Photo by Christian DeKnock on Unsplash
Rev. Dr. Bill Kerley first encountered this poem at a retreat where the facilitator Jim Finley was questioned about whether everyone has a place in God's heart.
Musing on the poem and its message, Dr. Kerley says: "I believe we are all safe in God and that the gospel is inclusive... It may not be my favorite poem, but I like it a lot."
Anonymous Poem
Matt Talbot was a drunkard
Dismas was a thief
Magdalene was a playgirl
and Thomas without belief
But there they are in heaven
Looking down upon us now
Each holding a tilted halo
To a badly battered brow
And so the sins of all you sinners
Don't definitely damn
For your was-ness doesn't matter
If your is-ness really am.