ein . . .

“God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.”  Psalm 46:1

a king size bed

is our God, a haven

of warmth when folks

give us the cold shoulder,

a library where we can

read under the covers

with a flashlight, a

gathering place for

all your children when

we are frightened, alone,

and heartbroken

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

canaesque

“You have kept count of my tossings;
    put my tears in your bottle.”  Psalm 56:8

just when it seems

that bitterness is the

beverage of choice, you

reach out and change it

into the sweet wine

of wonder and peace, just

as you did at

Cana

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

bottomed out

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.”  Psalm 130:1

when i bottom out

in life, and my pain

echoes off the walls

dripping with my tears,

you lie down at the abyss,

listening until you locate

me in the shadows, then

stretch out your hand

to lift me into the light

of your grace and hope

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

among us

“But I am among you as one who serves.”  Luke 22:27c

you are

the two kids out

riding their bikes

this morning, who

paused to drag the

cardboard boxes off the street,

after they fell out of

the back of the truck,

whose driver was too busy

yakking on his mobile

to pay any attention

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

ebs

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah, and named it Ebenezer; for he said, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.’” 1 Samuel 7:12

in the teenagers

volunteering to help

little kids learn to read

(instead of spending

the summer on devices);

in the neighbor who checks

on the woman down the street

who is recently widowed;

in the caretaker at the

cemetery who puts flowers

on the graves that are never visited,

we discover Ebenezer

is a more common name

than folks imagine

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

betrayals

 ^“So he consented and began to look for an opportunity to betray him to them when no crowd was present.” Luke 22:6

when no one’s around,

and we think you

have fallen asleep, we

break faith with you

with our foolish choices,

and words we hurl

like weapons of mass

destruction

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman 

signless

“Now many signs and wonders were done among the people through the apostles.”  Acts 5:12a

when we believe

we are signless,

show us the teacher

tutoring for free during

summer break, the

coach buying gear

for her players out

of her own pocket,

the improv group

which includes an

interpreter for the deaf

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

tantrums

“So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
    to follow their own counsels.”  Psalm 81:12

you wait patiently,

while we hold our

breath until we turn blue

   so you can revive

   us with the Spirit;

while we lay on the floor

flailing our arms and legs,

   so you can cradle

   us in your peace;

while we slam the door

to our hearts (and keep

slamming until you look up),

   so you can open it

   with your hope-picks

   and enter, to listen

to our tear-drenched souls

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

graced

“There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold.  They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.”  Acts 4:34-35

when we share, without

grumbling or hoarding, it

isn’t because of

a political position or

economic doctrine,

but simply the graced

responding with grace

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

listen!

“Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’” 1 Samuel 3:10

in the anguished cries

of the oppressed;

in the weeping

on the excluded;

in the questions

of adolescents;

in the words behind

the silence of fears,

you call to us,

so

may we listen

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

peerless

^“He said, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.’”  Luke 21:3-4

remind us that

when we give you

the pocket change

from our XXL lifestyle,

it doesn’t mean we

are peers of this woman

you admire so much

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

scoundrels

“Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels; they had no regard for the LORD” 1 Samuel 2:12

when we treat rogues

as being righteous,

when we trust liars

and dismiss fact-checkers,

when we trample the vulnerable

to rally around the power hungry,

Lord, have mercy

on us

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

sighs

“Give ear to my words, O Lord;
    give heed to my sighing.”  Psalm 5:1

though we’ve told

you the same story

over and over, you

listen with a big smile,

nodding and gripped

by every word, even

hearing what we say

in the sighing silence

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

all

Trinity Sunday

“We could say more but could never say enough;
    let the final word be: ‘He is the all.’  Sirach 43:27

tempted to keep

saying more, let

your silence be all

the language we need;

tempted to offer

lectures, let

the soft breath

of our loved ones

be all the whispers

of grace we need;

tempted to turn

to the powerful, the

celebrities, the tartuffians

to set the world straight,

let your weakness

be all the strength we need.

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

sealed

“Set me as a seal upon your heart,
    as a seal upon your arm;
for love is strong as death,
    passion fierce as the grave.
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
    a raging flame.”  Song of Solomon 8:6

touching death’s chilly waters

with your hope, you

warm them so we can

swim beside you toward

the far green shore of grace,

your love skimming

the tops of the waves

like fireflies lighting the way

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

beloved

“The voice of my beloved!
    Look, he comes,
leaping upon the mountains,
    bounding over the hills.”  Song of Songs 2:8

you come:

in the kids

playing leapfrog

in backyards;

in the dog racing

toward us to knock

us over with a big welcome;

in the older couple

dancing to the tune

played at their wedding . . .

do we notice you,

beloved?

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

thorns

“Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10

in a world

where bullies strut

the stage, preening

and pronouncing, may

our frailty become

the thorn in the flesh

which infects them

with your humility, O God

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

words

“May my teaching drop like the rain,
    my speech condense like the dew;
like gentle rain on grass,
    like showers on new growth.”  Deuteronomy 32:2

we could utter

those words which

would burn others’ hearts

to piles of ashes, or

we can whisper grace

which will water their

souls and nourish the

seeds of hope you have

planted

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

choices

“Choose life so that you and your descendants may live,  loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him;” Deuteronomy 30:19c-20a

when we love you

more than our wants,

when we listen more to you

than to our temptations,

when we cling to you

more than those who

beg us to follow them

into anger and fear, we

do indeed choose life –

yours, not ours

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

shut it!

“Those who were in front sternly ordered him to be quiet; but he shouted even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’” Luke 18:39

we shove our way

to the front of the crowd,

so God will notice us,

while telling those we’ve

pushed aside to shut it,

so God can hear us

more clearly.

Lord, in your mercy . . .

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

divided tongues

“The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,” Isaiah 11:2a

in the soft breath

of a napping child,

in the excited bark

of a dog chasing a squirrel,

in the whispered memories

of a grandparent’s stories,

Come, Holy Spirit,

and rest upon us, so

we can be patient

enough to listen

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

mortal

 ^“He said to me: Mortal, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet, where I will reside among the people of Israel forever.”  Ezekiel 43:7a

may we see

the chair next

to the hospital bed

as your throne;

the footprints of those

in Pride parades

in stride with the

imprints of the soles

of your feet;

the homeless camps

hidden in the woods

next to the highways

as your dwelling place

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

tithe

“I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;”  Psalm 138:1a

truth be told, Lord,

we are so busy

preening in front

of the mirror,

patting ourselves

on the back, and

listing our successes

on social media, we

offer only a tithe

of our heart’s praise

(if that much)

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

(self) justification

“But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’”  Luke 10:29

as we explain why

(politically) we need

to throw up barriers at borders, and

(economically) we can’t

support raises for workers

in menial jobs, and (religiously)

folks whose love lives

are different from ours

need to be challenged, you

are lifting up the bullied,

providing medical care for the vulnerable,

making sure folks have a place

to sleep each night, and longing

for us to go and do the same

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

hearts

“I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them; I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,"  Ezekiel 11:19

take our rock-hardened hearts

and crush them to pieces, so

from the dust, you may gather

them up, and with the breath

of the Spirit, not blow them away,

but create hearts that live and give

for our sisters and brothers around us

(c) 2019 Thom M. Shuman

anchorites

“We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain,”  Hebrews 6:19

tossed about by

worry’s winds,

seasick from our

silliness, battered

by waves of doubt,

us anchor ourselves to

your hope which keeps us

from drifting too far

from the shores of grace

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

where?

“Why should the nations say,
    ’Where is their God?’”  Psalm 115:2

huddled with rough sleepers

under bridges;

toiling in the fields

with migrant workers;

holding the hands of kids

undergoing chemo;

listening to the confused

stories of folks in memory units:

there, is our God

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

whoever

“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.”  Matthew 10:40

while we are busy

using bricks made of

tweets and words

to raise walls, you

are building bridges

of love and inclusion

to span the flooding

rivers of our fears

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

banquet

“An argument arose among them as to which one of them was the greatest. But Jesus, aware of their inner thoughts, took a little child and put it by his side,” Luke 9:46-47

we rush to throw

open the doors, and

usher you to the

best place at the table

until

we notice the ragamuffins

who are clinging

to the edges of your robe,

as if they should be

seated next to you,

instead of us

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman