January 31st

"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 sleep,

the nurses on the

12-hour night shift,

the care givers at

the residential center

working extra hours,

the weary first responders

who long for sleep, yet

are willing to go at

a moment's notice

are keeping an eye on

all of God's children.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 30th

"For with you is the fountain
          of life;
 in your light we see light." Psalm 36:9

like a little child

under the covers

reading a book illuminated

on her tablet screen, we

discover the wonders

of your Word for us,

like a panting dog

sticking its head under

the faucet at the park

after a long, joyous walk

with his family, we are

refreshed by the waters

of life you pour out on us.

(C) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 29th

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

it is the whisper

of a forgotten child

lifted on the gossamer

wings of her prayer.

it is grace's seed 

planted in the grandpa

whose mind sees only

the backyard of his 

childhood home, as he

wonders, 'is this heaven?'

it is the visionaries who know

that justice may not come

in their lifetimes, but will

never stop dreaming.

this is faith

now

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 28th

"For your steadfast love is higher than the heavens, 

    and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds."  Psalm 108:4

as

we put our love

into that dryer called

our arid heart, spinning

it around and around until

it becomes as small as

piece of pocket lint

and as

our trust seems to be

for sale to the person

who offers the best bargain

or is easily thrown about

by the winds of fear,

how you must shake

your head in disappointment,

O God.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 27th

"When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him,'"Rabbi, when did you come here?'" John 6:25

when we evangelicals find

you on the other side of our faith

hanging out with the gender fluid crowd

and wonder, 'why are you there?'

when we progressives find

you out on a Saturday morning

with the red-hatted hunters 

before they head home with

all their trophies in the backs

of their shiny pickups and we

ask, 'what in the world are you doing?"

when we purists and legalists 

line up with our litmus tests 

to determine who is with us

and who we need to be against

while you write in the sand, refusing

to let us see your answers, and 

we keep asking, 'why did you come?"

you just shake your head

at how clueless we are 

after all this time.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 26th

"After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias." John 6:1

after sitting in the audience

listening to the commission's

presentation on poverty and

their action plans to fight it,

you went to the other side

of privilege to live with the needy.

after all the debates and

political posturing, and media

buys on how to stop the 

folks from trying to flee fear,

you went to the other side

of the borders to listen to all

the stories of loss and grief.

after telling stories of 

dysfunctional families and

folks who set aside their

inherited prejudices and 

listening to the pain of 

all discounted by the world,

you went to the other

side of death, to show us

the way to live right here,

right now

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 25th

"'You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf.'" John 5:39

we cherry pick verses

to justify who we will 

vote for in elections,

we conduct sword drills

to buck up our lives 

of anger and opprobrium,

we call literal and infallible

any words which shape you

into the hateful deity we 

long so deeply to worship,

and so ignore

the lullabies of grace,

the songs of hope,

the building bricks of justice,

the whispers of welcome,

the embraces of love 

which are the scarlet threads

woven into that Word

who lived among us.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 24th

"When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, 

    you forgive our transgressions."  Psalm 65:3

we stand staring at all our

wrong choices scattered

on the ground, and

you show up with the

big floppy shoes, the red

nose, the rainbow hair

to remind us that you 

can squeeze more clowns

into grace's car than we

can ever begin to imagine,

driving us down to the pub

where we will feast on hope

and drink deeply from love's cup

while you put everything 

on your tab.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 23rd

"But surely, God is my helper;

   the Lord is the upholder of my life. " Psalm 54:4

you guide my finger

so i might learn how

to read the emotions

of those around me.

you share your recipes

for grace and hope

so i might discover how

to serve them to others.

you run toward everything

that threatens to destroy

my faith in you, and you

carry me to safety in your

tender arms of love.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman 

January 22nd

"Be merciful to me, O God, be
            merciful to me,
    for in you my soul takes
            refuge." Psalm 57:1a

mugged by the world,

left lying in a ditch 

in a pool of my own

foolish decisions, with

the bruises of my heart

blossoming into a rainbow,

i watch the pious stroll by

barely giving me a glance,

and the arrogant never

looking up from their devices

until

you stop and lift me up

carrying me to your grace

where my soul is bathed

in the healing peace 

of your love and i am made

whole.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 21st

"May God be gracious to us and bless us

   and make his face to shine upon us,"  Psalm 67:1

when we do not

store your grace with

the rest of the stuff

we no longer use, but

share it with those 

who are alone and afraid,

when we do not put

your blessings in the

safe deposit box 

of our memories, but

hand them out 

to every persons we 

meet, friend or stranger,

with no strings attached,

the warmth of the big grin

on your face reminds us

that we are on the road

to getting this thing called

faith

right.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 20th

"Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, 'What do you want?' or, 'Why are you speaking with her?'" John 4:27

we come upon you

chatting with the folks

standing at the borders

and silently shake our heads.

we watch you standing up

to the ones holding power

and challenging them 

to become more caring and just

and we roll our eyes at one another.

we cannot believe you are 

willing to pull the trans kids

closer to you when everyone

else tries to push them away

and mutter under our breath,

when we should be asking,

how to become more compassionate

how to notice the invisibles around us

how to find the courage to speak up

how to be more like you

rather than trying to make you

more like us.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 19th

"Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
   whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle,
else it will not stay near you." Psalm 32:9

may we not be

so stubborn that

we are not willing 

to stop digging our

feet into the ground,

but dare to walk with

you into an unknown future.

may we not be so 

foolish as to think that

the yoke you offer to us

is an impediment to our

freedom, but rather an

arm placed tight around us

so we know we do not

have to do it all by ourselves

(whatever 'it' might be)

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 18th

"And they said to one another, 'Come, let us make bricks and fire them thoroughly.' And they had brick for stone and bitumen for mortar.  Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.'” Genesis 11:3-4

gathering up the straw

figures of our fears and doubts,

handing us pails filled with 

the pebbles of our prejudice

and the bile of our bitter hearts,

we start making the bricks

we need in order to build

a towering monument which

trumpets our arrogance to

everyone around us, and we

walk through the doors into

our false security and slam

them shut behind us to keep out

that riffraff called grace and hope.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 17th

"he said,
'Cursed be Canaan;
lowest of slaves shall he be to his brothers.'"  Genesis 9:25

we take stories told

about sibling rivalries

around ancient campfires

and treat them as signs

emblazoned across the 

deep desert nights.

we hear the frustrated

comment of a father

caught unawares with nothing

on but his embarrassment, and

use it to demean our created siblings.

we take a simple story of

brothers jockeying for power

as they hope for a parent's approval

and see it as being about

your hardened heart towards

those we deem to be unlike us.

and so,

we show how little we truly

know about who you are, 

God,

and how much we center

such stories around our own

prejudices, fears, and choices.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 16th

"As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,
   as the eyes of a maid
   to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the LORD our God,
   until he has mercy upon us." Psalm 123:2

in setting aside

my privilege, may i

become more compassionate

towards those in need.

in choosing vulnerability,

may i discover what 

the forgotten have 

to teach me about life.

in setting aside whatever

power i have (even though

i may think i have none),

may my weakness be used

to bring justice to the forgotten.

in seeking to become 

more of a servant to others,

may i make my life 

a daily sacrifice to you

and to all your children.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 15th

"The wicked see it and are angry; 

    they gnash their teeth and melt away;
the desire of the wicked comes to nothing."  Psalm 112:10

when

the greedy seem to hoard

all the money,  

let us continue to

share what we have

with the vulnerable.

when the narcissists

want us to idolize them,

let us keep plugging away

at elevating the forgotten.

when

the wicked appear

to hold all the cards,

may we call their bluff

and lay down our hand

with the royal flush of

grace, hope, justice, 

peace, and acceptance.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 14th

"The gifts he gave were . . . " Ephesians 4:11

and so, in our ever arrogant

(but, oh so cool), we lean into

that variant reading, whereby we

shatter the Beloved Community,

cling to childish behavior holding

our breath until we turn blue,

ping-ponging back and forth

from this celebrity to that

politician as daily idols,

reposting lies and fake news

and false stories on social media,

doing everything we can

to those that there is not

an ounce of grace to be found

in us.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 13th

"Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him." Genesis 6:22

in the simple kindness

of dropping off food and

supplies to the local

animal shelter,

in the gift of the time

to foster a cat until

it finds its forever home,

in the patience and love

of training a dog 

to become a companion

to a person who needs one

or a therapy dog visiting

kids in hospital rooms and

older folks in care,

may we help build 

the ark creation needs

in our moments.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 12th

"Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, 

    and cleanse me from my sin."  Psalm 51:2

like little kids

who play innocent

about the mud 

up to their knees

and the muck that

is matting their hair,

we squirm and mutter,

we go as limp as rags

as you gently pull off

all the foolishness we wear

and pick us up and put

us into that great big tub

filled with warm waters of life

and bubbling with grace,

and then you dry us off

and wrap us in the soft

robe of new life and hope,

carrying us to bed as

we fall asleep in your

love

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 11th

"For God alone my soul waits in silence, 

    for my hope is from him."  Psalm 62:5

even if it is only me,

i will wait in silence

to hear your whispers

of love over the shouts of hate.

even if i walk alone,

i will continue to hope

that justice will finish

it's journey to the forgotten.

even if everyone laughs,

i will keep hoping that 

peace can mend every

broken relationship.

even if no one else cares,

i believe that hope 

is the greatest gift

we can share with others.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 10th

"'If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.'" Genesis 4:7

despite all the warnings,

we just cannot help

posting about turning our

bookface blue, or

answering the call that

says 'suspected spam,'

or clicking on that link

demanding we send cash

for that missed tax payment,

that grandchild being held

in jail needing bail money,

that 'game' offering to show

you what you would look like

if you were a Martian . . .

and this is all before 

we open the door and

discover what is waiting

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 9th

"My soul thirsts for God, 

    for the living God.
When shall I come and behold
   the face of God?"  Psalm 42:2

in the barista

who carefully writes

down my name on the cup

and adds a simple 'live in hope.'

in the little kid

who sits behind 

put-together stand 

on a hot summer's day

and tells me the cup

of ice cold lemonade

in on the house.

in the friend who lets

their soup grow cold

while listening to the 

burning pain in my soul,

i see you face to face.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 8th

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1

a Word was uttered

and suddenly light and wonder,

vibrant butterflies and creepy crawlies,

lowing cattle and stubborn donkeys,

whitewater rapids and calm ponds

sprang forth in the emptiness of chaos.

a Word gave its first cry of life

and suddenly angels sang

and shepherds stammered the news,

cattle lowed and donkeys brayed,

a star blazed in the sky and the wise

became foolish enough to follow it,

a father looked helpless and

a mother nursed her beloved

in the emptiness of a guest room.

a Word was whispered and

grief was wrapped in the warm 

swaddling clothes of hope,

loneliness was invited into 

the hearts of next door neighbors,

justice took root in the neglected

hearts and souls of the vulnerable,

grace became a river on which

we could float away from

the emptiness of our lives.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

   

Baptism of the Lord

 "Then God said, 'Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness;'" Genesis 1:26a

vision to search out
the furthest galaxies 

and to catch a glimpse

of a widow weeping

on her front porch,

hearing to listen to

the cries of the forgotten

and to hearken to that

still small voice in our soul,

hands to reach down 

and lift the fallen, as well

as to be grabbed by a

teetering toddler,

feet to run towards those

who are losing their 

tenuous grip on hope

and to walk quietly in

the corridors of hospice,

hearts to open wide 

to welcome the strangers

and to break in grief 

with our closest friends,

souls to know the gentle

touch of wisdom from a 

person slipping into dementia

and to be healed by 

the butterfly kisses of little kids,

these are the pieces of you

planted deep within each of us,

by your grace, Imaginative God.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

Eve of the Baptism of the Lord

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

    at the presence of the God of Jacob,

who turns the rock into a pool of water,
   the flint into a spring of water." Psalm 114:7-8

parched

our hearts become deserts

our souls turning to dust,

we stand at the very

edge of our worst fears

that if we dare to take

that simple, small step

God only knows what 

will happen . . .

. . . never noticing that

you gathered up all the tears

which have flowed from us,

and poured them into that

pool of gentle hope, where

you stand just waiting 

to take us by the hand

to pour the waters of grace

over us, as you whisper,

'welcome, my Beloved,

welcome.'

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

Epiphany

"Arise, shine; for your light has come, 

    and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you." Isaiah 60:1

get up off your apathy

and follow the Star shining

over the lonely, the vulnerable,

the hungry, the hurting, and

bring the gifts of medicine,

hope, food for body and spirit,

a welcome at your table and

a place in your heart.

be the candle in the window

lighting the way for

all the kids who know only

rejection and neglect,

abuse and abject fear,

so they may find a family

which accepts them for 

who they are and loves them

without any reservations.

and let people see God's glory.

not in your privilege and pretensions

but in your weakness and caring,

not in your power and portfolio

but in your generous soul.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 5th

"Take the helmet of salvation," Ephesians 6:17a

that old, sweat-stained 

baseball cap sitting in

the back of the closet,

the floppy soft hat 

which protected you

while fly casting for trout,

and the sun visor worn

while running back and forth

at the baseline of far too

many tennis matches 

far too long ago . . .

pass them on to

those little kids who

will treat them as if 

they are the golden 

helmet of Mambrino

giving them joy and

wonder beyond compare.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman 

 

January 4th

"When your children ask in time to come, 'What do those stones mean to you?' then you shall tell them . . . " Joshua 4:6b-7a

they are a cairn

where pilgrims can 

slip pieces of paper 

with their written prayers

into the thin space between

the weathered stones.

they are a dry wall

crafted so neighbors can

come and stand to share

their stories in the day's dusk.

they are the streets of the dead

we walk to journey with 

the past to those places 

where we are embraced

by our future held in the

tender arms of God.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 3rd

"Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you." Ephesians 4:31-32

in these times,

when we find it easier

to offer bitter bile

than kind words,

snarky responses

over tender whispers,

angry taunts as opposed

to gracious comments,

grudge laced grumbles

instead of grace's affirmations,

we show how we choose

to put away those around us

rather than drawing them

into love's embrace.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 2nd

"I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all." Ephesians 4:1-6

we take delight 

in pointing out all

the deficiencies of folks

who worship in different

ways than we do,

we feel exquisite contentment

in the millions of little slights

we can inflict on people who

tumble off the pedestals 

others have put them on,

we turn snark into a snack

to nibble on as we follow

those on social media, just

waiting to point out the

failures of their theology

and then wonder

why people want nothing

to do with folks who

show clearly that being

in community with God's 

children has absolutely

nothing

to do with their faith.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

January 1st

"Go through, go through the gates,
   prepare the way for the people;
build up, build up the highway,
   clear it of stones,
lift up an ensign over the peoples." Isaiah 62:10

may this be the year 

we go through the neighborhoods

and repair the homes

of those too old to care

for them or those to poor

to bear all the costs.

may this be the year

when we walk with the

forgotten, the vulnerable,

the broken, the lonely, 

crying out for the powerful

to make way for those who

are God's most valued children.

may this be the year

we will clear grudges

from the floors of our memories

and repair the streets of those

considered to be worthless

and raise the banner of justice

over all oppressed everywhere.

may this be the year.

finally.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman