Once there was born
To a man who was funny,
A small boy whose nose
Was always quite runny.

It dripped and it dribbled
He coughed and he sneezed
And the problem arose
With the slightest small breeze.

Flu like symptoms it seemed
Were the obvious cause
For the uncomfortable drizzle
At the end of his schnoz.

But it wasn’t just snot
That flowed with wind weather,
More often than not
What he blew was a feather.

A feather is weird
You have to admit
His parents conferred
They prayed and had fits. 

They worried and feared
And quite often teared
Their special bright boy
Was really quite weird.

His parents did notice
When they stopped and they sat
He’s a remarkable boy
In more ways than that.

They asked friends and neighbors
They pointed out things
Have you noticed that when
He is sad he just sings?

He knew all the hymns
The ones that showed how
The creator was good
Whether or not we knew how.

And what about
All those days when it rained
He chuckled and muttered
But never complained.

He makes us all laugh
With his antics and joked
He’s just like his dad
Always teasing with folks.

But still there was trouble
Absolutely no denying
Even the hint of a breeze
And he seemed to be flying.

Those two bumps on his back
We’re worried for those
And it’s not just all that
Have you looked at his toes?

Instead of walking
Around on his feet,
His toes always hover
Just an inch off the street.

“We’re really concerned”
They whispered at night
We should see a doctor
These things just aren’t right.

So they loaded him up
In the car and they went
To the top of the hill
To see Dr. Flint;

Alone in a room
With white walls and machine
Flint offered just gloom
It seemed really quite mean;

“Flu like symptoms,” he said
“May not go away
He’s not quite right in the head
And you know what they say,

These things sometimes happen
There’s nothing to do
Your boy has a sickness
It’s something like flu.”

“We’ll try what we have
But it’s really not much
For your boys big problems
It’s not quite enough,

He’ll be gone in a year
If he’s tough make it two
You’ll have to be strong
Have faith to get through.”

Mom and dad just stared
Glassy eyed, not believing
How could our bright boy
Already be leaving?

So back down they went
With their plans and their schemes
And hearts that were full
Of broken plans and crashed dreams

And Luke…

Afraid and alone
At home in the dark
An idea in his head
Lit up like a spark

A burning fresh dose
Of truth and of hope
Took away all his fears
He was no longer morose…

I wonder he thought
As he studied his toes
What if there’s a reason
For jokes and my nose

So he thought and he wondered
On the reasons for things
And he wiggled and squirmed
And felt for his wings

An experiment of hope
Snuck up in his mind
He wiggled his toes
And stretched with his mind

From out of the dark
In his sad lonely place
A voice in his heart
Brought a smile to his face

“The pain that you feel
In your legs when you walk
Is not really much more
Than a twist in your sock.”

“The way that sometimes
Feathers float from your nose
And you’d rather not walk
Just float on your toes?”

"These things about you
Are different than most
It’s really quite simple,
Like cooking some toast.

See, some people grow
The same inside as out
But others are fast
Their heart has to shout

The message they have is
To important to wait
The plan made for them
Is real hard to fake

Here’s the secret young man
You’ve been hoping to hear
I’m telling you now
Cause you’re time’s getting near

Your parents are worried
And sometimes quite sad
The symptoms you know
Are really quite bad

But flu like’s not right
Dr. Flint missed the boat
You have Fly Luke symptoms
Your soul’s meant to float

I've done you a favor
In the short time you’ve lived
All the life that’s set in you
Is for you to give

In a world changing way
That can’t fit with the crowd
So rise up and fly
Cause the sound’s getting loud

So Luke shut his eyes
And he felt with his wings
And as he rose in the air
He started to sing

The sound from his mouth
Was a bright winsome song
All the people around him
Awoke before long

As the notes from his tune
Struck the strings in their hearts
Sleepy people were dancing
And there were more from the start

Who saw that their friend,
This small broken boy
Was a powerful warrior
His song brought real joy

As dancing was spreading
From bedroom to street
Luke rose up in the air
His conductor to meet

He approached his best friend,
His real source of strength
The dancing got quiet
On the streets, their whole length

By the look in his eyes
And the crook in his brow
The conductor was pleased
With the show up ‘til now

But it wasn’t enough
He raised both arms up high
And the air seemed to shimmer
And let out a big sigh

He looked Luke in the eye
In a pause of great wonder
It could be described
As a rumble of thunder

Then both hands came down
With great force and a fling
The conductor looked up
And he roared, “LET US SING!”

And there in the air
Was the heavenly host
Both evil and good
But the bad were all toast

The angels all stood
With their feet on red throats
Not one demon could wiggle
No liar could boast

A sound like the wind
Swept out from the sky
It changed all the hearts
Who were standing nearby

Transformed by the song
Where a small boy had been
Appeared a powerful warrior
A giant man amongst men

He clapped his hands with great force
And the demons were crushed
Then the angels arose
With a thundering rush

Around and around
The great throng he flew
He circled the crowd
And danced while wind blew

The feathers from before
From his nose when he sneezed
Now made up great wings
With no need for a breeze

So the truth about Luke
Came from a real place
No longer broken
His heart was in place

For making us laugh
And making us cry
And drawing attention
From earth to the sky

Now all battles are fought
The war has been won
The flu is now over
And Luke flies with the Son

His small body has been
A great place to compose
A powerful song
That will defeat all great foes

His life has meant more
Than a nine year old’s should
The love that exploded
Did more than most could

We remember and hope
To be big in our hearts
So we set life aside
To follow his start…

This story is about a boy who is much more powerful than he appears. 

The life that filled up Luke to overpower his earthly body had called forth such a powerful outpouring of love that the enemy was destroyed.  Prior to Luke’s powerful life, the enemy had made great headway and was on the eve of a successful invasion.  But the gathering of saints had been a surprise attack by the Good and Wise King who had chosen a powerful warrior to take the surprising (not to him) form of a small, broken child.  This child had successfully fulfilled his calling as a wielder of love, joy, peace and hope in the midst of terrible worldly circumstances.  Multitudes of otherwise lost and asleep warriors had been affected and their ties to the world all but severed.  They prayed and lived and the enemy’s plans were thwarted.  Now, the host of heaven, in the wake of victory, sings Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty!!  The whole earth is filled with his glory!!  And Luke stood next to his Friend the King surveying the wrecked demons; trampled by the warriors he had led into battle.  His Friend was heard to say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant, enter into your rest.”  And those of us left behind, waiting our whole lives to become the kind of warrior Luke was in only nine short years, sang with hope that we would never forget his story and the way he had changed our lives – bringing us into the glory of God in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Thank you Luke.

Therefore, we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18