Whatever Happened to Delight?: Preaching the Gospel in Poetry and Parables

“The voice of Barrie Shepherd is one of poetical nuance and theological clarity, largeness both of heart and mind. Now more than ever we need to hear him, for he is delight itself and so is this latest work from his prolific pen.” —Peter J. Gomes, Harvard University “With a generous scattering of quotations—many from his own poetry—Barrie Shepherd imaginatively and engagingly presents the case for preaching as one of the lively arts instead of a deadly bore.” —Frederick Buechner Preaching is an art, Barrie Shepherd argues, and the sermon is an art form, an exercise in creativity and imagination. But all too often preaching suffers from a lack of imagination and a loss of the joy, wonder, and delight that attracted the crowds to Jesus’ words two thousand years ago. In this book, based on his 2003 Beecher Lectures at Yale Divinity School, Shepherd hopes to encourage the preacher toward a more creative vision for the sermon. His approach is spontaneous, eclectic, intuitive, and daring. Shepherd’s purpose is to encourage the preacher to think of life as filled with God’s presence, to search for the presence, and to use images and words to unveil that presence. The end result is a sermon that is full of joy, wonder, astonishment, and delight.