Writing prayers for worship calls for the creativity of a poet, the sensitivity of a pastor, the insight of a theologian, and the foundation of a living relationship with God. Weaving together these concerns, this article gives advice to the worshiper who is given the task of writing prayers for public worship. It suggests an approach that will be accessible for beginners and challenging for experienced worship leaders.
John Milton, one of the greatest of English poets, is known to hymnologists as the Puritan author of 19 versions of various Psalms, which appeared in his Poems in English and Latin, 1673. Milton was born in London in 1608 and died in the same city in 1674. He was educated at Cambridge. In 1652 he became totally blind – a condition that did not keep him from writing such works as the epic “Paradise Lost.”
John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892), commonly known as the “Quaker Poet,” was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Beginning life as a farm boy and village shoemaker, and with only a limited education, he entered the profession of journalism in 1828.
John Milton (1608-1674) was one of the greatest English poets. He was born in London and was educated at Cambridge. His family’s wealth allowed him to travel extensively after graduation and to spend six years at his father’s estate writing poetry.