Monday, July 26, 2010

Emmaus (Luke 24:13-49)




THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT HIS EYES

LIKE A SOLDIER OFF TO WAR

SAYING GOODBYE TO LOVED ONES

OR A SAILOR OFF FOR A LONG LONG TRIP



WE'D WALKED THAT ROAD MANY TIMES

MY FRIEND AND I

IT HAD BECOME A BIT OF A TASK

WITH NOTHING NEW

TO BE DONE WITH SWIFTLY

AND DONE WITH

WITH PLEASURE AT EITHER END

BUT NOTHING IN THE JOURNEY



UNTIL THE STRANGER CAME TO WALK WITH US

THIS STRANGER

WITH RELUCTANT EYES

HE'D SIGHT A TREE AND CALL IT OUT BY NAME

A FLOWER

BIRD

OR SOME CREEPING THING

THE WAY THE SUN TOOK A CLOUD

AND LIT IT UP WITHIN

OR CAST LONG SHADOWS

LIKE THE SHADOWS

THAT SAT UPON OUR HEARTS

THAT DAY



WHY ARE YOU SO SAD

HE ASKED

AFTER A WHILE



WE'D LET HIM TALK FIRST

OUT OF COURTESY

HE SEEMED TO NEED TO TALK

WHY ARE YOU SO SAD



AND SO TO THIS MAN

WHO SEEMED SO EAGER FOR LIVING THINGS

WE TOLD HIM OF A DEATH

OF OUR FRIEND JESUS

WHO HAD DIED

AND TO USE HIS IMAGERY

PLUCKED LIKE A FLOWER

THAT WAS THROWN AWAY

PICKED WITHOUT PURPOSE



OF A MAN

WHO WHEN HE SPOKE

BOTH TESTED US AND JOYED US



OF THIS JOURNEY

THAT WE TOOK

WHICH WAS DOUBLY LONG

FOR WE CARRIED SADNESS TO EMMAUS

THERE WOULD BE NO PLEASURE THERE



THE BODY WAS GONE

OH THE WOMEN HYSTERICAL

HAD SAID HE WAS RISEN

BUT THE BODY WAS GONE



WHY SHOULD HE DIE

WE BELIEVED HIM CHOSEN OF GOD

WHY SHOULD HE DIE



PERHAPS BECAUSE WE WERE TOO NUMB TO SPEAK

HE TOOK OVER THE CONVERSATION

WHEN DID YOU LEARN TO LOVE YOUR FATHER HE SAID



WHEN I BECAME THE AGE HE WAS

WHEN I DISLIKED HIM

IT SOMEHOW MADE HIM DIFFERENT THEN

AND UNDERSTANDABLE



SO JESUS CAME HE SAID

TO BE THAT PARENT

TO BE THE ONE WHO WENT BEFORE

TO BE THE ONE WHO LIVED AND DIED

AND TO BE TRULY RISEN

AS THE WOMEN SAID

TO BE THE PARENT

WHO HAD GONE BEFORE

TO BE THE FIRST BORN OF THE DEAD



SO YOU COULD LEARN

TO LOVE HIM

AND THROUGH HIM

THE FATHER TOO



PERHAPS IT WAS THE CADENCE OF HIS VOICE

OR THE WORDS OR THE MAN HIMSELF

BUT WE FELT CALM



WE INVITED HIM TO SUP WITH US

IN OUR GARDEN IN THE EVENING COOL

FOR THE DAY HAD RUN AWAY



AND WE KNEW HIM IN THE BREAKING BREAD

AND THE WINE

THAT TOOK THE JOURNEY'S DUST AWAY







FRANK A VOLLMER


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