peace, perhaps more

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:" Psalm 122:6

we pray for the peace

of cities where senseless violence

takes the lives of innocents

and where teenagers carjack

vehicles simply to prove they can.

we pray for the peace 

of neighborhoods where property

is being bought up by businesses

looking to make huge profits

on homes (after evicting families

who have lived there for years.

we pray for the peace

of rural areas where there 

is so little access to doctors,

mental health care, education,

jobs, growth (despite all the 

promises of politicians who

do not care for anything but votes.

and when we are done praying,

may we go forth to turn our words

in justice, compassion, grace, and love.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

in this way

“'Pray then in this way:'" Matthew 6:9a

Holy One, who dances with stars

and sits by the side of the forgotten,

whether babbled by infants

or whispered in fading memories,

your name reminds us who we are.

may that Beloved Community 

crafted in the hopes of your heart

become our family where we are

as we live in your hope, and 

make justice our offering to you.

as you feed us with substance and spirit,

may we work so no one hungers.

and as you set aside your grudges

to forgive our every foolishness,

may we always choose to share mercy.

walk with us, so we will not follow

the pied pipers of seduction,

strengthen us so we will always

choose goodness over evil.

for the Beloved Community is our hope,

your humility is what strengthens our faith,

and your grace reveals 

your true nature to us.  Amen.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

i have met the enemy . . .

"For the enemy has pursued me, 

crushing my life to the ground,
making me sit in darkness like those long dead." Psalm 143:3

the fatigue which is

that shadow which refuses

to disappear in the sun,

the fear which giggles

in the closet's shadows

as i hang up my clothes,

the pain which is like

a constrictor slowly trying

to squeeze all my energy out,

the loneliness which seems

to have adopted me as

its long-lost-now-found friend.

it is those little enemies 

which wear me down each day,

not that Enemy i was always

warned about, but seems not

to pay much attention to me.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

worlds apart

“'You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.'" Matthew 5:38-42

we shake our heads

and with a wry smile

think to ourselves that,

with all your wisdom

with all your common sense

with all your experience

working with your hands

and walking the dusty roads

with the strugglers and stragglers,

you just don't seem to have

a clue as to how the world operates

and

as you continue to reach out

with your callused hands

so the stragglers and strugglers

can keep up with you 

on the pilgrimage you are guiding,

you smile wryly to yourself,

shaking your head as you wonder,

with all their common sense

with all their 'real world' experience

with all the wikiknowledge they have,

why doesn't anyone have a clue

as to the Beloved Community

just there within their reach

through that thin space called

grace

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

in peace

"He said to him, 'Go in peace.'” 2 Kings 5:19a

may we live in peace

with those who annoy us

as well as those who

encourage us.

may we speak in peace

to those whose words

drip with anger and those

who are afraid to speak.

may we walk in peace

on pilgrimages to reconcile

our broken neighborhoods

and the shattered places

of our own lives.

ma we go in peace

wherever you would

send us, even into the

most uncomfortable places

we dare imagine.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

4:00 a.m.

"O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; 

    his steadfast love endures forever!"  Psalm 118:1

it's 4:00 a.m.,

and i am wide awake

(once again) trying not

to look at the clock, or

worrying about something

i did or did not put on

that list i left on the counter,

or hoping that the creak

i hear is just the cat

pushing the closet door 

open and not my anxieties

tip-toeing down the hall

ready to sit by the bed

and read my their

evening liturgy, or wondering

why it is that i seem 

to wake up exactly at 4

most mornings (and are

there other folks wide awake

like me, and if so, maybe

we could start some sort

of club?) and perhaps the

biggest question, worry,

wonder of all

does your steadfast love

really endure forever, even

at 4:00 in the morning?

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

tgif?

"O LORD, you have searched me and known me." Psalm 139:1

you know,

that on this day

there are those who

cannot wait for the weekend

to begin with all its fun,

travels, gatherings, chances

to insta share everything

and

for others,

it is just that long break

of loneliness, thumbing through

old memories and photo albums,

of sitting across from an empty chair,

before Monday with all its

disappointed expectations

shows up once again.

you know,

because you know us

and knowing us

continue to be with us

however we face this

day

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

and sitting down . . .

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:” Matthew 5:1-2

you could have sequestered yourself

writing a 20-volume Summa for us,

but you were out gathering children

on your lap, to tell them jokes 

as you listened gently to their fears.

you might have wandered through

the crowds that followed, autographing

robes, sandals, carpenter's tools, tax books,

but you knelt to draw forgiveness

in the sand pocked by a woman's tears.
you could have questioned us write

and left to see if we could pass the test,

but you challenged us to become

a community with the forgotten,

to embrace the hope offered to us

by those we try to rush by,

to be those tiny seeds of humility

scattered over the rich soil of the arrogant,

to see justice as our daily sacrifice for others,

to practice forgiveness as our language of love,

to see God grinning like a fool
at all the mistakes we make, while 

encouraging us to try, try again.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

implausible

“My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power,” 1 Corinthians 2:4

rather than grand pronouncements

may we compose silly songs 

which put a smile on the 

tearstained faces of kids.

instead of political platforms

composed of empty words,

let us pass laws which give

paid parental leave to every worker.

before we bind our sermons

(which really say nothing new,

do they?) to sell on the internet,

may we offer the silence 

of the Spirit in our whispers of grace,

the power of hope in our

commitment to justice,

the gentleness of peace

for those opening their hands

in prayer for reconciliation.

© 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

mercy!

"so our eyes look to the LORD our God, 

    until he has mercy upon us." Psalm 123:2c

in your mercy,

may our eyes turn away

from those pied pipers

of mayhem and meanness,

to see your justice at work

in the broken places.

by your mercy,

may our ears tune out

the cries of bitterness

and the shouts of mockery,

so we can hear the whispers

of your compassion.

through your mercy,

may our hearts not be hardened

by the hate poured into them

from all who misuse your 

gospel of love and hope,

but that they might be tenderized

by your tears of grace 

running down your cheeks.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo:  @Thom-Shuman

blessings

blessed are

those who fill our emptiness with God's hope;
those who mingle our tears with theirs;
those who care as much for creation                                                                                            as they do for themselves;
those who offer the hungry and thirsty
more than empty promises and emptier pockets;
those who wrap others with the shawl of mercy;
those who see God, not in narcissists and celebrities,
but in all the broken, the imperfect, the vulnerable;
those children who are playmates with peace;
those immigrants who bring the Beloved Community to us.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

foolhardy

"For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18

while we think we have

answered the question,

'have you been saved?'

clearly and unequivocally,

as long as we believe

politics should solve the

struggle for justice or

that an economic system

can do away with poverty

or reading a few books and

attending a two-day seminar

will eradicate systemic racism

and writing new hymns and liturgies

will turn haters into lovers,

we are still in desperate need

of being saved from ourselves.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman 

O my people

“'O that my people would listen to me,
that Israel would walk in my ways!'” Psalm 81:13

in those stories we hear

over and over from the 

old folks all around us,

seeds of grace are 

planted deep within us.

in the songs of little kids

being made up as the

bath water cools and

they procrastinate getting

out and going to bed,

we hear songs of love.

in the tear-filled anguish

of young people struggling

with gender issues, we listen

to the wounding of their souls

and the healing hope of God

if we but listen

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

mimes

"Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us." Philippians 3:17

i could imitate the

narcissists, pointing

everyone to me, or

i could direct them 

to the ignored around us.

i could mimic those

who mock the struggling

or i could make sure

the vulnerable are honored.

i could turn poverty into a burlesque

stripping the needy of everything,

while the wealthy laugh at them

in a room filled with the 

smoke of contempt or

i could tear the theater down

and build a school where 

justice is not just talked about

but becomes that arc stretching

across the universe.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman 

more

"Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" Philippians 3:7-8a

my face tattooed

in the palms of your hands

is worth far more than

all the letters i could

put after my name.

you whispering 'my beloved'

in my ear as i fall asleep

and when i wake up

means more than any

'amen!' tossed my way.

your grace which grits

my eyes and sands my

rough edges until they

are as smooth as your cheeks

when you hold me close,

is more special than any

paycheck i ever received.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

play misty for me

"Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." James 4:14

make me a sprinkler of joy

for little kids and those

in their second childhood

to run through on summer days.

make me a blanket of wonder

for families to use to make 

angels on snow days from school.

make me a hose of justice

which the parched oppressed

may drink from when the powerful

turn their backs on them.

make me a faucet of grace

whose handle has broken off

so it flows through the lives

of the lonely and afraid 

without ever subsiding.

make me a mist of hope

which covers those who

have climbed into that boat

which gently carries them

to the far shore where 

love waits to welcome them.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

first love

"I love the LORD, because he has heard
   my voice and my supplications." Psalm 116:1

because

you hear the anguished

cries of those living through

the worst people can do to them

before tuning into my pity party

when i stub my toe on privilege,

when

you turn toward the voices

of folks who have no money

or influence to offer the power brokers

rather than listening to my

country song about how hard

it is to get into my way-too-expensive

big old truck i drive for show,

since 

you sit with your hands

wrapped tight around 

the cold coffee cup trying

not to break it into pieces

listening to the story of the

person traumatized from being

trafficked since age 12 while

i pick up my 3rd mocha latte

in an hour and slide into the

corner to watch soft porn

on my brand new laptop,

i fall in love with you

even more than the 

first time we met.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

tongue tied

"So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire." James 3:5-6a

we think we are just

whispering behind the 

backs of another but

their soul is burned to a crisp

as if from a GOT dragon,

we utter a simple word

of mockery towards another

never noticing how it becomes

a match setting a bonfire

of pain in their heart,

and

we never noticing how

the bitterness bubbling

deep within our brokenness

turns into flames dancing

on the tips of our tongues.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

where?

"Help, O LORD, for there is no longer anyone who is godly; 

   the faithful have disappeared from humankind.
They utter lies to each other;
   with flattering lips and a double heart they speak." Psalm 12:1-2

maybe we are 

looking in the wrong

places and faces,

for the godly

are in dumpsters

separating trash

from recyclables,

the faithful 

are giving up time

on their devices 

to devise opportunities

for those seeking hope,

the single hearted

are focused on caring

for the forgotten,

the honest 

are holding accountable

those who see themselves

as self-appointed saviors.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

wastral

"But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; 

   my steps had nearly slipped.
For I was envious of the arrogant;
  I saw the prosperity of the wicked." Psalm 73:2-3

i spent so much

filling my closets

with the latest from

the haughty couture shops,

i had to buy into

those ponzi schemes

which promised all the riches

i saw piled up on the tables

of the banquets of all the

Metabillionaires and X-men,

until you grabbed me

by the scruff of my soul

to set my weary feet

back on the path of simplicity.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

for all the Jerusalems

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:"  Psalm 122:6

for cities where violence

is heard almost every hour

of every day and every night

and where guns seem as easy

to carry as loose change,

Lord, hear our prayers.

for suburbs and neighborhoods

where cars are stolen as easily

as packages off front porches

and 13 year-olds lead car chases

just like they have seen in videos

until they end up in situations 

and places not shown on their devices,

Lord, hear our prayers.

for rural areas where folks

cannot get broadband service,

physical or mental health care, 

but the pandemic of opioids 

is as strong as it was (if not 

worse) then when it started,

Lord, hear our prayers.

for nursing homes where 

staff is lacking and folks are 

not getting the care they need

and in costly retirement communities

where privilege masks abject 

loneliness and fears of dying,

Lord, hear our prayers.

for houses on quiet streets

in 'sought for' neighborhoods

where people abuse partners,

where children are ignored,

where fear lurks in every corner

behind shuttered windows and

in every heart behind shattered love,

Lord, hear our prayers.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

night prayer

"O LORD, God of my salvation, 

    when, at night, I cry out in your presence,
let my prayer come before you;
   incline your ear to my cry."  Psalm 88:1-2

it is in the shadows

creeping across the lawn

that i find the silence

in which i can offer you

all that brokenness

i could not reveal to 

anyone during the day.

it is in the gathering evening

that i can take off that 

confident face and show you

the tear-stained wrinkles

and still that bold, confident

voice so you can hear 

the cracks in my whispers.

it is when i lie on my bed

surrounded by all the ghosts

of the stuffed animals which

protected me for so, so long

that i can hang my mature,

adult self in the closet, as 

i long to curl up in your lap

as you sing lullabies to me

all night long, if needed.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman