SOLILOQUIES REVISITED

AS OFTEN AS YOU EAT THIS BREAD

AND DRINK THIS CUP

YOU PROCLAIM THE LORD’S DEATH

UNTIL HE COMES IN GLORY

(1 Corinthians 11:26)

AND THEY KNEW HIM

 IN THE BREAKING

OF THE BREAD

(Luke 24:35)

WE PREACH CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED

(1 Corinthians 1:23)

IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF COMMUNION 

THE WORDS OF INSTITUTION 

ARE TO BE SPOKEN 

OR SUNG DISTINCTLY AND CLEARLY 

BEFORE THE CONGREGATION 

AND ARE UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES TO BE OMITTED

(The Book of Concord 584)

I’M BACK ON THE MEDICINES

THAT KEEP ME AWAKE

SO AS USUAL

I PUZZLE OVER THINGS

THAT PUZZLE ME

I DON’T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO DO

OR ANYWHERE TO GO

IF AN ILLITERATE

HINDU PEASANT

WHO UNDERSTOOD NO ENGLISH

WERE TO ATTEND OUR SERVICE

WHAT WOULD HIS IMPRESSIONS BE

COMMUNION AND COLLECTION

BECAUSE THERE IS MOVEMENT

SIGN OF PEACE

SAME THING

BUT THE SERMON

AND THE OTHER WORDS OF THE SERVICE

WOULD BE SO MUCH BLAH

BLAH

BLAH

WHEN I WAS IN MAINE

DUE TO CLERGY SHORTAGE

I WAS ALLOWED TO PRESIDE AT EUCHARIST

WHEN IT CAME TIME TO SAY THE WORDS OF CONSECRATION

I FELT MOVED TO SAY THEM

AS CHRIST MUST HAVE SAID THEM THE FIRST TIME

NOW I KNOW I CAN BE A BIT OF A DRAMA QUEEN

KING

WHATEVER

BUT I FEEL THE WORDS OF THE CONSECRATION

SHOULD BE READ WITH MORE FEELING

THAN READING A MENU

OR A TIMETABLE

BUT WE PREACH CHRIST

AND HIM CRUCIFIED

THEN WHERE IS THE CORPUS

ON THE CROSS

THE LACK OF IT

SMACKS OF CHEAP GRACE

WE SHOULD SEE THE HORROR 

THAT OUR SINS HAVE WROUGHT

AND SO BE MOVED TO REPENTANCE

AND AMENDMENT OF OUR LIVES

WHY IS IT

WHEN A SERVICE

MUST BE SHORTENED

IT’S COMMUNION WHICH GOES

OF THE TWO

WORD AND SACRAMENT

I THINK SACRAMENT IS MORE IMPORTANT

THE WORD IS OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD

WITNESS THE MULTIPLICITY OF CHRISTIAN SECTS

THE SACRAMENT

HAS POWER IN ITSELF

TO AFFECT CHANGE

WHEREAS THE WORD

MUST BE ALLOWED IN

MORE THAN WATCHMEN WAIT FOR THE DAWN

I WAIT FOR SLEEP TO OVERTAKE ME

AS I PRAY

BE NEAR ME LORD JESUS

I ASK YOU TO STAY

CLOSE BY ME FOREVER

GUARD ME I PRAY

BLESS ALL THE DEAR CHILDREN

IN YOUR TENDER CARE

TAKE US TO HEAVEN

TO BE WITH YOU THERE

AMEN

FRANK A VOLLMER

SWAN

ACCORDING

TO WHICH TRANSLATION YOU USE

THE SWAN IS CONSIDERED

 AN UNCLEAN ANIMAL

PERHAPS GOD FELT

THAT SUCH A BEAUTIFUL ANIMAL

SHOULD NOT BE FOOD

WE HAD A SWAN ON OUR LAKE

IT DIED

PROTECTING NEST AND MATE

ECHOES OF

GREATER LOVE HAS NO ONE

BUT TO GIVE HIS LIFE

FOR ANOTHER

WHAT HE DID

WAS INSTINCTIVE

AND BRAVE

IN HIS MIND

HE WAS DOING

THE RIGHT THING

WITHOUT BACKING MYSELF

IN SOME PHILOSOPHICAL CORNER

WE OF THE HIGHER ORDER

COULD DO WELL TO LEARN FROM HIM

HE SAW THE RIGHT THING

AND DID IT

WHILE WE

LIKE PAUL

KNOW THE RIGHT THING

AND DO NOT DO IT

KNOW THE WRONG THING

AND DO IT

SO MUCH FOR THE HIGHER ORDER

SWAN ONE

MAN ZIP

IN MANY WALKS OF LIFE

IF SOMEONE HAS A FAULT

THEY WORK ON IT

A GOLFER

 PRACTICES HIS SWING

A PIANIST

PLAYS ENDLESS SCALES

A PILOT

 WORKS ON UNDERSTANDING HIS AIRCRAFT

THESE AND MANY MORE

WORK TO REMOVE A FAULT

BUT IN OTHER WAYS

WE ARE LIKE THE PEOPLE OF NINEVEH

WHO DID NOT KNOW

THEIR LEFT FROM THEIR RIGHT

AS DUMB AS THEY WERE

THEY RESPONDED

TO THE CALL

TO DO THE RIGHT THING

WHAT EVER THE COST

FRANK A VOLLMER