Reckless Pilgrims
Journeys to Faith
- Arts & Literature
- Publisher: Resource Publications (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2023
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Publisher's Description
In this provocative yet thoughtful collection of poems, Rev. Sabel reinvigorates the neglected art of poetical reflection on the Christian life. Avoiding the dull didacticism and self-interrogation which characterize much contemporary poetry, Sabel's work recalls a more fundamental and generous purpose in poetry: it invites the reader to contemplate matters which can only be intimated. The matters which Rev. Sabel calls us to contemplate are those of the Christian life "in a time when the Christian faith is an option among many, and when the politics of the moment seems to pollute the faith beyond recognition." Sabel's reflections remind us that faith and art need not be separated; that, indeed, the Old and New Testament abound in a poetic rhythm, repetition, and representation which serve the glory of God. The poems in this volume--as indicated in its title--should be understood as a pilgrimage: a pilgrimage which takes the ancient affinity between faith and art as its point of origin, and which traverses out of this origin onto the uncertain paths of twenty-first-century Christian life. As all pilgrimages do, this pilgrimage aims at eternal life with Christ Jesus. On this pilgrimage, Rev. Sabel invites us as fellow travelers.
Endorsements (3)
“Rev. Thomas Sabel has produced a volume that most of my colleagues will despise. The only poetry they acknowledge is hymnody and the works of Robert Frost. They should get over it and do the work. Readers who meet Sabel halfway will be greatly rewarded. They will not only engage the goodness of the gospel more deeply, but they will learn a few things about themselves and about the power and use of words.”
“The poems in Rev. Thomas Sabel’s Restless Pilgrims: Journeys to Faith don’t obfuscate tethers to spirituality, but more, elucidate a probing servitude where want and crave wash the feet of submit and love. Sabel’s verses reverberate against pride, shining from that liminal space of belief. In his poems—in his Ghazals and sestinas, Sabel attains refuge—vocals for all searching souls.”
“The Pharisees wanted a Jesus who stayed out of the gutters, aloof from the sordid sorts they feared would pollute them. But Jesus sat at table with sinners because he came to cleanse people like them. Pastor Thomas Sabel’s poetry is unsettling like Jesus. These words arise from broken lives seeking healing. Sinners will hear their own voice calling out to Jesus. Pharisees will find no comfort here.”
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