Monday, December 31, 2018

look back


it’s easy to look back
and hear the angry voices,
see the horrific images,
remember the painful stories,
recall the broken places, so
help me to remember
the friend who made
my heart laugh
every time we talked;
the child who trusted
me enough to
read aloud haltingly;
the moon winking
through the blinds;
the grace which
never abandoned me,
especially when i felt
most alone.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Sunday, December 30, 2018

December 30th


“Let everything that breathes
         praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD!”  Psalm 150:6

when we could
inhale the sweet
air of grace and sing,
we let our
grudges
suck the breath
right out of our
souls.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Saturday, December 29, 2018

December 29th


On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me,’”  John 7:37

when we are
parched for hope,
when the wells
of our souls run dry,
when we are
so thirsty we
cannot taste life,
you had us
the cup of grace,
saying, ‘drink deeply;
it will never run out.’

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman



Friday, December 28, 2018

December 28th


“See, I have inscribed you on the
         palms of my hands;” Isaiah 49:16a

when you cup water
for a cooling drink,
you see us;
when you rub your face
in weariness at our foolishness,
you forgive us;
when you gather up
our cries and prayers to your heart,
you comfort us;
whatever, wherever,
whoever, whenever we are,
you never wash your hands
of us

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Thursday, December 27, 2018

December 27th


as we step over
the toys which are cracked,
the games whose
batteries have faded,
the clothes with
set-in wrinkles, remind
us that love never wears out,
grace needs no ironing,
and though chipped and nicked,
hope is still as durable
as your heart.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman





Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Boxing Day


now,
let us not crumple
grace
and toss it out
with the wrapping paper;
now,
let us not crush
hope
with the rest
of the boxes
before putting them
out in the bin;
now,
let us not put the
Baby
back in the closet,
but see him in
everyone we meet.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Christmas Day


we look for you
in the messy stable,
but you are gone,
searching for the hungry
children you hear crying in the night,
the lonely widow who paces
the floor, as tears run down her cheeks;
we look for you
in the manger where
you were laid at birth,
but you are out
cradling those whose holiday
is spent in a hospital bed,
or sitting next to a friend
who is reliving his childhood
in a memory unit;

we come to Bethlehem
to find the tiny, innocent baby
so we can sing carols
and tell you bedtime stories
but you are running with
first responders into danger,
at the side of those who work
so we can take time off from our jobs,
walking with those who have
been turned away from the inn
managed by fear and greed;

we come on this holy morning
to be with you, Jesus,
but we may be in the wrong place.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Monday, December 24, 2018

December 24th


“to give light to those who sit
         in darkness and in the
         shadow of death,
   to guide our feet into the
         way of peace.”  Luke 1:79

with stubbornness
as our default setting,
we would rather keep
down the roads potholed
with anger, bitterness,
and hate, rather
than giving you time
to repave them with
peace and grace.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Sunday, December 23, 2018

December 23rd

“For the LORD is our judge,
         the LORD is our ruler,
   the LORD is our king;
         he will save us.”  Isaiah 33:22

our babysitter,
you tuck us in at night
with a story and a kiss,
   then settle down in
   the rocker to watch over us;
our baker,
you roll out the dough,
kneading and shaping it,
   so it can become that
   bread which gives us life;
our sommelier,
you decant the finest
vintage of grace,
   and offer it to us,
   warning to sip slowly;
our heart,
you break it into
a million pieces,
   to make us whole
   once and for all.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Saturday, December 22, 2018

December 22nd

“Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.”  Revelation 21:25

as we argue
over funding walls,
throw up more and
more gated communities,
devise safer and more
high-tech security systems,
you are pushing open the windows,
propping open the doors,
and putting welcome
mats down the walkways
leading to your heart.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Friday, December 21, 2018

December 21st


“The meek shall obtain fresh
         joy in the LORD,
   and the neediest people
         shall exult in the
         Holy One of Israel.”  Isaiah 29:19

like the tangerine
in the toe of the stocking
hung on the mantle, or
the oranges of Christingle,
your joy brings wonder to all
who taste its goodness, as
its sweetness takes away
the bitterness of despair,
and offers light to all
who wander the shadows.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Thursday, December 20, 2018

December 20th


“Steadfast love and faithfulness
         will meet;
   righteousness and peace will
         kiss each other.”  Psalm 85:10

like friends at a
class reunion who
crush each other
in bear hugs after
an absence of 50 years,
love and grace twirl
each other round and round;
peace and hope
can’t stop staring
into each other’s eyes,
looking past the wrinkles
of all the years to see
the other as they were
when both were young.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman



Wednesday, December 19, 2018

December 19th


On that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Ethiopia, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.  Isaiah 11:11

on this day,
let us reach out
to the elderly
whose slow steps
make them targets
in crosswalks;
to the little kids
knocked over by bullies
every morning;
to teenagers
whose fears hide
in their wardrobes;
to the lonely, the forgotten,
the refugees, the rough sleepers;
on this day,
and every day,
let us reach out.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman


Tuesday, December 18, 2018

December 18th


“As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.”  Ephesians 6:15

sometimes, it is the work boots
worn, clearing vacant lots so
gardens can be planted;
sometimes, it is dress shoes
for dancing with the ex at
your daughter’s wedding;
sometimes, it is the
sneakers with holes
from playing tennis with the kid
you are mentoring, but
peace’s footwear comes
in all sizes, all styles,
all conditions, always.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman


Monday, December 17, 2018

Third Monday of Advent


“He put a new song in my mouth,
   a song of praise to our God. “ Psalm 40:3a

when we call an
old friend out of the blue,
saying, ‘I just wanted
to hear our voice;’
when we say ‘thank you’
to the curmudgeonly crossing guard
and leave her with a smile;
when we tell our soulmates
we love them (and really
mean the words), we
sing your new songs,
Lyricist of creation.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Sunday, December 16, 2018

Third Sunday of Advent


“Lead me in your truth, and
         teach me,
   for you are the God of my
         salvation,
   for you I wait all day long.”  Psalm 25:5

the waiting
would be easier,
if you came as
an IM, a tweet,
or an emoji/GIF
response to a post, but
you come in the
silence at the end
of a long day,
in the warm hand
of a little child
on a winter morning,
in the lengthy letter
from an old friend.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Saturday, December 15, 2018

Second Saturday of Advent


“He said to them, ‘When I sent you out without a purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?’ They said, ‘No, not a thing.’”  Luke 22:35

when
we who have
so much act as if
we live on the edge
of scarcity, its it
any wonder we easily
dismiss those who
truly live on despair’s
doorstep?

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman








Friday, December 14, 2018

Second Friday of Advent


“But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord . . .”  2 Thessalonians 2:13a

always?
the person who
cuts me off in
meetings at work;
the kid who argues
with everything
i say;
the friend who
turns their back on me
when i approach . . .

give thanks
always!

really?

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman



Thursday, December 13, 2018

Second Thursday of Advent


“For God alone my souls waits in silence,
   for my hope is from him.”  Psalm 62:5

each day,
not just once
a year, hope
is waiting for me,
under the branches
of my soul,
to be opened
and lived.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Second Wednesday of Advent


“They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him.  Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.”  John 8:6

taking your finger
and touching the ground
where the bile from their lips,
the feardrops from their eyes,
the judgment leaking from their hearts
had fallen, you
swirl it all into
a marvelous sand painting
entitled ‘forgiveness,’ revealing
it to those who had souls
to see.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Second Tuesday of Advent

“But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters . . .  Be at peace among yourselves.”  1 Thessalonians 5:12a, 13b

when we could
hurl angry words,
   let us whisper love;
when we could
push another away,
   let us draw them
   into the arms of grace;
when we could
throw temper tantrums,
   let us be
   bearers of peace.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Monday, December 10, 2018

Second Monday of Advent


“For evils have encompassed me
    without number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
    until I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head,
    and my heart fails me
.” Psalm 40:12

if it were a sprint,
all my foolish choices
would easily catch
up with me, blocking
the way, but since
grace is a marathon,
you set the pace so
together, we might
cross the finish line.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Sunday, December 09, 2018

Second Sunday of Advent


“Let me sing for my beloved
   my love-song concerning
      his vineyard.”  Isaiah 5:1a

sometimes
your songs of love are
hammers building
   hope in empty lots,
peanut butter and jelly
being spread for sandwiches
   for park bench sleepers,
excited barks of shelter dogs
   playing with their forever family,
wrapping paper being ripped
off toys, games, and clothes
   by kids who believed
   no one cared about them.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Saturday, December 08, 2018

First Saturday of Advent


“For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven . . .”1st Thessalonians 4:16

in the baby’s tiny
fist grasping its mom’s finger;
in the purring of a kitten
that lulls us to sleep;
in the tiptoes of
a teenager creeping off early
to school each morning;
in every breath
   of peace,
every whisper
   of hope,
every sigh
   of grace,
you come . . .

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Friday, December 07, 2018

First Friday of Advent


“Now concerning the love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another;” 1st Thessalonians 4:9

sitting at our desks,
we carefully write in
our notebooks the assignment,
‘love one another,’ and
as soon as your back
is turned, we tear out
the pages, making them
into spitballs we throw
at each other out on the
playground.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Thursday, December 06, 2018

First Thursday of Advent


“I love you, O LORD, my strength” 
Psalm 18:1

i’m not sure which
is more of a paradox:
that your weakness
makes me stronger,
your foolishness
makes me wiser,
or that your brokenness
makes me whole.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Wednesday, December 05, 2018

First Wednesday of Advent


“Hear a just cause, O Lord;
         attend to my cry;
   give ear to my prayer from
         lips free of deceit.” Psalm 17:1

if we ignore the
cries of those we
feel have no cause,
   we will not hear
   your prayers for justice;
if we are not willing
to bend down to listen
to the whispers of little ones,
   we will not hear
   your grace tickling
   our ears.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman




Tuesday, December 04, 2018

First Tuesday of Advent


“Sing to him a new song;”  Psalm 33:3a

with lyrics written
by little children
in bubble-filled bathtubs
and teenagers rapping
about injustices;
with music composed
by a father lullabying
his baby to sleep
and a grandmother
humming a tune known
only to her in second childhood,
let us sing praises
to our God.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

Monday, December 03, 2018

First Monday of Advent


“What to me is the multitude
         of your sacrifices,
   says the Lord;
I have had enough of burnt
         offerings of rams
   and the fat of fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of
         bulls,
   or of lambs, or of goats.” Isaiah 1:11

when we pay off
the school lunch debt
of children;
when our hands
are cracked and sore
from building bridges, not walls;
when our care for
the most vulnerable
is costlier than the gifts
under the tree,
   delight in us,
   O God,
   delight in us.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman


Sunday, December 02, 2018

First Sunday of Advent


“Turn to me and be gracious to
         me,
   for I am lonely and afflicted.” Psalm 25:16

in this season
of parties, families,
gifting, and joy,
may we be companions
for those walking
the paths of loneliness;
may we be comforters
who cradle the
   brokenness
around us.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman


Saturday, December 01, 2018

new year's eve


as we celebrate, not
with parties, fireworks,
dancing, and wine, but
by living the same old life
in the same old way,
may we sense just
the slightest tremor in the earth,
a subtle shift in the stars,
a breath of fresh hope
tingling our souls.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman