A Pastor and His Poetry

(Author: Tyler Kenney)

For 27 years, from 1982 to 2008, John Piper wrote and read a poem for each Sunday of Advent, as a gift to Bethlehem Baptist Church. Most of these poems were about biblical characters who find their lives intertwined with significant events in redemptive history. Some of them even became books, such as Job, Ruth, The Innkeeper, and The Prodigal's Sister.

Pastor John has written poetry on other occasions as well, whether to celebrate his son's marriage, his daughter's baptism, or, most especially, to express his love for Noël. (See the entire list of his online poems.)

Back in December of 2007, Pastor John spoke at an after-church event at Bethelehem titled "A Pastor and His Poetry." It was an informal presentation, intermingled with Q&A, where he answered four main questions:

1. What is poetry?
2. Why read poetry?
3. Why write poetry?
4. How do I write poetry?

You can now listen online or download the audio.