bargains

just because

they are continually on sale,

doesn’t mean fear,

anger, vengeance,

are bargains we need

to snatch up before anyone else does.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

how?

God, how is it

you find it so easy

to give away so much,

when we are fearful

we won’t have enough

for our cup of coffee, if

we help someone on the street?

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

brrr

how cold is it?

it’s cold enough to break out

hope-insulated grace, to warm others

frostbitten by the frigid words

of the fear-mongers and isolationists.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

cost

when we see compassion

   as a commodity,

grace as only a tip

   for good service,

hope as a discard

   for the thrift store,

life becomes private enterprise,

not a force for good and change.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

cyber monday

building sand castles or snow people,

raking leaves or walking in woods,

reading to older folks or mentoring kids,

steer us towards all the things

we could be doing today,

offline,

O God.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

saturday grace

not in the frenzied crowds,

but the warm hand of a little child;

not in the pile of packages at the door,

but in the kitten in our lap;

not in the record-breaking sales,

but in the caring of the most vulnerable,

will we find the grace you offer.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Grace Friday

more than a framed cross stitch,

grace is that worn soul,

patched with pieces of hope and love

gifted by those around us,

stitched together by the tensile threads

woven from the Lamb’s wool.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

fourgrace

more than just a word,

grace begins when we set down

our anger to share hope,

when we see strangers as us,

when we seat the hungry at our table

not just drop off a box at their house.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

grace3

more than just a bagpipe’s

drone, grace is a grandmother

crafting wooden toys,

children’s whispers about santa letters,

a dad humming while making a pie.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

gracetoo

more than just a hymn,

grace is amazing when kids

welcome outsiders,

when refugees start foodbanks,

when felons are offered jobs.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

grace

grace is more than just

a few words mumbled before

rushing through a meal,

it is the twinkle placed in

our hearts by the one across the table,

the smile etched on our eyes

by their welcoming soul.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

this day

may we break our fast

embracing justice;

may we share a sandwich

with hope at lunch;

may we offer peace

to neighbors and strangers

as we settle down for the night.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

sleepyheads

on mornings when the

warm bed clings tightly to us,

grab us by the hand

and pull us out to join you

serving those shaking from fear.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

whisper

too often,

we choose grumpiness

over graciousness,

whingeing over

whispers of hope.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

grateful

in this season of gratitude,

challenge us, God of hope,

to notice those who

hand us our lattes,

hang up the clothes we leave in fitting rooms,

pick up cups we toss aside in races,

deliver packages to our doors,

and so, so much more.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

baker

may justice not be like

a pretzel, twisted and with salt

rubbed into the wounds, or

a breadstick, so stale so quickly,

but a Celtic knot loaf where grace,

hope, and peace intertwine,

never ending, always beginning.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

raking

if only we could rake

worries, doubts, hates, and angers

to the curb for pick-up,

but we just turn them into

one big pile and keep jumping in,

over and over and over.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

the day after

and now,

let us turn our yard signs

into symbols of hope;

our disappointment

into caring for the broken;

our jubilation

into wiping the tears of others;

and may a wave of grace,

healing, and peace cleanse

us of all our bitterness.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

tikkun olam

when the voting is over,

let us begin to repair

our brokenness with acts

of specific kindness,

overflowing love, and

welcoming arms and hearts.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

mentors

may our role models

become those who give from

scarcity, not wealth;

who give others their warm coats;

who seat strangers at tables

and offer them the guest room.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

neighborly

if we truly love

others, we need to open

our hearts to them,

not just seek to use them as

pawns in political chess games.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

apology

worn out from trying

to win the Angrier-Than-You

sweepstakes, i don’t have

the strength to love you, God.

sorry

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

and the second is like the first

remind us, mercy’s Heart,

that we are called to love folk,

not hurl hate at them.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

help

when people look for

helpers in times of heartache,

we pray they see us

running towards them with our

arms full of hope, peace, and grace.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman