first saturday in lent

“My holy name I will make known among my people Israel;” Ezekiel 39:7a 

sung at evensong in cathedrals

and rapped by street corner singers,

muttered on gurneys

being wheeled into operating rooms

and breathed by nurses and doctors

as they pick up their instruments,

tossed back and forth like bean bags

by kids in a preschool classroom

and whispered into lovers’ ears

at a dance for senior citizens,

fingered into sand by a reluctant teacher

and shouted by one freed from foolishness:

your name, Holy of Holies,

is uttered, guttered, prayed, praised,

dancing, swirling, curling, unfurling

all around us!

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

first friday in lent

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

    Why are you so far from helping me,

    from the words of my groaning?”  Psalm 22:1

why

have we forgotten

those who stand

at the side of the road,

huddling in fear, as

we speed by in our privilege?

why

have we turned

a deaf ear to the sobs

of parents who cannot

feed their kids a decent meal,

while we let the server

take away half-eaten dishes?

why

do we keep our hand

in our pockets when

given any, and every,

chance to reach out

to someone who is lonely?

why

indeed,

O God, our God?

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

first thursday in lent

“Though the fig tree does not blossom,

    and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails,
    and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold,
    and there is no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
    I will exult in the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk 3:17-18

when the only bouquets

in the stores are those

of bitterness,

when the shelves

are no longer stocked

with justice,

when the finest whines

come from the tended

grapes of anger and fear,

may we see you

out in the fields,

plowing furrows behind

Hope and Peace yoked together,

scattering seeds of grace

side to side, behind you and before,

as Spirit runs along after you

turning on the irrigation system

spraying living water

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

fifty-seven

“Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood,

    and bring righteousness to the ground!” Amos 5:7

when we would turn

justice

into a simple house plant

that we forget to water;

when we would treat

kindness

as if it is something

to be vaccinated against

before it spreads too fast;

when we would trip

compassion

as it is runs toward

the vulnerable, rather than away;

when we would imagine

denying

ourselves a few sweets

for a few weeks compares

to those faltering footsteps

on the road to Jerusalem,

your tears turn to ashes,

Broken God,

so that you can mark us,

claim us, call us,

hope for us to discover

the meaning of this

holy, uncompromising season

which will shatter our souls

so they can be put back together

by your grace

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

fifty-six

“More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Philippians 3:8a

may we be

as eager to bury

our silent acquiescence

to injustice,

our snarky comments

to those with whom we disagree,

our grudges which threaten

to break our souls to pieces,

our fears of those

we see as threats not promises,

as we are to enshroud

our alleluias

in the weeks to come

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

fifty-five

“If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy,” Philippians 2:1

if???

we have more

than enough hope

to boost the spirits

of everyone we meet;

we have more

than enough comfort

to mend the loneliness

which is a pandemic

in our time;

we have more

than enough community

to include every single person;

we have more

than enough kindness

to grace every bullied child;

we have more

than enough to fill

the less and less of our world

if

we just stopped

focusing on ourselves

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

fifty-four

“Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness,” 2 Corinthians 3:12

let us dare

to plant just one

tiny seed of hope,

so that it can become

acres of justice;

let us dare to squeeze

one drop of hope

out of stone-cold hearts,

so that a flood of compassion

might wash the streets

of our neighborhoods;

let us dare to share

just one tiny morsel

of hope with those

who hunger for empty

dreams to be filled,

so that communities

of grace might be established

throughout our lands

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

fifty-three

“This is the day that the Lord has made;

    let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  Psalm 118:24

skateboarding or

sledding down hills;

cups of tea and long books

or binge-watching new shows;

sunrises over the mountains

or beach sunsets at dusk;

chasing the dog through woods

or curling up with the cat for a nap;

tears cascading at gravesides

or selfies with the new baby,

may

we jump up and down with joy

in the gifts of this day

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

fifty-two

“Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.”  1 John 3:2

God,

when you pull

back the curtain,

may i be known

as a heart

for the most vulnerable;

as a voice

for justice and peace;

as a hand

for those needing help;

as a back

to hold up the falling;

as an eye

for hope just over the horizon;

as an ear

to those crying themselves to sleep;

as a knee

for little kids to bounce on;

as a foot

to stick in the doors

about to be slammed on outsiders;

as a lap

for kittens and big dogs

who think they are tiny;

as a head

which is hard enough

to withstand silly insults

and soft enough to see good everywhere;

as fingers longing to be entwined

with my love’s for eternity;

as toes daring enough

to dip into the living waters

lapping on the beaches of grace;

as a soul more in love

with your children than myself,

and more in love with you

with every breath i take.

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

fifty-one

“For with you is the fountain of life;

    in your light we see light.” Psalm 36:9

even

in the deepest shadows,

hope’s wick does not burn

down;

even

when bitterness continues

to parch the throats

of all in the deserts

of despair,

your drops of grace

slowly gather into

a wild-rushing river

of justice

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

fifty

“Answer me when I call, O God of my right!

    You gave me room when I was in distress.
    Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.” Psalm 4:1

when everyone treated my

calls like they were from

telemarketers, blocking me,

you picked up on the first ring;

when all the doors

were slammed in my face,

you got out the blankets,

sheets, and pillows for the guest room;

when even my best friend

said, “enough; don’t you

have anything new going on?”

you pour me a cup of tea

and settle in your chair

as if you have all eternity

to listen –

just to my heart

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

forty-nine

"Whoever says, ‘I am in the light,’ while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness.” 1 John 2:9

with a tweet

or with a snark,

with a cold shoulder

or red-hot anger,

with a self-righteous sneer

or a look-right-through-another,

we slip so far into

the shadows we can’t

even see the entrance

to the fabled tunnel

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

forty-eight

“We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—” 1 John 1:1

the baby squeezing our finger

as if testing its strength;

the songs kids make up

on the days filled with rain;

the drawings plastered

all over the front of refrigerators;

the crushing hug as

one graduates to adulthood;

the questions about life and death,

of hopes and dreams turned to ashes,

of unexpected chances and sudden losses;

in the hand that gently clings to ours

as we lay in hospice –

from beginning to the end

(and beyond) your Word

has been telling us of

grace, hope, peace, and joy

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

forty-seven

“They were greatly astounded and said to one another, ‘Then who can be saved?’” Mark 10:26

the broken-for-justice

and those out of breath

chasing after little kids on play grounds;

rich young fools without a clue

and those who puzzle out

the intricacies of diseases;

foolish folks who fall

for ever scam that comes their way,

and the neighbors who help them

put their lives back together;

transgender kids and their allies,

and the ones who take too long

to see their gifts and even more,

their humanity; 

the lonely, the rich-with-friends;

the forgotten, the forgetters;

the one-percenters,

the ones they think are prospering;

the believers, the doubters,

the convicted, the confused

and everyone else in between

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

forty-six

“If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”  Romans 14:8

when we exchange hearts,

and when ours are broken;

when love is deep and abiding,

and when it is marked

“return to sender”;

when we easily follow you,

and when we constantly trip;

when we joyfully dance in wonder,

and when we hug the walls;

when we are the shining stars

in your constellation of compassion,

and when we collapse into

the black holes of fears,

remind us we are yours:

now,

then,

always

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

forty-five

“Love does no wrong to a neighbor;” Romans 13:10b

that neighbor whose

yard signs drive us nuts;

whose political views

send chills down our spines;

who is always ready

for an argument

at the drop of a red hat?

imagine our surprise

when they are the ones

dropping off casseroles

after surgeries,

mowing lawns while

we are out of town;

slipping a valentine

into our mailbox

when we are not looking

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

forty-four

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  Romans 12:21

slowly pulling the quilt made

from squares of devilishness

over our heads, the wrongdoers

assure us over and over

it will keep us warm and safe;

so

you turn on your flashlight

under the shadowy covers,

whispering,

‘follow me; i know where

the good scissors are kept;

we can undo all the stitches

and turn the squares into

a rag rug for the mud room.’

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman  

forty-three

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”  Romans 12:2

stuck in the same

rut, show us a new path;

gripped by an obsession

with the good ol’ days,

open our eyes to new wonders;

our prejudices etched on our brains,

erase them with a gentle touch,

so we may discover your hope

for us, brought by those

we have been taught

to fear

to distrust

to hate

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

forty-two

“When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’” John 8:7

make us as eager

to offer grace,

as we are to hurl

stones of judgment;

to forgive another’s foolishness,

as we are to expect

you to look past our mistakes;

to gather the forgotten

into our embrace,

as we are to push

those we fear

away in disgust

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

forty-one

"Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”  Hebrews 13:16

determined

to make sure everyone

knows what that someone else

is saying, doing, thinking

with which we so passionately

disagree,

we can’t find the time

to share the thoughts, the actions,

the words

anyone might need

to fill the compassion void

in their life

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

forty

“Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening.” 2 Timothy 2:14-21

ready to rip to shreds

any utterance by another;

checking every dictionary and

thesaurus for new weapons;

lining up our arguments like

tiny orcs marching on Helm’s Deep,

we do not hear the children

asking, ‘read us a story about love;’

the old folks wondering if

we know grace’s old songs;

the forgotten and the stranded

whispering, ‘can't you share a word

of hope,

just this once?’

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

thirty-nine

“Then food was set before him to eat; but he said, “I will not eat until I have told my errand.” He said, ‘Speak on.’”  Genesis 24:33

God’s gofers,

let us

whisper hope to those

with souls longing for just

a nibble;

let us

offer a cup of justice

to those parched

by oppression;

let us

sing of wonder

to those who are dulled

by the despair of the world;

let us

shout ‘don’t be scared!’

to all bowled over

by the sellers of fear

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

thirty-eight

“Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart.” Hebrews 12:3

when the 1%ers mock us

for helping those whose plates

don’t even have crumbs;

when the angriest voices

think they can drown out

our lullabies of grace

to the forgotten;

when the fearmongers think

they can shake us from believing

that love will topple hate

from its pedestal,

you give us the jolt

of 5-hope energy we need

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

thirty-seven

“When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’” John 6:60

thinking

forgiveness is quantum physics,

when it is two kids

going down a slide together 5 minutes

after yelling ‘don’t ever talk to me again!’

at one another;

love is only understood by those

filled with overflowing passion

(or is it hormones?),

when it is a skin-as-thin-as-paper

hand blessing a grandchild;

hope is a destination we can

never imagine reaching, when

it is the new neighbor knocking on our door,

we manage to complicate

the simple gifts you offer to us

in every moment

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

thirty-six

“Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,

    who stand by night in the house of the Lord!” Psalm 134:1

while we go around,

double locking the doors,

shutting all the windows tight,

and turning the dim switch low, you

are sneaking folks in

the side door, putting

food out, turning up the amps,

standing at the dj table,

with your favorite playlist

cued up, just waiting for us

to go to bed,

before getting the party

started

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman

thirty-five

“But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac.  So she said to Abraham, ‘Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.’” Genesis 21:9-10

though it is

part of our spiritual DNA

that those touched by grace

become so ungracious,

may we break the cycle

once and for all,

so all might be touched

by the hope, the laughter,

the life which has been given

so freely by our God.

© 2020 Thom M. Shuman