Him.  As a poet I am amazed by a story that is meant to be beautifully told but also beautifully lived.  It is the greatest poem I know.  It is alive.  The Gospel is eternities poetic song to the heart of the world.  But I find myself giving the Gospel less than it deserves.  I sometimes offer a weak, dull gospel that betrays every creative bone in my body.  There is fear, nervousness and doubt that is felt when you are in conversation and sense the need for the the story of Jesus to be shared.  It is that moment where a joke is said or a small injustice is done and you know that you have to be the Gospel in that moment.  You have to be Jesus in the moment.  You have to make the story His.  It is a pinch of paralysis that causes hesitation and in some cases a flawed reasoning for not sharing the Gospel. Is the problem a lack of preparation?

Good poets prepare.  Good story tellers prepare.  Good preachers prepare.  But how do you prepare to share the Gospel?  It is a beautiful challenge that I have not answered fully yet.  But as a poet, the best practice I've ever done for a poem is the last time I recited it.  What I mean is that the best practice for a poet is the actual performance.  That is the only place where you can deal with the actual pressure of the moment.  Maybe this is the key.  Maybe I will not fully learn how the Holy Spirit works until I am in the pressure of the moment.  I've shared the Gospel before but rarely did I intentionally prepare for it.  Seems kind of odd to prepare to do something the Lord commands us to do.  Maybe He knew that life needs more than poets in preparation.  Maybe he knew that in order for true change to occur that there is no preparation that will properly prepare you other than living and speaking the Gospel.  I mean, how do you really prepare to speak words and live a life that launches an assault against the gates of Hell, grabs the attention of heaven and pierces mind, body, heart and soul.  I have a feeling you just jump in and go for it and allow the Holy Spirit to do its thing.  

Of all the poems I've prepared, recited, heard and reheard, they have not been nearly as memorable or transformative as the words received in the real-time moments of life.  I remember my mom saying "can I have your hands" because she wanted me to know that I was beautifully made when I was young.  I remember the irritated words of my brother when he let me borrow a substantial amount of money to take care of an immature mistake.  He said, "Here man!"  These words and words like these have remained closer to my heart than any poetic line I've encountered.  And there was no prep.
I believe that the prep and performance of the Gospel is one.  They cannot be separate.  

Let's see what happens when Isaiah 58 is taken seriously.    

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke?
⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter —
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

I anticipate beauty....to be continued.