November 25th

"When Jesus heard this, he said to him, 'There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.' But when he heard this, he became sad; for he was very rich." Luke 18:22-23

when you stick it to the rich,
Jesus, we are like Vernon Dursley

whispering out loud, 'justice!'

but remember,

if you dare tell us that those

about-to-topple over bookcases

or our second walk-in closets

filled with things we don't wear

or that daily fifth cup of red hat

mocha grande with almond milk

or whatever thing we hold

more dear than our dearest ones

are what we have to give up

because of what you see

lacking in us, well then,

we will turn away, far sadder

than anyone on Forbes' list.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 24th

"'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?'" Matthew 6:25-26

may we not get
our knickers in a twist

about there being enough

marshmallows on the sweet potatoes

or did the cook follow Nana's recipe

for the green bean casserole

or if there will be desserts for us

non-pumpkin pie folks, 

or if the teenager's date 

will show up with a clean shirt,

but

let us notice the kitten 

tiptoeing in the sunshine,

the dog whimpering as it

chases a squirrel in its sleep,

the last leaf clinging for its life

on the topmost branch of the oak

and remember, that the One

who called all of them good

is the Heart which calls us

Beloved.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 23rd

"The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective." James 5:16b

yet,
however powerful, poetic,

evocative our words might be

and however they move 

our hearts and souls as well

as those who might hear them,

they are like leaves blown around

in the gusty winds of November

unless we turn those letters,

those syllables, those sentences

into compassion which cradles

the broken hearts of the lonely,

into courage which refuses to bend

in loyalty to the cruel,

into hope which plants its feet

in the path of the despisers,

into love which proves more tenacious

than all the forces hate tries to muster.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 22nd

"Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord." James 5:7a

or, we could choose the option

of being impatiently patient.

to be so annoyed at hate

that we will not let it 

bully its way into our communities.

to become so ill at ease

with the notion that the wealthy

should continue to get all the breaks

while the poor are told 

"get your act together."

to stop sitting on our hands

but be raring to go to challenge

those injustices that folks

believe should be ignored.

to be piqued beyond peevishness

towards all who preach a Jesus

who no longer cares for the forgotten,

the hungry, the lonely, the scared.

and maybe, just maybe, if we do,

we will realize that being 

impatiently patient is right up 

your alley.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

 

November 21st

"Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.'" James 4:15

when we think that grace
is like the wishbone of a turkey

which the person who gets

the bigger piece is more blessed,

when we are convinced 

we can tell who deserves justice

based on how hard they work

at three menial jobs,

when we come to believe 

that generosity is simply tossing

coins in a jar on a table and

then giving the change to a food bank,

when we cling to the outdated

notion that we can tell your favorites

based on the cars they drive or

the neighborhood in which they live,

we clearly are not paying attention.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 20th

"So who, then, are you to judge your neighbor?" James 4:12b

who indeed, God?

it is so much easier 

for us to assume that

because someone does not

believe the same way we do,

or hold the same political view,

or support the same issues that

they are wrong, or intolerant,

or filled with hate, or even evil.

and yes, maybe they are.

but if we pause, looking in the mirror,

realizing that folks may look at us,

making the same sort of 

quick assumptions about us,

i'm guessing (and it is only me)

that i would be pretty steamed

they are judging me without really

taking the time to know me.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 19th

“yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
   I will exult in the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk 3:18

even though it seems
as if compassion has gone
into winter’s hibernation,
and the fruits of the Spirit
have shriveled or rotted.
even though it appears
love can no longer seem
to elicit any sort of response
from people of privilege,
and community gardens which once produced
bumper crops of grace now lie fallow.
even if young people seeking acceptance
for the neurodivergent and genderfluid
are dismissed by uncaring politicians
and so many people want to become
ostriches when looking at climate change,
yet, i will continue to join God
in singing songs of hope,
and i will not stop believing
that God is with us in our times.

© 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 18th

"For there is still a vision for the appointed time;

   it speaks of the end, and does not lie.
If it seems to tarry, wait for it;
   it will surely come, it will not delay." Habakkuk 2:3-4

in these times

it seems we are taught

that what connects is division,

that the scarlet threads woven

through our common humanity

are anger and fear, and that

hate has finally become our god.

so we pray, that despite

all the seeming odds against,

we will let hope and grace

be the sinews in our relationships,

that love and kindness will be

the muscles which allow us

to work and share together,

and that justice and peace

are the nerves pulsing through

this Beloved Community you

are shaping in our midst.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 16th

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

   his steadfast love endures forever!" Psalm 118:1

with all that goes on

in the world these days,

i could care less about

an aging boxer slash bully

slash narcissist match,

but i hope i am passionate

about those fighting hate.

i have no real feelings 

one way or another about

some superstar celebrity 

who has thousands of dollars

stolen while earning so much 

more playing a brutal game, 

but i am ashamed of a political

culture which seeks to rob 

people of their self-worth.

i hope i will never trust more

in the false promises and 

hollow lies offered every day

than i do in your love which,

however battered and windswept,

weary and frayed at the edges,

refuses to let go of me.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 15th

"Then afterward
    I will pour out my spirit on 

         all flesh; 

your sons and your 

         daughters shall 

         prophesy, 

   your old men shall dream 

         dreams, 

   and your young men shall 

         see visions." Joel 2:28

in these afterward days,

may our dreams of justice

not turn into nightmares

for the most vulnerable.

may our children continue

to call us to mend creation,

to speak the names of the cruel,

to challenge the privileged 

to open their eyes and hearts.

and may their children look back,

giving thanks that when you

kept nudging us, pushing us,

breaking through our shuttered fears,

we did not turn away or run away,

but opened our souls to the Spirit,

holding tight to one another and

becoming whirlwinds of grace,

of hope, of kindness, of love.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 14th

"Why do the wicked renounce God, 

and say in their hearts,
   'You will not call us to account'?
But you do see!
   Indeed you note trouble and grief,
that you may take it into your hands;
   the helpless commit themselves to you;
you have been the helper of the orphan." Psalm 10:13-14

they send cruel texts

to people of color, about

buses coming to take them

to plantations for work.

they rub their hands in glee

that they are not just going

to fall back for daylight savings

but hopefully all the way back

to those causes they think

have been lost along the way.

they believe that anger has finally won,

that hate has conquered love,

that bullies are your best friends,

that you have anointed them 

to share a fake gospel of hate.

but you are keeping an eye out,

continuing to give strength

to those who will not let 

grace disappear,

hope be consigned to landfills,

justice to be ignored,

kindness to be swept away,

love become dusty history.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman 

November 13th

“So he told them this parable: ‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?’” Luke 15:3-4

grace is running ahead of us
to show us the way to serve
the forgotten of our times.
joy is limbering up, ready
to turn cartwheels as we discover
the mercy to share with the broken.
love has cleaned away breakfast
and has a map so we can go
and search for those who have
been relegated to the ‘not worth it’ status.
hope has gathered up all the tools
we need to build housing for all
who have slipped away from life
without anyone noticing.
justice is ready, as always, to offer us
a refresher course in caring more
for the vulnerable than the privileged.
compassion? well, compassion will continue
to look after the folks who don’t really
require that much, while we are out
with you, searching, searching, searching
until all the others are found.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 12th

"Have mercy upon us, O Lord,
   have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough
   of contempt.
Our soul has had more than its fill
   of the scorn of those who are at ease,
   of the contempt of the proud." Psalm 123:3-4

Holy One:

they think they will be able

to get us to eat only at the place

where one can gorge on all

the contempt you can eat for one price,

and the desserts are slathered 

with rich bittercream icing, but

we will continue to show up at your diner

where the formica top is probably

as old as you are, the cracked leather

seats are patched with duct tape

and the weary waitress, Holly Spirit,

knows us all so well, bringing us

our usual orders of hope and grace,

slices of justice with mercy's marmalade,

and free refills on cups of compassion

so we can go out into each day

doing all we can to put the Bitter Buffet

out of business as quickly as possible.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 11th

"Give ear to my words, O Lord; 

   give heed to my sighing." Psalm 5:1

for those who are not ready

to leave their cave's comfort,

you are not alone, even if

you can't see others in the shadows.

for all whose tears just won't stop,

we will offer as many shoulders

as you need to cry on.

for anyone who can't turn on the news,

we have tons of playlists, pet videos,

and streaming programs to share.

for everyone who fears the future,

we are by your side

we have your back

we cradle your heart.

for folks who are ready to move on,

walk a little slower,

talk a little less,

care a lot more.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 5th

"These things I remember, 

     as I pour out my soul:" Psalm 42:4a

here is what i will cling to

this day, and i pray, in all

those days to come,

that

when the hurlers of hate

are the loudest, love's whispers

will be heard in our hearts.

that

when the demagogues of despair

think they have convinced the crowds,

hope will be marked on more ballots.

that when cruelty targets outsiders,

trying to sell us locks for our doors,

more folk will put out welcome mats.

that when gangs of grudges lurk

like frighteners in the shadows,

we will hold tight to one another

as grace walks us home.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 4th

"On that day, says the Lord, 

    a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate,
a wail from the Second Quarter,
   a loud crash from the hills." Zephaniah 1:10

on this day, 

may we turn off the ads

we have heard so many times

we could make the pitch,

so we can hear the cries

of those who have no one

approving their message of

longing for compassion and hope,

so we hear the weeping from

all the parents in rubble strewn

communities aka battlefields,

so we might listen to those

whose dreams for justice

have collided with the ever

increasing desires of the privileged

who, miraculously, always seem

not to be at fault and can walk away

with no responsibility at all, and then

tomorrow, when we can make a difference

we might hear those echoes 

deep in our hearts.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 3rd

"If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." I Corinthians 13:1-3

if i join the angry crowds
echoing the bile of speakers

or make t-shirts which quote

the mocking words of another side,

my love is slipping away from my life.

if i speak as if i know exactly

how others should vote or respond

to my candidate or react to any, if

not every, issue which i support,

my love is drying up in my heart.

if i am willing to go into debt 

to support my vision of how things

should be or i refuse to have anything

whatsoever to do with those 

with whom i disagree,

my love is seeping out of my soul.

and if i lose all my love,

whatever will happen to me or,

indeed, the world who needs

every bit of love it can find.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 2nd

"'Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit;'" Luke 12:35

we look toward the horizon
and for many of us, there is
a looming shadow of fear and worry

which seems to be blocking 

all kindness, all grace, all love.

so, rather than turn and walk,

if not run in the other direction,

may we put on our jeans

stained with the paint from

fixing houses for rough sleepers,

our flannel shirts covered in buttons

which welcome the alien in our midst,

our work boots handcrafted by justice

and resoled many times with peace,

so we may continue to be beacons

of hope whatever may happen

in the coming days.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 1st

"As they go through the
         valley of Baca
    they make a place of
         springs;
    the early rain also covers it
         with pools." Psalm 84:6

those faithful folks still caring

for the ones struggling to rebuild

after all the camera crews 

(and the world) has moved on.

the children who, rather than

filling buckets with candy, asked

their neighbors for spare change

to help their homeless classmate.

the clean-up crews who worked

long, hard, extra hours to sweep

up the litter of jubilant celebrations

after the superstars absorbed all the cheers.

there are still saints in our midst,

walking through our neighborhoods

as unnoticed, as ridiculed, as forgotten

as all the others throughout the ages. 

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman