Friday, July 9, 2010

SIGNS (FOR A SUNDAY WHEN THE GOSPEL DOESN’T SPEAK TO YOU)




LET ME TELL YOU A STORY ABOUT SIGNS



A WOMAN DRIVES HER CAR

ALONG THE HIGHWAY

SHE SEES THE MANY SIGNS

THAT EDGE OUR ROADS

SCHOOL AHEAD

GO SLOW

THE NEXT CITY - WEST OSSIPEE

THE MILEAGE, 12 MILES

LITTLE CAESAR'S PIZZA-PIZZA



SHE SEES WASH

HANGING ON THE LINE,

SHE SEES OTHER CARS IN FRONT

OR IN THE CAR MIRROR



OCCASIONALLY

WHEN THE LIGHT IS RIGHT

SHE SEES

HER OWN FACE

REFLECTED IN THE WINDSHIELD



SHE IS DRIVING BY A CLIFF,

SET BACK FROM THE ROAD.

IT IS A STEEP CLIFF.

SO STEEP

THAT WHEN SHE SEES THE SIGN,

SHE WONDERS

HOW ANYONE COULD CLIMB

THE CLIFF’S FACE

AND PUT IT THERE.



THE SIGN SAYS

JESUS SAVES



WRITTEN IN LARGE CLUMSY LETTERS

WITH RED PAINT,

THAT TRICKLES DOWN

FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE LETTERS

AS IF THE LETTERS

WERE FALLING APART

OR MELTING

OR MAYBE CRYING



THE SIGN SAYS

JESUS SAVES

THAT'S ALL



ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER SIGNS

OF THE HIGHWAY,

LIKE RIGHT TURN ONLY,

TOLL BOOTH AHEAD,

THE SPEED LIMIT

AND DESTINATIONS,

ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER SIGNS

WAS THIS SIGN

JESUS SAVES



AND THE WOMAN

LIKE MOST OF US

FELT AWKWARD WITH THE SIGN,

FELT AN INTERNAL SQUIRM

AT THE MESSAGE

EVEN THOUGH

LIKE MOST OF US

SHE KNEW IT TO BE TRUE



SHE FELT UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE SIGN

AND ITS' PUBLIC MESSAGE

LIKE SAYING GRACE IN PUBLIC



GOD ONLY KNOWS

WHAT KIND OF PERSON

MUST HAVE CLIMBED UP THERE,

WITH A BUCKET

AND A BRUSH

TO SPLASH THE MESSAGE ON THE CLIFF



MAYBE MAN

MAYBE WOMAN,

MAYBE YOUNG OR OLD,

DRUNK OR SOBER,

IN DAYLIGHT OR IN THE DARK

GOD ONLY KNOWS





GOD ONLY KNOWS

WHAT DROVE THE PAINTER

TO PAINT THIS SIGN

SIN OR REDEMPTION,

JOY OR REMORSE,

POSSIBLY A DARE,

POSSIBLY A PRAYER



WHAT EVER THE REASON,

IN OUR STRANGE TIMES,

AMONG PEOPLE LIKE US

AMONG PEOPLE JUST LIKE US,

AMONG US



THE EFFECT

OF THE MESSAGE ON THE HILLSIDE

THAT

JESUS SAVES

MAKES US SQUIRM



AND I THINK

WE SQUIRM

BECAUSE WE ARE EMBARRASSED

. WE ARE EMBARRASSED

FOR MANY REASONS

EMBARRASSED





PERHAPS

BECAUSE THE WORDS

REMIND US OF OLD TIME RELIGION,

OF SHOUT AND HOLLER,

OF PULPIT POUNDING,

OF GOD'S GONNA GET YOU,

.

WE SQUIRM

BECAUSE THERE IS SOMETHING

IN THE NAME JESUS ITSELF

THAT EMBARRASSES US

WHEN IT STANDS NAKED

AND ALONE



JUST JESUS

BY ITSELF

WITHOUT A TITLE

LIKE A FRIEND'S NAME.

IT MAKES US UNCOMFORTABLE.



WE WOULD ACCEPT

CHRIST SAVES

THAT'S HIS JOB.

BUT JESUS SAVES

AS IN JESUS SAVES FRANK

OR BARBARA OR ALICE

OR JOE OR FRED OR WADE

OR WHATEVER YOUR NAME IS



IS LIKE A LOVER

CARVING HIS AND HIS LOVED ONE'S NAME

ON A TREE



IT HAS AN AIR ABOUT IT

LIKE A LOVE SONG.





MAYBE JESUS SAVES

WRITTEN ON THE CLIFF

IS EMBARRASSING

BECAUSE RELIGION

IN SOME WAYS

HAS BECOME EMBARRASSING



MAYBE OUR WINCING

IS A WAY

TO HIDE OUR EYES

TO STOP UP OUR EARS



BECAUSE WE SOMEHOW KNOW

THAT IF THE MESSAGE GOT THROUGH,

IT WOULD SAY DIRECTLY,

CLEARLY,

UNMISTAKABLY

FOR ALL THE WORLD TO SEE



THAT WE

YOU AND I

NEED TO BE SAVED



RICH MAN, POOR MAN,

YOUNG WOMAN, OLD WOMAN,

EDUCATED,

UNLETTERED,

RELIGIOUS, UNRELIGIOUS,



ALL OF US,

YOU AND I,

ALL OF US,

NEED TO BE SAVED.



AND THAT

IS OFFENSIVE. TO US

FOR WHAT IT SAYS

IS

YOU HAVE NO PEACE

WITHIN YOUR SKIN-

YOU ARE NOT HAPPY,

YOU ARE NOT WHOLE



OUR HUMANITY

REACTS AGAINST THE THOUGHT,

OUR SELF SUFFICIENT HUMANITY

WHICH CONTINUALLY

WANTS THE APPLE

MORE THAN IT WANTS THE GARDEN,

REACTS

AGAINST THE THOUGHT



WHAT FOOL

WOULD CLIMB THAT CLIFF

TO WRITE A MESSAGE

THAT OFFENDS ME.

WHAT FOOL DARES

TO GIVE ME SUCH ADVICE

WHAT FOOL DARES

TO QUESTION

MY SELF-SUFFICIENCY



IF YOU HAD SAID

GOD SAVES,

I COULD ARGUE WITH GOD.

BUT YOU SAID

JESUS

AS IF TO SAY

FRIEND

.I SEE THAT FRIEND



FOR WHAT THE WORLD

HAS MADE HIM,

A FOOL

DESPISED AND REJECTED,

A LAUGHING STOCK AMONG THE NATIONS



WITH HIS RIDICULOUS SLOGAN

LOVE ONE ANOTHER



AND I AM

EMBARRASSED BY HIM

AND THE SIGN ON THE CLIFF



THE BAD THIEF,

THE ONE ON THE LEFT

SAID IN A TAUNT

IF YOU ARE THE CHRIST

SAVE YOURSELF

AND SAVE US



HOW LIKE HIM WE ARE

WHEN OUR LIFE'S ACTIONS

HANG US ON THE LEFT CROSS,

WE CRY

SAVE YOURSELF

AND SAVE US



OH, WE ARE NOT SORRY FOR YOUR PAIN.

BECAUSE WE DO NOT ALWAYS NEED YOU

ONLY WHEN ALL THE APPLES

WE HAVE EATEN FROM THE TREE

MAKE US SICK

THEN WE NEED YOU



SAVE US, SAVE US

ME MORE THAN YOU

SAVE US.



BUT THE GOOD THIEF,

THE ONE ON THE RIGHT,

REBUKED THE BAD THIEF

FOR HIS ARROGANCE



THEN SPOKE

WITH ALMOST THE SAME ARROGANCE,

JESUS, REMEMBER ME

WHEN YOU COME IN TO YOUR KINGDOM



TWO ARROGANT PETITIONS

BUT FROM DIFFERENT HEARTS,

ONE SPOKEN IN ANGER,

ONE SPOKEN IN TRUST

AND HOPE

AND TO THE TRUSTING,

HOPEFUL HEART

HE SAID

TRULY,

TODAY

YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE



I WONDER

WHAT THE GUARDS THOUGHT

WHEN THEY HEARD THIS CONVERSATION



DID IT INTERRUPT THEIR DICE GAME,

WERE THEY PERHAPS EMBARRASSED

BY THE GOODNESS

OF THE MAN THEY WERE KILLING



OR DID THEY THINK

THAT THE PAIN

OF THEIR TORTURE

HAD ROBBED HIS MIND OF REASON



HOW COULD THAT ONE

SAVE ANYONE,

NAILED TO THE TREE

WITH GOOD STOUT NAILS

WITH THE SIGN ABOVE HIS HEAD

WHICH MOCKED HIM AS KING



THEY'D BEEN WITH HIM,

WHEN THEY'D WHIPPED

AND CROWNED HIM,

AND THEY HAD HEARD

NEITHER CURSE NOR WHIMPER







NO KING HE

A LAMB MAYBE

QUIET IN HIS SLAUGHTER

BUT NO KING



HOW RIDICULOUS A DEATH,

DYING ON A HILLSIDE

LIKE A NAME

PAINTED ON A CLIFF



HOW RIDICULOUS A DEATH,

DYING ON A HILLSIDE

LIKE A NAME

CARVED ON A TREE BY LOVERS



AND IN THIS NAME

THE NAME OF JESUS

WE ARE EMBARRASSED.

WHY?



PERHAPS IT IS BECAUSE

WE THINK

THAT WE ARE UNLOVABLE



WE DO NOT DOUBT

THAT GOD CAN SAVE US,

BUT WE DO DOUBT

THAT SOMEONE COULD LOVE US

SO MUCH

AS TO DIE FOR US-

TO DIE FOR US

NOT FOOLISHLY,

BUT FULLY KNOWING

OUR UNWORTHINESS

AND STILL WANTING TO SAVE US







I SUSPECT

THAT THE REAL REASON

WHY THE NAME

JESUS

MAY EMBARRASS US

WHEN IT STANDS NAKED BY ITSELF

IS THAT IT PUTS US

ON A FIRST NAME BASIS

IT REMINDS US

OF OUR OWN NEED FOR SALVATION,

OUR OWN NAKEDNESS

OUR OWN NAMES



FOR JESUS HAS COME

TO SAVE D-GUY,

SAVE JJ AND PAULA,

SAVE THERESA,

SAVE MARY,

SAVE KAREN AND PETER,

SAVE MARCIA,

SAVE ALL OF US-



NOT FOR OUR JOBS,

NOT FOR OUR TITLES,

NOT FOR OUR TITHING,

NOT BECAUSE WE ARE RETIRED

OR WORKING,

MARRIED,

SINGLE OR DIVORCED.

NOT FOR ANY REASON

EXCEPT HE LOVES US



HE MADE US.

WE ARE THE WORK OF HIS HANDS

AND GOD DOESN'T MAKE JUNK.







HE LOVES US.

END OF SENTENCE

HE LOVES

US



THE MESSAGE ON THE CLIFFSIDE

CALLS US BY NAME,

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬CALLS ALL OF US

BY NAME



IT SAYS

UNCOVER YOUR EYES,

OPEN YOUR EARS,





I BRING TRUTH AND HOPE

FOR ALL THE NEEDING-TO-BE FILLED

PLACES IN YOUR LIVES



BE LIKE THE GOOD THIEF

. KNOW THE PAIN OF SURRENDER

THE PAIN OF KNOWING

THE HELPLESSNESS

OF TRYING TO HELP YOURSELF

CALL ON ME

CALL ON ME

LIKE THE GOOD THIEF

CALL ON ME

SAYING

JESUS

REMEMBER ME,

WHEN YOU COME

INTO YOUR KINGDOM



REMEMBER ME,

REMEMBER ME,

REMEMBER ME.

EVEN THOUGH I DON'T ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU'



JESUS SAYS

I WILL



WHETHER IT SEEMS PREPOSTEROUS

IN OUR JUDGMENT

OR EMBARRASSING



THE SAME GOD

THAT SAVED THIEVES

HANGING JUSTLY ON THE CROSS

ALSO SAVES CLOWNS LIKE YOU

AND ME



NOT FOR ANY OTHER REASON,

THAN THAT HE LOVES US.



JESUS SAYS

COME TO MY SHOP



WHERE THERE IS ANOTHER SIGN

THAT SAYS



JESUS

CARPENTER

MAKER OF EASY YOKES



WE MAKE YOUR BURDEN LIGHT

COME IN

NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY

LET ME PROVE IT



AND AS WE ENTER

WE CATCH OUR IMAGE

IN THE WINDOW

OF HIS SHOP





. WE ALSO SEE

THE REFLECTION OF THE CLIFF

WITH THE SIGN

JESUS SAVES



AND WE KNOW THE MESSAGE

IS PERSONAL

AND FOR US.



AMEN





FRANK A VOLLMER

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