FATHER’S BUSINESS (Luke 2:49)

DID YOU NOT KNOW

I WAS ABOUT MY FATHER’S

BUSINESS

THIS FROM A TWELVE YEAR OLD BOY

EXPLAINING WHY HE WANDERED OFF

A COMMON PROBLEM

AN UNCOMMON EXCUSE

THAT HAS PUZZLED SCHOLARS

SINCE IT WAS WRITTEN DOWN

IT PUZZLED HIS MOTHER

WHO KEPT THE MEMORY OF THIS

IN HER HEART

ALONG WITH THE WORDS

OF ANNA

AND SIMEON

BUSY WITH MY FATHER’S BUSINESS

A SENSE OF URGENCY

AT AN EARLY AGE

BUT HE WAS TWELVE

HE HAD PARENTS

HE HAD TO LIVE AS A MAN

THE PEAKS AND VALLEYS

OF ORDINARY EXISTENCE

HE HAD TO LEARN

TO LAUGH

AND CRY

TO OBEY

COMMAND

LEARN A TRADE

LEARN HIS FAITH

LIVE HIS FAITH

BE BUSY

AS A SON

MAKING HIS PARENTS PROUD

AND WE

ARE WE MAKING OUR PARENTS PROUD

AND OUR FATHER

FRANK A VOLLMER

BODY-BLOOD (1 Corinthians 10:16)

1 Corinthians 10:16

Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?

IS NOT THE CUP WE SHARE

A MAKING OF US ONE

IS NOT THE BREAD WE SHARE

A MAKING OF US ONE

ONE WITH CHRIST

AS FOOD BECOMES

ONE WITH OUR BODIES

HOW CAN THERE BE DISSENSION

IN THE BODY OF CHRIST

BUT THERE ARE THINGS

WE MUST DO

IN THAT BODY

WHICH WE DO NOT WANT TO DO

THERE ARE THOSE

WE MUST LOVE

IN THAT BODY

WHICH WE ARE UNWILLING TO DO

CAN WE SAY

I ONLY WANT A PERCENTAGE OF CHRIST

IN ME

OR RATHER

I ONLY WANT A PERCENTAGE OF ME

IN CHRIST

I WANT HIM AS A SPECIAL ASSISTANT

BUT NO MORE

I DON’T WANT THE NIGGLING THOUGHT

DO BETTER

FOR WHICH HE IS FAMOUS

I ONLY WANT HIM

WHEN I’VE FOULED MY NEST SO HORRIBLY

I NEED OUTSIDE HELP

IT’S THEN I KNOW

WHAT IT MEANS

TO BE POOR IN SPIRIT

AS THE HARVEST OF THE WHEAT

AND THE WINE ARE CYCLICAL

SO CHRIST COMES CONTINUALLY

SAYING

THIS IS MY BODY

THIS IS MY BLOOD

TAKE AND EAT

AND BE ONE

FRANK A VOLLMER

A MAN SHOULD BE WILLING

“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” –Greek proverb

 A MAN SHOULD BE WILLING

TO PLANT A TREE

UNDER WHO’S SHADE

HE WILL NOT SIT

A TRIBUTE

TO THE FUTURE

A SIGN OF HOPE

FROM THE PAST

A TREE

WHERE OUR CHILDREN’S CHILDREN

CAN CARVE THEIR LOVED ONE’S NAME

WE ARE TOLD

TO PLANT WHERE WE WILL NOT REAP

 TO REAP

WHERE WE HAVE NOT SOWN

TO BE THE DOER

NOT NECESSARILY

THE ACHIEVER

TO PLANT A TREE

WHERE OTHER’S CHILDREN

CAN HANG A SWING

AND PRACTICE GOING HIGHER

FRANK A VOLLMER

WANDERING THOUGHTS

ONE OF THE LASTING IMPRESSIONS I HAVE

OF THE HOLOCAUST

IS A SHORT FILM

OF A YOUNG BOY

SITTING ON A TABLE

SHAKING

SHIVERING

HE WAS BEING SUBJECTED

TO REPEATED BLOWS

ON THE HEAD

TO STUDY THEIR EFFECTS

HE WAS A JEW

A NON-PERSON

USELESS AS A STONE

THROWN IN A LAKE

RINDS OF MELON

THROWN IN THE GARBAGE

TOOLS TO BE USED

TILL THEY BREAK

THEN DISCARDED

IT WOULD BE NICE TO THINK

THAT IT HAPPENED

IN ANOTHER PLACE

IN ANOTHER TIME

BUT IT’S HAPPENING NOW

AND HAS HAPPENED NOW

WHILE DIVES DINES

LAZARUS DIES

LIKE A PIECE OF PAPER

A TOY OF THE WIND

PLAYED WITH

THEN FORGOTTEN

WHEN WILL YOU COME

LORD JESUS

WHEN WILL YOU COME

TO RESCUE US FROM OURSELVES

TO GIVE DIGNITY TO DIRT

WATER TO DRY LAND

VISION TO THE BLIND

DREAMS TO THE DUNG HEAP

AWARENESS OF THE NEEDS OF OTHERS

AND A HELPING HAND

FRANK A VOLLMER