August Worship with Mary Oliver
In August, we begin a new sermon series looking at God's creation and the invitation to awe, wonder, and prayer. We will be studying the scriptures, in conversation with Mary Oliver's poems, to open our eyes to God's mystery and beauty in our everyday lives. How do we slow down and see God's goodness and hope each and every day? How do we 'pay attention' as Oliver invites us to do.
Mary Oliver has touched countless readers with her brilliantly crafted verse, expounding on her love for the physical world and the powerful bonds among all living things. Now, the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet returns with a stunning and definitive collection - Devotions - spanning more than five decades of her esteemed and celebrated literary career.
Carefully curated, Devotions features Oliver’s work from her very first book of poetry, No Voyage and Other Poems, published in 1963 when she was twenty-eight, through her most recent collection, Felicity, published in 2015. This timeless volume, arranged by Oliver herself, showcases the beloved poet at her edifying best. Within these pages, she provides us with an extraordinary and invaluable collection of her passionate, perceptive, and much-treasured observations of the natural world.
Born in a small town in Ohio, Mary Oliver published her fi rst book of poetry in 1963 at the age of twenty-eight. Over the course of her long career, she has received numerous awards. If you haven’t discovered her, this will be a unique chance to sit with a poet who has inspired countless others in their own spiritual journeys and ponderings of God and Creation.
If you’re an Oliver fan, or love poetry, you’re invited by Monte to help envision, plan and even lead worship in August! If you’re interested, EMAIL MONTE HERE.