(Genesis 1:3).......CANDLE LIGHT SERVICE

 

 

CANDLE LIGHT SERVICE

BOW THE UNLIT CANDLE
TOWARD THE LIT ONE
TO PREVENT DAMAGE
TO PEOPLE
OR PROPERTY

A CAUTIONARY WORD
AT THE BEGINNING
OF THE CANDLE LIGHT SERVICE

BOW THE UNLIT CANDLE
TOWARD THE LIT ONE

GOOD FOR PEOPLE
BUT NOT FOLLOWED BY GOD
WHO BOWS TO THE UNLIT CANDLE
TO BESTOW HIS LIGHT
AND SPILL HIS GRACE

THIS GOD OF OURS
WHO DWELLS
 IN THE MESSINESS OF LIFE
WHO WHIPS CREATION
OUT OF CHAOS

WHO CRIES OUT
LET THERE BE LIGHT
AND BENDS HIS CANDLE
TOWARDS US

THIS GOD OF LIGHT

FRANK A VOLLMER

 

 



THE DAY JOSEPH HELD THE BABY

 

 

THE DAY JOSEPH HELD THE BABY

I HAD GONE TO CHURCH
TO SEE THE CHRISTMAS PAGEANT
WHEN I WAS MET AT THE DOOR
BY THE DIRECTOR

CAN YOU BE JOSEPH
JOSEPH IS SICK

WHAT ARE MY LINES
AND WHAT DO I DO

YOU HAVE NO LINES
JUST STAND AROUND
LOOKING HOLY

IT’S A STRETCH I SAID
BUT I’LL GIVE IT A SHOT

NOW I’VE BEEN A SHEPHERD
WRAPPED IN SHEETS
TENDING COTTON COVERED LAMBS

I’VE BEEN A MAGI
IN A BATHROBE

I’VE BEEN AN ANGEL WITH WINGS
MONITORING CHERUBS
SO THEY WON’T FIGHT

BUT JOSEPH
I’VE NEVER HAD THE HONOR

SO ON THE STAGE WE WENT
MY EIGHT YEAR OLD BRIDE
AND HER EIGHTY FIVE
YEAR OLD HUSBAND

WHAT A LOVELY PAIR

SHE WAS HOLDING THE BABY DOLL
SOMETIMES SHE’D PUT IT IN THE CRIB
THEN SHE SAID TO ME
WOULD YOU LIKE TO HOLD THE BABY
 

I WAS SET BACK
FOR AN INSTANT

IN ALL MY YEARS
I’VE NEVER SEEN JOSEPH
HOLD THE BABY

IT WAS ONLY A DOLL
BUT WHEN I HELD IT
I FELT TRANSFORMED
INTO A BETTER PERSON

SO THAT WHEN SHE ASKED FOR IT BACK
I DID
BUT WITH RELUCTANCE

I WOULD LIKE TO SAY
THE DOLL SMILED AT ME
BUT IT DIDN’T HAPPEN
BUT THERE WAS A WARM SPOT
IN MY HEART
I WON’T SOON FORGET

FRANK A VOLLMER


JESUS THINKS OUT LOUD

 

JESUS THINKS OUT LOUD

 

I PREACH CHRIST

AND HIM CRUCIFIED

SO SINGS PAUL

MY TROUBADOUR

 

 

SO SING ALSO

THOSE WHO SAY THEY FOLLOW ME

 

THEY HAVE CRUCIFIXES

WHICH SHOW ME

 IN DIFFERENT STAGES

OF AGONY

TRANSITIONING

TO A TRIUMPHANT

MAJESTIC ME

 

THEY HAVE BARE CROSSES

TO SYMBOLIZE

I HAVE RISEN

 

I FIND IT ODD

TO PREACH

CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED

TO AN EMPTY CROSS

BUT THAT’S A PERSONAL QUIRK

 

WHETHER YOU BELIEVE

I DIED FOR YOUR SINS

IN A KIND OF A COURTROOM DRAMA

 

OR TO LOOSE THE GRASP

OF SATAN UPON YOU

THIS SATAN

THAT GOES ABOUT

SEEKING WHOM HE MAY DEVOUR

 

WHATEVER

 

THE IMPORTANT THING IS

I DIED FOR YOU

 

 

BUT MORE IMPORTANT

TO ME

IS THAT I CAME

TO START A NEW WAY OF LIFE

WHICH WAY

IS OFTEN

IGNORED

 

WHICH BEGS

THE QUESTION

OF MY DEATH

 

WHY BOTHER

 

WHY BOTHER INDEED

 

BECAUSE I LOVE THEM

WARTS AND ALL

 

BECAUSE

OCCASIONALLY

 THERE’S A SPARK OF LIGHT

 

MOTHER TERESAA

MARTIN LUTHER

MARTIN LUTHER KING

NELSON MANDELA

OSCAR ROMERO

DAG HAMMARSKJOLD

LECH WALESA

AUNG SAN SUU KYI

 

 

MOTHERS AND FATHERS STRUGGLING TO RAISE A FAMILY

ELDERLY PARENTS BEING CARED FOR

THOSE WHO CONSIDER NO PERSON IS UNIMPORTANT

THOSE WHO WELCOME THE STRANGER IN THEIR MIDST

 

 

MY CHURCH

 

HAS BEEN MADE TOO NARROW

 

 

WITH ITS HISTORY

IT SHOULD HAVE FAILED

BUT DIDN’T

 

 

BECAUSE OF GRANDMOTHERS

ROCKING BABIES ASLEEP

 

 

TEACHING CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN

ABOUT GENTLE JESUS

AND HIS WAY

 

 

MY CHURCH SURVIVED

A RAMSHACKLE EDIFICE

 

IT WOULD BE WELL

FOR THE POMPOUS TO ADMIT IT

 

 

TO BE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT PEOPLE

THAN STRUCTURE

 

 

WOULD I DIE FOR THEM AGAIN

IN A HEARTBEAT

END OF SENTENCE

 

 

IN A HEARTBEAT

 

FRANK A VOLLMER

 

MEEK

MEEK

ONE OF THE SEVERAL VARIETIES

OF THE WESTERN

IS THAT OF THE TOWN DRUNK

OR PROSTITUTE

BEING THE HERO

WHILE THE GOOD PEOPLE

THE MEEK AND MILD

COWER IN THE CHURCH

THE WORD MEEK CAME INTO ENGLISH

FROM THE SCANDINAVIAN

MEANING SOFT

IT WAS USED BY THE KJV SCHOLARS

TO TRANSLATE THE GREEK

PRAUS

OVER THE YEARS

THE TERM MEEK

HAVE TAKEN ON THE FOLLOWING MEANING

ACCORDING TO WEBSTER

IT MEANS

 TIMID

 HUMBLE

 LOWLY

 OVERLY PATIENT

OR SUBMISSIVE

SOMEHOW I DON’T THINK

THIS WAS WHAT JESUS MEANT

WHEN HE SAID

LEARN FROM ME

FOR I AM MEEK

 AND HUMBLE OF HEART

IN BIBLICAL GREEK .

IT IS THE REGULAR WORD FOR AN ANIMAL

WHICH HAS BEEN DOMESTICATED
WHICH HAS BEEN TRAINED

TO OBEY THE WORD OF COMMAND

WHICH HAS
LEARNED TO ANSWER TO THE REINS

 IT IS THE WORD FOR AN ANIMAL
WHICH HAS LEARNED TO ACCEPT CONTROL

IN NO WAY DOES IT EMASCULATE

THE ANIMAL

 CHRIST SAID

I HAVE COME

NOT TO DO MY WILL

BUT THE WILL OF THE FATHER

WHO SENT ME

PETER

WAS A WILD BULL

OF A MAN

BUT JESUS USED HIM

AS HE WAS

TOO OFTEN CHRISTIANS

ARE SEEN AS COWERING IN THE CHURCH

BUT CHRISTIANITY

IS A VIGOROUS

VIRILE RELIGION

WE ARE BROKEN

TO THE REINS

WHICH IS THE CODE OF JESUS

THE SKILLS WE HAD

AS A WILD ONE

ARE STILL OUR SKILLS

WHEN JESUS SAYS PULL

WE DON’T QUESTION

THE REINS

WE PULL

FRANK A VOLLMER

BIRTH

BIRTH

 

 

IT IS THE TIME

FOR SINGING PRETTY SONGS

ABOUT EVENTS

THAT MAY NOT HAVE HAPPENED

 

BURIED IN THE FOLKTALES

IS THE FACT

GOD HAS BECAME MAN

SO MAN CAN BECOME GOD-LIKE

 

BURIED IN ALL THE COMMOTION

ABOUT CHRISTMAS

BURIED IN ALL THE HULLABALOO

AND OFTEN FORGOTTEN

OR IGNORED

IS A BASIC TENET

OF OUR FAITH

 

GOD HAS BECOME MAN

AND MAN HAS HIS DIGNITY

AND IMMORTALITY RESTORED

 

CHRISTIANS HAVE A LONG HISTORY

OF TREATING THE STRANGER

AS NOT BEING GOD’S CHILD

HOW THEN CAN IT LEAD THE WORLD

TO HIS BIRTHING PLACE

 

HE IS IN US

MUCH AS A PREGNANT WOMEN BEARS A CHILD

 

MUCH AS A WOMAN LABORS

WE SHOULD LABOR TO BRING HIS CREATION

TO FRUITION

 

HE DOESN’T NEED THE IMAGE

OF A COLD STABLE

OUR HEARTS ARE COLD ENOUGH

 

HE DOESN’T NEED THE IMAGE

OF A CROWDED INN

OUR BUSYNESS

HAVE CROWDED HIM OUT

 

HE DOESN’T NEED SWEET CAROLS SUNG

WHEN THEY ARE SUNG BY ROTE

WITH NO MEANING

 

HE DOESN’T NEED HERALD ANGELS SINGING

KEEP CASH IN CHRISTMAS

WHEN CHRISTMAS IS MEASURED

BY HOW MUCH YOU GET

 

WHEN SHEPHERDS

WHO SMELL LIKE SHEEP

ARE KEPT OUT

HE INVITES THEM IN

AS THEIR RIGHT

 

WHETHER THEY ARE LEGENDS

OR FACT

DOESN’T MATTER

UNLESS HIS BIRTH

IS A LIFE CHANGING EVENT

FOR US

 

UNLESS WE BEHAVE

AS ONES

GIVEN DIGNITY

 BY GOD’S BIRTH

 

AND EXTEND THE RIGHTS

OF THAT DIGNITY

TO ALL

 

IF WE DON’T

GOD MIGHT HAVE BEEN

BORN IN A TRASH CAN

AND THROWN OUT

 

FRANK A VOLLMER