I Was Mom's Favorite

 

IN MY MOTHER'S COFFIN

WERE PLACED FOUR ROSES

ATTACHED TO THEM WAS A CARD

THAT SAID

FROM YOUR FAVORITES

A SEMI-SERIOUS GAME

MY THREE SISTERS

AND I HAVE PLAYED

MOST OF OUR LIVES

THE GAME OF

WHO WAS MOM'S FAVORITE

I HAVE RECEIVED BIRTHDAY CARDS

FROM MY SISTERS

THAT SAID FOR MY BIRTHDAY

MOM GAVE ME FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS

WHAT DID SHE GIVE YOU

OR HAS MOM TOLD YOU YET

THAT YOU WERE ADOPTED

IT WAS A SILLY GAME

IT WAS A FUN GAME

MOM ENJOYED IT.

THOUGH IN SECRET

SHE TOLD ME

THAT I WAS HER FAVORITE

LATELY I'VE SUSPECTED

THAT SHE TOLD MY SISTERS THE SAME THING

LUTHER

AS A YOUNG MAN

AND AS A YOUNG MONK

CERTAINLY DID NOT THINK HIMSELF

AS GOD'S FAVORITE

LUTHER AS A RESULT

OF HOW HE WAS TAUGHT RELIGION

HAD EVOLVED A SET OF FOUR QUESTIONS

FROM WHICH HE COULD NOT ESCAPE

THEY WERE

CAN YOU BE FREE FROM SIN

NOOOO HE ANSWERED

IS THERE A DAY OF JUDGMENT

YESSSS HE ANSWERED

IS GOD INDIFFERENT TO SIN

NOOOO HE ANSWERED

WILL YOU BE DAMMED FOR YOUR SINS

YESSSS HE ANSWERED

LUTHER HAD NO TROUBLE

UNDERSTANDING WHAT NATHAN SAID

IN WHICH GOD IS QUOTED AS SAYING

BECAUSE YOU DAVID HAVE SINNED

YOUR CHILD MUST DIE.

THERE WAS NO LOVE IN LUTHER'S GOD

WHEN HE WAS A YOUNG MAN

AND JESUS SAID TO PETER

PETER DO YOU LOVE ME

YES LORD I DO

PETER FEED MY LAMBS

AND AGAIN JESUS ASKED PETER

PETER DO YOU LOVE ME

LORD YOU KNOW I DO

FEED MY SHEEP

AND A THIRD TIME JESUS ASKED

PETER DO YOU LOVE ME

TO WHICH

IF PETER HAD GROWN UP IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD

HE WOULD HAVE SAID

YO JESUS I ALREADY TOLD YOU TWICE

BUT PETER SAID

LORD YOU KNOW EVERYTHING

YOU KNOW MY HEART,

YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU

AND JESUS SAID FEED MY LAMBS

THIS SCENE TO ME

IS ONE OF THE TENDEREST SCENES

IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

I VISION PETER

AS A BIG INARTICULATE BEAR OF A MAN

GIVEN TO RASH ACTION

STRIVING HARD TO FOLLOW THE LORD

SHOOTING HIMSELF IN THE FOOT AS HE GOES.

SUFFERING FROM FOOT IN MOUTH DISEASE

AS WITNESSED BY WHAT HAPPENED NEXT

FOR PETER TURNS AROUND

AND SPIES JOHN

RUMORED TO BE JESUS' FAVORITE

AND HE SAYS

WHAT ABOUT THAT MAN

AND JESUS SAYS

WHAT IS THAT TO YOU

IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.

TOP TO BOTTOM IN ZERO SECONDS

GOES PETER

GO PETER

EVERY MORNING WHEN I WASH MY FACE

I THINK I SEE PETER.

TOP TO BOTTOM IN ZERO SECONDS

GO PETER

THERE WAS A MAN

WHO HAD TWO SONS

THE YOUNGER ONE SAID

FATHER GIVE ME ALL THAT IS MINE

I WANT TO LEAVE.

THE FATHER DID AS THE SON REQUESTED

AND THE YOUNG MAN WENT OFF

SPENT ALL HIS MONEY

ENDING UP EATING WITH THE PIGS

HE SAID TO HIMSELF

MY FATHERS SERVANTS LIVE BETTER THAN THIS.

I WILL RISE AND GO TO MY FATHER

AND BEG HIM TO LET ME BE ONE OF HIS SERVANTS

EVERY EVENING SINCE THE SON HAD LEFT

THE FATHER HAD CLIMBED A HILLSIDE

FOR A BETTER VIEW

AND HAD WATCHED

AND WAITED FOR HIS SON TO RETURN

WHEN HE SAW HIM AT A DISTANCE

AT A LONG LONG DISTANCE

WHEN HE SAW HIM AT A DISTANCE

AND RECOGNIZED HIS WALK

AS ONLY A PARENT CAN KNOW A CHILD'S WALK.

WHEN HE SAW HIM AT A DISTANCE

AT A LONG LONG DISTANCE

HE RAN TO HIM LAUGHING

AND CRYING

AND SHOUTING

MY SON HAS RETURNED

THE ONE I THOUGHT WAS LOST

HAS RETURNED

AND HE RAN TO HIM

EMBRACED HIM

BEAR HUGGED HIM SO TIGHT

THAT THE SON'S MUMBLED

I WANT TO BE ONE OF YOUR SERVANTS

WAS NEVER HEARD

WAS NEVER HEARD

IN THE FATHER S EXUBERANT JOY

HIS COMING HOME

WAS MESSAGE ENOUGH

NOW YOU AND I

AT SOME TIME IN OUR LIVES

WE ARE THE OLDER BROTHER.

THE ONE WHO DID EVERY THING RIGHT.

WE SEE THE HAPPINESS OF THE FATHER

AND HOW THE FATHER HAS RESTORED

THE YOUNGER BROTHER

TO A PLACE OF HONOR

AND WE ARE JEALOUS.

I THINK IF THIS WASN'T A BIBLE STORY

WE WOULD ALL THINK

THAT THE OLDER BROTHER

WAS POORLY TREATED

BUT THAT IS EXACTLY

WHAT JESUS WANTS US TO THINK

ABOUT THIS STORY

LEFT TO OUR OWN JUDGMENTS

THE YOUNGER SON

WOULD HAVE BEEN BANISHED FROM THE FARM

AND ALL HONOR GIVEN TO THE OLDER SON

WHO HAD DONE NO WRONG

WE WOULD HAVE BEEN WILLING

TO KILL THE BABY TOO

BECAUSE SIN NEEDS PUNISHMENT

IN OUR MIND

BUT JESUS WANTS US TO KNOW

THAT WHAT

WAS

IS NO

MORE

THAT BECAUSE OF HIS DEATH

AND RESURRECTION

THE LOVE OF GOD FOR HIS CREATURES

HAS BECOME IRRATIONAL,

DOES NOT GO BY RULES

BY WHICH WE FEEL COMFORTABLE

THAT WHEN GOD LOOKS AT US

THAT WE ARE ALL INDIVIDUALLY

HIS FAVORITE

THAT HIS FORGIVENESS IS THERE

BEFORE WE SIN

WHILE WE SIN

AND AFTER WE SIN

THAT ALL WE HAVE TO DO

IS ASK FORGIVENESS

AND TRY TO SIN NO MORE

THIS IS THE LESSON MARTIN LUTHER LEARNED

WHILE STUDYING THE SCRIPTURES

THAT GOD LOVED HIM

INDIVIDUALLY AND TOTALLY

THAT FORGIVENESS WAS FREE

AND FREELY GIVEN

THIS IS THE LESSON PETER LEARNED

THAT GOD LOVED HIM

GOOD TIMES AND BAD.

WHETHER STRONGLY DEFENDING JESUS

WITH A SWORD

OR COWERING BEFORE A SERVANT MAID’S GLANCE

HE WAS LOVED BEFORE

DURING

AND AFTER

HE WAS LOVED

THIS IS A LESSON MY MOTHER

TAUGHT MY SISTERS AND I

I WILL LOVE YOU TOTALLY

AND INDIVIDUALLY WITH ALL MY HEART

AND THE LESSON IS

THAT EACH OF US

INDIVIDUALLY

IS GOD’S FAVORITE

THAT WHEN HE LOOKS ON US

HIS CREATION

ALL IS FORGOTTEN

AND FORGIVEN

EXCEPT HIS LOVE FOR US

OUR GOD HAS CARVED OUR NAME

ON THE PALM OF HIS HAND

THAT OUR NAME MIGHT ALWAYS BE BEFORE HIM

THAT EACH OF US

HAS A SPECIAL PLACE

IN HIS HEART

AND OVER THE DOOR

OF THAT PLACE

IS A SIGN THAT SAYS

HOME OF MY FAVORITE

FRANK A VOLLMER