Saturday, July 10, 2010

A DAY LIKE THIS (Luke 17:5-10)

Sometimes, when everything goes wrong;

When days are short and nights are long;
When wash-day brings so dull a sky
That not a single thing will dry.
And when the kitchen chimney smokes,
And when there's naught so ' queer' as folks!
When friends deplore my faded youth,
And when the baby cuts a tooth.
While John, the baby last but one,
Clings round my skirts till day is done;
And fat, good-tempered Jane is glum,
And butcher's man forgets to come.
Sometimes I say on days like these,
I get a sudden gleam of bliss
Not on some sunny day of ease,
He'll come ... but on a day like this! "


anon


MEDITATION BY FRANK VOLLMER





REFRAIN: WHEN WERE YOU HUNGRY OR NAKED OR POOR?

WHEN DID YOU ASK FOR WATER?



I WAS AT DACHAU AND AUSCHWITZ

I AM AT HANOI AND SAIGON

I AM BURIED IN EGYPT AND ISRAEL

I AM SICK OF WAR

.



I STAND WITH HUNGRY EYES

AND WATCH SURPLUS FOOD GO UP IN FLAMES

I AM A MIGRANT WORKER'S CHILD

STARVING IN THE LAND OF PLENTY







I AM THE BASTARD CHILD OF A BASTARD CHILD

I AM GHETTO BRED WITH TORCH AND STONE

NO ONE LISTENS UNLESS I AM VIOLENT

NO ONE CARES UNTIL THEY FEEL MY HATE





I AM AN OLD PERSON IGNORED AND ALONE

I AN A YOUNG MAN IN THE GUTTER ON DRUGS

I AM THE CHILD TAUGHT HATE BY MY ELDERS

I AM LOST AND DO NOT KNOW THE WAY





IT NIGHT HAVE BEEN A DAY LIKE THIS THAT I WAS HUNGRY

A DAY LIKE THIS THAT I WAS POOR

A DAY LIKE THIS WHEN I TRIED TO HELP

A DAY LIKE THIS WHEN MY CHURCH BEGAN







IT NIGHT HAVE BEEN A DAY LIKE THIS WHEN IT ALL BEGAN

A DAY LIKE THIS

WHEN HE NAMED PETER... ROCK

WHEN HE GAVE IT BIRTH

KNOWING THE BIRTH PAINS WOULD NOT CEASE TILL IT WAS DEAD

TWELVE DIFFERENT MEN IN AGE AND WISDOM

TWELVE DIFFERENT MEN IN DREAMS AND HOPES

TWELVE DIFFERENT MEN RECEIVING TRUTH

TWELVE DIFFERENT WAYS OF TELLING IT BACK

TWELVE DIFFERENT MEN







IT NIGHT HAVE BEEN A DAY LIKE THIS

THAT SATAN TIPTOED UP

"DUMMY

ARE YOU GOING TO DO IT AGAIN



ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES

YOUR FATHER DID

ARE YOU GOING TO FOUND A CHURCH?

AS USUAL SATAN HAD SHOWN GOOD SENSE

HE'D TOLD THE TRUTH

FOR EVEN CHRIST WAS FINDING FAULT WITH WHAT HE SAW



I DO NOT WANT SACRIFICES BUT KINDNESS MATTHEW 12





THESE PEOPLE HONOR ME WITH THEIR WORDS

BUT THEIR HEART IS REALLY FAR FROM ME

IT IS NO USE FOR THEM TO WORSHIP ME

BECAUSE THEY TEACH MAN MADE COMMANDMENTS

AS THOUGH

THEY WERE GOD'S RULES MATTHEW 15





THEY FIX UP HEAVY LOADS

AND TIE THEM ON MEN'S BACKS

YET THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO LIFT A FINGER

TO HELP CARRY THESE LOADS MATTHEW 23





YOU ARE LIKE WHITEWASHED TOMBS

FINE ON THE OUTSIDE

BUT FULL OF DEAD MEN'S BONES MATTHEW 23





I HAVE NOT COME TO DO AWAY WITH THE LAW

BUT TO GIVE IT REAL MEANING MATTHEW 5



THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED

TURNED OUT TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT STONE MATTHEW 21





MY WEDDING FEAST IS READY

BUT THE PEOPLE I INVITED DID NOT DESERVE IT

GO OUT INTO THE STREETS

AND INVITE WHOM YOU FIND MATTHEW 23







SO HERE WE ARE

WALL FLOWERS OF THE LORD

THE LATE COMERS

THE PEOPLE HE INVITED

WHEN NO ONE ELSE WOULD COME

WHAT WERE SOME OF HIS THOUGHTS ABOUT HIS CHURCH

WHAT WERE SOME OF THE RULES





YOU HAVE HEARD IT WAS SAID

LOVE YOUR FRIENDS HATE YOUR ENEMIES

BUT I TELL YOU LOVE YOUR ENEMIES

PRAY FOR THOSE WHO MISTREAT YOU MATTHEW 5



WHEN YOU PRAY SAY

OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN

MAY YOUR NAME BE KEPT HOLY

MAY YOUR KINGDOM COME

MAY YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH

AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

GIVE US TODAY THE FOOD WE NEED

FOR GIVE US THE WRONGS THAT WE HAVE DONE

AS WE FORGIVE THE WRONGS THAT OTHERS HAVE DONE US

DO NOT BRING US TO HARD TESTING

BUT KEEP US SAFE FROM THE EVIL ONE MATTHEW 6





IF ONE OF YOU WANTS TO BE GREAT

HE MUST BE A SERVANT OF THE REST

LIKE THE SON OF MAN

WHO DID NOT COME TO BE SERVED

BUT TO SERVE

AND GIVE HIS LIFE TO REDEEM MANY PEOPLE MATTHEW 20



DID HE NOT KNOW WHEN HE LOOKED PETER IN THE EYE

THAT HE WAS A MAN

COULD HE NOT HEAR THE DISTANT ECHO OF COCK CROW

WAS HE NOT AWARE OF THE IMPETUOUSNESS

THAT MADE HIM WALK ON WATER

OR THE SELF DOUBTS THAT LET HIM SINK

DID HE NOT SEE

WEATHERED FACE AND WEATHERED SOUL

NO STRANGER TO OUR JOYS OR SORROW

NO SCHOLAR HE

POET MAYBE

ONE IN TUNE WITH SEA AND TIDES AND WEATHER

THE CYCLE OF SEASONS THE RUNNING OF FISH

THE PATIENCE OF THE FISHERMAN





I WONDER IF THAT'S WHY HE PICKED HIM

IF HE SAW IN HIM THE SAME WORKMAN'S PRIDE

THAT JOSEPH HAD

IF HE SAW IN PETER'S WORDS AND ACTIONS

MEMORIES OF JOSEPH

IF HE DID NOT INSTINCTIVELY TRUST HIM

A MAN MINDFUL OF HIS NETS AND BOATS

MINDFUL OF HIS FRIENDS AND FAMILY

WHO WOULD BE CAREFUL OF LITTLE THINGS

THE NECESSARY UNPRETENTIOUS DOING THINGS

NOT PLAYING FOR THE BALCONY

JUST DOING HIS JOB

THIS MAN HE CHOOSE







I GIVE TO YOU THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN MATTHEW 16





PETER - DO YOU LOVE ME

FEED MY LAMBS

PETER - DO YOU LOVE ME

FEED MY SHEEP

PETER - DO YOU LOVE ME

FOLLOW ME

JOHN 21





AND YOU PETER

WOULD YOU LEAVE ME

TO WHOM WOULD I GO LORD

YOU HAVE THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE

JOHN 6



PUSH OUT THE BOATS

AND LET DOWN YOUR NETS

BUT MASTER WE HAVE LABORED ALL NIGHT

AND CAUGHT NOTHING

BUT WE WILL TRY AGAIN

LUKE 5





I WILL MAKE YOU FISHERS OF MEN

I WILL MAKE YOU HARVESTERS IN THE FIELD

YOU WILL TEND THE VINE AND THE FIG TREE

THE MUSTARD SEED THE COCKLE THE WHEAT

SHALL BE YOUR CONCERN

I WILL MAKE YOU FISHERS OF MEN



HE'D PICKED A FISHERMAN TO WORK IN HIS GARDEN

TO TEND THE SEED HE'D PLANT IN THE SPRING

STRUCK DOWN IN THE SPRINGTIME

THRUST DOWN IN THE EARTH

PLOWED UNDER BY EVIL



HE'D PICKED A FISHERMAN TO TEND TO HIS GARDEN

TO WATCH OVER THE GROWTH OF THE SEED

FROM THE SEED TO THE PLANT

FROM PLANT TO THE FLOWER

TO THE SEED TO THE PLANT TO THE FLOWER

ALWAYS RENEWING

THROUGH CYCLE OF SEASONS

ALWAYS THE SEED DOWN THE AGES

ALWAYS THE SEED TELLING THE MESSAGE

GOD IS HE LOVES HE CARES



















DOWN THE AGES ALWAYS THE MESSAGE

ALWAYS THE SEED THE PLANT OR THE FLOWER

ALWAYS THE SEED

TENDED BY GARDENERS POETS FOOLS OR BY THIEVES

ALWAYS THE SEED



IF YOU LOVE ME - KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS

I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU ORPHANS

I WILL SEND YOU THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH

TO STAY WITH YOU FOREVER

I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU ORPHANS

I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU ORPHANS

I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU ORPHANS



IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A DAY LIKE THIS WHEN IT ALL BEGAN



A DAY LIKE THIS WHEN WE TRIED AGAIN















Stage directions;



Poetry read by narrator.



Bible verses by various members of the congregation.



Opening verses like a Sunday psalm.

No comments:

Post a Comment