God Used to Attend Church in Grassy, MO

The preacher’s wife would throw up her hands

and shout, “Oh, He’s with us.”

The congregation would follow with hallelujahs and prayers.

Miracles were sent from and received at an oak alter

decorated with wooden cut-out letters spelling J-E-S-U-S   S-A-V-E-S 

Now the waving hands are calmly placed in laps

The old man who used to sit on the first pew with his Holy Bible

now has a front-row recliner seat for the local Sunday morning fishing show.

His new prop is a crossword puzzle. 

The choir sings the same old songs

just with a revolving door of new members

and with less conviction.

As the volume goes up, the dedication recedes.   

God left the church,

escaped out the back double doors during Sunday morning sermon.

He took the Ten Commandments.

He left the Golden Calf.