And The Preacher Said, Amen!

In Memory of The Reverend Charles Albert Freeman

And the preacher said…Amen!
Can I get a Amen?
I said, Can I get a Amen!

And a man had two sons
and the younger son said, Father,
give me the portion of goods
that falleth to me.

And he found himself
a long ways from home

A Wild Man
lying in the graveyard
in chains
weeping...

And Jesus said, Come Out!
Come Out!
And the devil fled into the sea

And the Wild Man was comforted
and left the gambling dens
and the streets
where he had wagered away
his home
his family
his very life.

And he stood on an empty road.
Behind him was only Death.
And he did not go back.

He made a vow to the Lord.
And he did not go back.

He began to climb
from a horrible pit
to the heavens.

He was determined
to win it all
back and more.

And he began to run
shaking off the shackles
everyday
by the thousands and thousands of pounds,
linking arms
with those he encountered
along the way,
pushing and pulling them
forward, ever forward
without care for the scenery,
rarely stopping
for the occasional flower that beckoned,

he went only forward

with a vengeance
because the pit from whence he came
was deep
and he had a long way to go.

Like a race horse
with blinders,
running, running anyway
ever forward, with great speed
sleepless, restless
stumbling here,
passing the slow and unfocused,
sometimes alone,
sometimes carrying the weak
heavy on his back,
in a sweat, sometimes tired,
trying not to trample
those in his way,
sometimes with a laugh

to the heavens…

And God said, You did run well.
Come into my Rest.

But the Wild Man said, Rest?
But I must continue,
There is so much to be done
So many to save,
So much to complete.

And God laughed and asked,
To what end do you run?

And the Wild Man said,
I run to set the Captive Free,
to escape the pit behind me
and to be worthy 
to be welcomed
back
to the House of my Father.

And God said, Oh my Son,
The pit you left has been far,
far behind you for a long time now.
Look back from the high place
where we stand and see
the great path you have made.

You have set my people free
by the thousands and thousands,
calling down miracles on the first moment
you believed.
Your wisdom is known abroad
passed down to generations.

In the day of confusion,
you declared the Day of the Lord.

And the Wild Man,
looking back at his life
wondered of the pieces
left undone, and the mistakes
he could not fix.

And God said, My grace is sufficient
to mend all the broken pieces left behind.

You did all you could in a day’s time.

With tools created from nothing
but dust and harsh beginnings,
you built for me
a glorious empire
of praise and righteousness
where ever your foot trod.

And the lyrical beauty of it rings out still,
ever changing the world.

It was a good day’s journey.
You did run well.
The race is finished.
The day is done.
My Rest is yours.

Welcome Home,
My Son,
Welcome Home.
©2013 A.L. Freeman