Fifth Thursday in Lent

“As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’” 1 Corinthians 12:20-21

on the contrary,
Broken-hearted God,
we do our level best
to make sure folks know
we have no need of them
for reasons too many to count
and for too many reasons
that really should not count,
but
that is just the way
it is

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

Fifth Wednesday in Lent

“And becoming aware of it, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember?’” Mark 8:17-18

our refrigerators are stocked
but we think we are hungry,
our hands can reach out
but we stick them in our pockets,
our eyesight is fine
but we cannot see injustice,
our ears work well,
but we do not hear whispers
of pain all around us,
the pantries of our souls
are stocked with grace
but we turn our back on others,
we have passed every test
but don’t have a clue
as to how to be God’s people

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

Fourth Tuesday in Lent

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” 1 Corinthians 11:26

in sacred spaces with
chairs scattered around and
with folks at home viewing
on their PCs, Macs, Mobiles,
with saltine crackers and
a glass of favorite juice
around a kitchen table,
whispering words alone
with a slice of whole wheat
and a glass of milk,
gathered in a living room
or cradled in an apartment,
we proclaim your death,
O Lord,
even as we await the promise
of coming days of hope and life,
when we are called from the tomb
sealed with pandemic’s stone

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

Fourth Monday in Lent

“Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha,’ that is, ‘Be opened.’ Mark 7:34

put your finger
in our frozen hearts
to melt them with
the warmth of your love
so we may offer
healing to the hurting.
put your finger
in our closed-off ears
to open them
to the cries of injustice.
touch your finger
to our tight-shut eyes
so we will open them
and see the forgotten
all around us

© 2022 Thom Shuman

Fourth Sunday in Lent

“For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ - if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” Romans 8:15-17

when the Accuser
files perjury charges
against us, based on
our bitter words
our foolish choices
our long-term grudges,
our faltering faith steps,
you put Spirit
on the stand to be
our character witness
so
truth will out

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

Fourth Saturday in Lent

“Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God.” Psalm 43:5

my soul grumbles and
begs me to pull the blinds
closed, as the sun tries
to slip between the slats
and dance across the bed.
my heart whispers
to pull the covers back
over my head and to slip
back into sleep, but you
come tiptoeing into the room
to gently shake my shoulder
and pull me to my feet,
and taking me by the hand
to go down to the kitchen
to feast on hope’s breakfast

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

Fourth Friday in Lent

“Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.”
Psalm 22:11

worries act as if they
are siblings from another
mother,
fear seems to be that
BFF
who just doesn’t take
the hints about breaking up,
anger wants to spoon
with us throughout the night,
so please,
come to cradle us
in your love

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

Fourth Thursday in Lent

“When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.’ But he answered them, ‘You give them something to eat.’"

Mark 6:35-37

when folks live in food deserts,
we barely notice them.
when the forgotten come
looking for a family,
we push them away.
when folks struggle
to pay their bills, we
hand them bootstraps
to pull themselves up with

and you
just shake your head

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

Fourth Wednesday in Lent

“For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil will not sojourn with you.” Psalm 5:4

we follow the pied pipers
of prejudice and pickiness,
and you run to gather all
we chase away with our fears.
we cling to every hollow
and foolish words of celebrities,
and you listen to the whispers
of children who huddle in bomb shelters.
we are easily seduced by
all the knuckleheads around us,
while you long for us to notice
you waiting for us to catch up
on your journey to justice.

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

Third Tuesday in Lent

“Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
“Relieve the troubles of my heart,
and bring me out of my distress.”
Psalm 25:16-17

when others show me
their backs and walk away,
you run to embrace me.
when i sit alone as
my cup of tea grows cold,
you brew a fresh pot
and sit in silence with me.
when my heart cracks
from the pressures of life,
you craft stained glass
windows for your hope
to shine to others.
when i have fallen into
the deep pit of agony,
you reach in and pull
me up into your peace.

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

Third Monday in Lent

“He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.”
Psalm 121:4

while we have hit
the snooze button
for just a few more minutes,
you are up delivering
grace door to door.
when we are daydreaming
at our tasks about what
we could do if we ever
won the lottery, you
fill others with hope
which lasts forever.
as we settle under our covers
hoping our fears are
not hiding under the bed,
you turn the night light on
so
we can see you keeping
watch over us as we sleep.

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

Third Sunday in Lent

 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1

now
we can stop beating
ourselves up,
now
we no longer
have to write
‘i will not mess up’
a million billion times,
now
we can put aside
those worries and
fears about ‘where’
we will end up,
now
we can keep from
obsessing over stepping
on the cracks in
the kingdom’s sidewalks,
because
now
you
cradle us in your
heart of forgiveness

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

Third Saturday in Lent

“Then Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’ He replied, ‘My name is Legion; for we are many.’"
Mark 5:9

the children huddling
in basements shaken
by bombs and missiles,
the families walking untold
miles to find sanctuary,
the folks who sleep rough
every night in hidden places,
the lonely who cry themselves
to sleep each and every night,
the broken who long to find
healing which seems elusive,
the vulnerable who are pushed
from one agency to another
without anyone really noticing
their faces, their hands, their hearts

we are indeed
the family called Legion
and we pray beg you, God,
not to send us away
as so many of your children
do

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

Third Friday in Lent

He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?"
Mark 4:40

never fear, Jesus,
we have plenty of faith . . .
but
because it is found
in all the Bibles we keep,
in the jewelry we store
in the box on the dresser,
in the dress-up clothes
we put on for Sunday,
in the songs we sing in church
and listen to on our devices,
it doesn’t seem to be enough
to keep our knees from
turning to jelly in these days
in which we are living
or being overturned by
the flood of fears
swamping our souls.

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

Third Thursday in Lent

“He also said, ‘With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.’" Mark 4:30-32

we think it is about
multi-campus churches,
the GOAT preachers,
the budget which wows
all our colleagues, while
you wait for us to discern
that what your kingdom
is truly about is
a safe space for the vulnerable
a family for the forgotten
a welcome to the stranger
a rainbow flag atop the steeple
a voice for justice
a heart for the environment

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

Third Wednesday in Lent

"Listen! A sower went out to sow.”
Mark 4:3

and since we
do such a good job
sweeping every leaf
of grass off our walks,
dig up even the tiniest
pebble from our yards,
cut off over twisted bit
of brambles that tries
to sneak onto our property,
we
really don’t have to listen
to this tired story one more time,
while
you patiently wait for us
to become foolish enough
to pull the weeds of our pride
out of our souls, so
there is room for the seeds
of grace
of hope
of justice
of welcome
you clutch in your hand
ready to throw

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

Second Tuesday in Lent

‘The LORD is near to the brokenhearted,
and saves the crushed in spirit.’
Psalm 34:1

we can moan and groan
wondering where you are
in the messiness of the world,
our God,
or we can pay attention
and see you
in the school-skipping
15-year-old sharing
toys and candy with kids
at the border to safety,
in the grain bin company
sending its workers to
transport refugees to
another country,
in all the different guises
of helpers who you
willingly take on

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

Second Monday in Lent

‘Your hands have made and fashioned me;
give me understanding that I may learn
your commandments.’
Psalm 119:73

you gathered us from
the dust of creation’s foundation
to craft us in your spitting image:
hands to lift others out of despair,
hearts to welcome the shattered ones
of all those around us,
feet to walk along all who have been
cast aside by families and friends,
eyes to see the worry wrinkles,
ears to hear the silent cries,
souls to be poured out
for the healing of our world
and

we spend this holy season,
as we do every season,
denying these gifts believing
that is what is best for us

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

Second Sunday in Lent

“How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD of hosts!” Psalm 84:1

in my childhood church
where i could wander unafraid
knowing i was with a family
that accepted me,
in that rural clapboard building
where i heard sweet voices
harmonizing hymns in
shape note singing,
in that restored abbey
where new songs and voices
were heard, and among the
stone ruins of the nunnery
which had heard prayers for centuries,
i discovered that you refuse
to be confined to one place
one people, one ideology,
our God

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

Second Saturday in Lent

“Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries.” 1 Corinthians 4:1

we think our job
is to make the clues
as difficult as possible,
to plant as many
false flags as we can,
to send people down
so many rabbit holes
they cannot find their way,
to add so many footnotes
and all the resources we know
but
in reality,

we are simply to hold
the person’s finger as
they follow along the story
of God’s grace and life
for them, until they reach
the point they can finish
the mystery on their own.

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

Second Friday in Lent

“As he was walking along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.” Mark 2:14

i was in my yard
and heard your voice
and muttered, ‘can’t
you see all these weeds?’
i was at the computer
and you whispered in my ear
and i said, ‘just one more search.’
i was at the game
when you blew the whistle
for the 2-minute warning
and looked at me, and
i hollered, ‘they’re going
to make a great comeback.’

despite all my excuses,
keep calling my name
until it finally sinks in
you are talking to me
and
i get up (finally) and
follow

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

Second Thursday in Lent

‘And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay.’ Mark 4:4

while we talk a good game,
when the refugees start
showing up on our streets,
when the just released prisoners
come asking for jobs,
when the forgotten just cannot
take being pushed aside,
when the transgender kids
want their stories to be known
by all their classmates and teachers,
may they carry us to your house,
rip open the roof, lower us down,
so you can cure us of our
hardened hearts
cold shoulders
fears which overwhelm our faith

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

Second Wednesday in Lent

‘Give ear to my words, O LORD;
give heed to my sighing.
Listen to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.’
Psalm 5:1-3

our sighs just linger
around us each morning
like a bad dream –
the plight of refugees,
the countries they are fleeing,
the angry words which
settle as a mist upon us,
the struggles of those
for whom there is no hope
and we wonder
if you are as weary
of our sighs a we are

even as we hope
you will transform them
into food we can offer
justice we can bring
peace into warzones
and love patching potholes
caused by hate and fear

© 2022 Thom M., Shuman

First Tuesday in Lent

“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’” Mark 1:14-15

oh,
we pray about it
we sing of it,
we hear talks about it,
and yet
there is that little hollow
deep in our souls
we think God can’t see,
where we hope against hope
that the community of God
does not come too near
for then
we would have to do more
than just dab ashes
on once a year, and
we would have to believe
that God’s neighborhood
is far better than where
we choose to hang out

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

First Monday in Lent

‘Your hands have made and fashioned me;
give me understanding that
I may learn your commandments.’
Psalm 119:73

seeing the dust from creation
scattered all around, you reached down
and cradling it in your hands,
you shaped us (while looking
in the mirror to get us right)

and you have never let go.

you whispered your words
of grace, love, justice, peace
in the lullabies of the stars,
in the stories told by prophets,
in the songs of overlooked women,
and whenever we forget them,
you sit down with us and guide
our fingers under them where

they are engraved on your heart.

you gently breathed life into us
so that we could wander through
all the wonders around us,
showing us the path leading to you
with a few detours along the way

so we could serve others

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

First Sunday in Lent

‘How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD of hosts!
My soul longs, indeed it faints
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh sing for joy
to the living God.’ Psalm 84:1-2

your home is found not just
behind stain glass windows
but within the broken panes
of poverty’s buildings.

your place of doing business
is not just somewhere up there,
but in the classrooms filled
with special needs kids and
in eating places struggling
to stay open with limited staff.

you hand us the sheet music
we need and the instruments
to accompany us in the subways
of New York as well as Kyiv
and in hospices, care centers,
and apartments of the lonely.

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

First Saturday in Lent

‘O send out your light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling.’
Psalm 43:3

when it is easier
to be blinded by
the spotlight on celebrity
as it moves across the
shadowed lawns of worry,
may i follow that candle
whose light struggles
to shine in the gale force
winds of fear

when it is simpler
to listen to the prattling
of the pied pipers
of anger and injustice,
may i hear the whispers
of the Spirit’s longings

then i will be able
to continue the journey
through these bleak days
arriving at last at your
house
of compassion and grace

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

First Friday in Lent

‘Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.’ Philippians 4:9

in times of war and fear,
let us keep being peacemakers
just as we learned from
Gandhi, Martin, Betty and Mairead.

surrounded by all
the voices of
division, anger, bitterness,
let us speak of
love, kindness, tolerance
just as we learned from
Maya Angelou and Mr. Rogers.

while injustice continues
to stalk the forgotten,
may we walk with all
who long for hope and grace,
just as we learned from
Sojourner, Rosa, and Martin.

as we continue to live
faithful lives in our days,
may we continue to remember
all we have learned from
all who mentored faith for us.

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

First Thursday in Lent

'The LORD is my light and my
        salvation;
   whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of
      my life;
   of whom shall I be afraid?' Psalm 27:1

they are busy these days:
all the power hungry,
the nuclear weapon rattlers,
the greedy who want more and more,
the essentials of life that
keep rising in prices,
the false prophets who offer
moldy bread and cups of tears

they scratch against the window
as we try to fall asleep,
they push aside the dust bunnies
as the wiggle under the bed
waiting to jump out at 3 a.m.
they rustle the clothes
in our closets with whispers
of worries and fears.

but you are outside
in the cold driving rain
trimming their branches
you are running the dry mop
over the floors and shaking
them out into the bin,
you are sitting in front
of the closet, the Spirit
as our night light, so

we can sleep
unafraid

© 2022 Thom M. Shuman

Lenten morning

how shall we pray this morning?
 
God of Lenten mornings,
in a time when no one seems
to be giving up meanness,
may we be kind.
in days when folks turn
their backs on strangers,
may we offer friendship.
in moments when the tempter
supplies us with bitter accusations,
may we weave shawls of compassion
with the words we speak today.
 
how shall we pray this morning?
 
Jesus, Leader of our Lenten journey,
so many speak so often about justice,
may we be silent as we work with others for it.
so many continue to ignore the vulnerable,
may we serve them with hope and hugs.
as others keep trying to dig deeper
and deeper chasms between people,
may we follow behind them, filling
the canyons with grace and love.
 
how shall we pray this morning?
 
Spirit of gentle quiet,
as the loudest voices try to
drown out everyone else,
may we be whispers of comfort.
when those around us expect us
to choose this ideology or that,
may we become a safe space for searchers.
finding so many who refuse to listen to another,
may we listen to the voices of the forgotten.
 
how shall we pray this morning?
 
as we travel through these Lenten days,
God in Community, Holy in One,
may we not give up being your people. Amen.
 
© 2022 Thom M. Shuman