December 31st

“When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’”  John 5:6

do we want

to keep gnawing

on the bitterness

in our hearts, or

let it be transformed

into grace for others;

do we want

to grasp our grudges

so tightly, that our

hands begin to ache

or open our fingers

to let these old hurts

fall to the ground;

do we want

to justify our angry words

by pointing fingers

at those who spoke first,

or listen to the whispers

of healing you breathe

into our ears . . .

well?

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

December 30th

“Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried out to the Lord, ‘O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.’”  1 Kings 17:21

we could

envelope lonely children

with the love we toss

aside like loose pocket change;

we could wrap adolescents

frightened of their future

in the shawls of hope

we keep shelved in

the closets of our hearts;

we could give justice

to those ripped from

their parents arms,

if we dare to stretch

ourselves

beyond our usual indifference

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

December 29th

“And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment just as you have heard it from the beginning—you must walk in it.”                    2 John 6

at the borders of injustice

with the rejected;

by the hospice bed

with the forgotten

homeless veteran;

with the kids facing

down the bullies

on neighborhood playgrounds,

we walk in your love,

O God,

we walk in your love

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman
    

December 28th

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

when the world drops us

(quicker than a hot potato)

by the side of despair,

you

gather us up, where

we find our faces

tattooed on your hands,

so that you see us

every time you hold

your palms before your eyes

in prayer and love

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

December 27th

“When there were no depths I was brought forth,

    when there were no springs abounding with water.”  Proverbs 8:24

from the emptiness

of chaos, you crafted

insight, hoping

we would be savvy

enough to sit at its

knee to learn you,

but

we take your delight

and bury it in the

backyards of our hearts,

hoping it will compost into

a smattering of foolishness

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

December 26th

“For the fascination of wickedness obscures what is good,” Wisdom of Solomon 4:12a

when our obsession

with damaging tweets

keeps us from hearing

whispers of hope;

when the angry words

of petty people prove

more attractive than the

grace we could offer

in their place;

when our compulsion

to share every foolish

comment the crass utter

but not the invitations

to find healing from

the communities of

the forgotten;

have mercy on us,

Lord,

have mercy

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

Christmas Day

“But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,

    who are one of the little clans of Judah,” Micah 5:2a

born into poverty,

we preach you came

to make us obscenely rich;

showing up in

a village of forgottens,

we kinkade it into

a winter wonderland;

noticed only by

migrant workers and

traveling magicians,

we turn your story

into a hallmark movie,

and toss out the gifts

(of justice, peace, and hope

you place in our hearts,)

with the ripped-to-shreds

wrapping paper and

dried out tree

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

Christmas Eve

“Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,

    at the presence of the God of Jacob,”  Psalm 114:7

truth be told, we

like sitting in front

of our screens, watching

that holiday classic for

the nth time, because

if we answer the knock

at the door, we just

might find shepherds,

trembling as they try

to tell us of the grace

they have found

in the least expected

person

in the most unlikely

place

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

December 24th

“Lift up your eyes and look around;

    they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
    and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.”

Isaiah 60:4

in cars crammed

with packages, on

roads jammed

with weary travelers;

in airport lounges,

trying to get comfortable

in plastic seats, while

another delay is announced;

in adult children

trying to keep the promise

to make it home this year,

and in little kids staring

at the night sky for (just)

a glimpse of a sleigh,

may we see you

gathering us to your

heart

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

December 23rd

“Then young women will dance and be glad,
    young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into gladness;
    I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.”

Jeremiah 31:13

you sprinkle star dust

on the wooden floors

to teach us the old dance steps

every galaxy knows;

you take the tears

we plant at gravesides,

so we might gather up

bouquets of joy;

you wrap your heart

in the soft tissue of grace,

curling the ribbons of hope

to tie them lightly on the box,

so we will have no trouble

opening it each morning

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

December 22nd

“You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?”  Galatians 3:1a

the wizards of worries

wave their wands

and

we begin to tremble;

the magus of mayhem

shouts words of anger

and we echo acclaim;

the enchanters of enmity

weave ancient spells, and

we become trapped

in their webs of

foolishness

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

December 21st

^“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all” Titus 2:11

like little kids,

we keep an eye

on the space under the tree,

to see how much ‘stuff’ we will

get this Christmas,

while grace is quietly

making snow angels

in our souls, wondering

if we will notice, and

want to join in the

fun

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

December 20th

“And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’”  Luke 1:28

if you are with

me,

may i be more just

than judgmental,

more accepting

than angry,

more compassionate

than complaining,

more embracing

than pushing away,

if

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

December 19th

“On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

Do not fear, O Zion;
    do not let your hands grow weak.”  Zephaniah 3:16

yesterday,

you whispered hope

in the winds stirring

the leaves, brushing

aside our fear;

today,

you sing to us

of the grace which

you hand to us, so

we can fill the emptiness

of others;

tomorrow,

shout of the wonders

which await us, if

we only open

our ears, our eyes,

our hearts, our souls

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

December 18th

“Who is this King of glory?”  Psalm 24:10a

this will be a sign for us,

we will find the King of glory

in the homeless fellow

sharing half his sandwich

with the dog who rescued him;

at a hospice bedside,

where a nurse holds the hand

of a grandmother with no family;

in the packages under the tree,

in the little kids making up

their own Christmas carols

as they lie in their beds,

trying to fall asleep

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

Third Tuesday of Advent

“Be silent, all people, before the Lord; for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.” Zechariah 2:13

in the silence,

may we hear your heart

breaking over our cruelty;

in the silence,

may we notice you walking

beside those who have

no home but the streets

they inhabit;

in the silence,

may we learn the words

of grace and hope

the lonely and forgotten

long to hear whispered

into their souls;

in the silence,

may we rouse ourselves

from our holiday detachment,

to follow you to your holy

home,

taken by the hands of those

who know the way

far better than we do

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

Third Monday of Advent

“Then the Lord replied with gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.”  Zechariah 1:13 

when we can’t wait

to hurl anger at others,

let us whisper peace;

when we long

to utter judgment

against those we cannot

abide,

may we speak out

for justice;

when we want

to mock those whose

loss is due to their

own foolish choices,

may we embrace them

with words of grace and

hope

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

Third Sunday of Advent

“On that day I will raise up

    the booth of David that is fallen,
and repair its breaches,
    and raise up its ruins,
    and rebuild it as in the days of old;”  Amos 9:11

the broken relationships

caused by our judgmental

anger –

heal them with your grace;

the dreams we have ruined

by our insistence on our

way –

turn the ashes into

reality by your hope;

the neighborhoods

we write off because of our

privilege –

restore with your justice

(and our helping hands),

on this day

and every day

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

Second Saturday of Advent

Second Saturday of Advent

“For he delivers the needy when they call,
    the poor and those who have no helper.
He has pity on the weak and the needy,

    and saves the lives of the needy.”  Psalm 72:12-13

the rich and the powerful

the narcissistic and arrogant

all say the right words

and do all the wrong things:

they say they care,

but don’t;

they claim to be compassionate,

but turn their back on others;

they say they want only the best

for those who vote for them,

and then become their worst nightmares;

so

may we be the ones

who wield no power,

but serve in weakness;

who have no wealth

but share everything we have;

who see no future

but will keep moving

forward

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

Second Friday of Advent

“I know your works—your love, faith, service, and patient endurance. I know that your last works are greater than the first.”  Revelation 2:19

more now than ever

(perhaps),

may we be patient:

our love weathering

the swirling storms

of bitterness,

our faith refusing

to resign us to despair,

our caring for others

withstanding the cruel

attacks of the powerful

who would snatch everything

from those who barely

have anything to their names

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

Second Thursday of Advent

“When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,

    we were like those who dream.”  Psalm 126:1

we dream

of hope outrunning

despair to life’s finish line;

of peace tearing down walls

to build bridges to life;

of grace feeding those

whose souls are shriveled

by taunts of fear and anger,

and we awaken to find

you

standing at the foot

of our beds, our clothes

and shoes laid out for us,

as you whisper,

‘join me as we make

dreams come true’

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

Second Wednesday of Advent

“But he placed his right hand on me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,’”  Revelation 1:17b

finished,

we stand gazing

at the twinkling tree

with the handed down

ornaments, the garlands

of strung popcorn, the

lights of different shapes,

the cat trying to sneak

up the trunk unnoticed, but

before we go for hot cocoa

and cookies we decorated earlier,

you hand us a wooden star with

‘do not be afraid’

carved by you long ago, and

you lift us up as we stretch

to top the tree with it

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

Second Tuesday of Advent

“Then Amos answered Amaziah, ‘I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees,’”  Amos 7:14 

prophet? no thanks,

but i would be

a border collie

to guide the forgotten home;

a clothier for all

stripped by the

anger of the world;

a heart which

cares for all who

are bullied by

the rich and powerful

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

Second Monday of Advent

“’Look! He is coming with the clouds;

    every eye will see him,’”  Revelation 1:7a

maybe

you will come back

as a homeless veteran

looking after the feral cats,

the woman teaching

her grandson how to fly fish,

a child who will grow up

to develop cancer’s cure,

rather

than a star

falling out of the sky

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

Second 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

sitting in my favorite

chair, waiting for you

to ring the doorbell, i

never see you

planting justice

in broken communities,

harvesting handfuls

of hope for those

whose souls are empty,

gathering the lost,

the lonely, the leftouts

into your embrace

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

First Saturday of Advent

“Now to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of his glory with rejoicing,”  Jude 24

you

clear up the zits

caused by our snits;

you

grab our hands

every time we start

to trip over our foolishness;

you open the door

to your heart, handing

us the song sheets for

the praises we refuse to learn

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman