December 16th

"I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him." Isaiah 8:17

in the doctor's office,
jiggling my leg nervously,
i waited for you to show up
to calm me, but there was
only the little girl playing
peek-a-boo.

riding the bus on the way

to my fifth interview of the day,

i waited for some sort of sign

of support from you, but there

was only the old man standing

on the sidewalk smiling and 

giving the peace sign to everyone.

i waited for you at the elevator,

rushing from one meeting

to another, hoping you might

have time for a quick chat over coffee,

and never glanced over to see

the co-worker who had just

left a cupcake on my desk because

they thought i could use a kindness.

and so, i spent another seemingly

hopeless day.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

December 15th

"Lead me in your truth, and
teach me,
for you are the God of my
salvation,
for you I wait all day long." Psalm 25:5

i waited
at the complaint window,
ready to unload on you
(if you ever decided to open)
turning to the person
standing behind me, who
kept nodding whenever
i offered my bitter whine,
gently touching my arm
in unexpected kindness.
i waited
for you at the bus stop
tapping my foot
impatiently as i glanced
down the road every few minutes
all the while trying
to ignore the (obviously weird kids)
with their hair all sorts of colors,
tattoos and piercings on full display
constantly inviting me to join
in singing carols, until
i walked away, grumbling to the air.
i waited for you
and waited in more places
than i can name, always
having to put up with
people’s unasked-for concern.
i will go back to waiting tomorrow,
but could you at least
have the courtesy
to show up?

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

December 14th

"For the Lord spoke thus to me while his hand was strong upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 'Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what it fears, or be in dread.'" Isaiah 8:11-12

they pull the wool of wolves
dressed in sheep's clothing
spinning it into fine threads.
they gather up the yarns of
those who tell the biggest tales,
and taking up their knitting needles
they put together garments of false
promises and wacky theories, trying
their best to sell us on this being
the latest fashion that everyone is wearing.
and you keep whispering in our ears,
'don't throw away that well-worn
coat of compassion, or those slightly
frayed gloves of grace.
keep that three piece suit of faith, hope,
and love in your closet - it will come back
into style soon.
and for goodness sake, don't ever be afraid
to live differently from others.
the world needs more marchers to
a different beat, not more lemmings.'

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

December 13th

"Then Isaiah said: 'Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also?'" Isaiah 7:13

we grumble how tired

we are from being able

to go from store to store

until we find just the right

gift for someone who, in turn,

will barely acknowledge it,

while a family whose beds

are the seats in a car parked

in the shadows of a store

go from agency to agency

and church to church trying

to get just a little assistance

in providing a simple holiday

for their children who stare out

the windows into the winter sky

wondering what it is like to have

the sorts of lives they see in all

who pass by them, moving as 

quickly as they can while 

avoiding any eye contact that

might force us to be just a little

human.

and you shake your head 

in that weariness which never

seems to go away because

we can't ever seem to move 

away from those seductive

privileges the world offers us.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

December 12th

So he consented and began to look for an opportunity to betray him to them when no crowd was present. Luke 22:6

in the sacred space,
cocooned with so many
others, it is easy
to pray without ceasing,
to whisper your name in awe,
to find just the right words,
but
at home,
when the hammer hits my thumb,
when the bills fall through
the slot in the door,
when the shadows lengthen,
ah, how i use your name in a different way!
in the small group,
with those i promise to
share my deepest, darkest,
piety comes as part of the
book study,
earnestness is the pin in
my lapel,
faithfulness is always
the course of action,
but
at work,
in the cubicle, with only
the screen to monitor me,
it is easy to wander
into those sites
which shouldn't be found.
in the choir,
harmonizing with all
the other voices
in praise, wonder, joy,
and adoration, how can
i keep from singing
praises,
but
driving home,
in the anonymity of the car,
what fun to crank up the speakers,
boost the bass,
shout the demeaning, degrading,
rapping lyrics, until
i rattle the souls
of all those around me.
with no
crowd
around, how many
opportunities
abound!

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

December 11th

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I, send me!" Isaiah 6:8

sure, count me in.
though i should check
my online calendar,
and i know the legal team
will want to pour over
any non-disclosure agreement.
and, of course,
we need to be clear
on the length of the contract
and what the buy-out
package might look like
should we decide
that the job is not panning out.
i assume, as well,
that i own the rights
to any original pronouncements
i make (even if i drop your name
first.
should you have any
reservations, at all,
about my terms,
I guess we are back
to the original question.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

December 10th

 'the LORD opens the eyes
   of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who
   are bowed down;
the LORD loves the
   righteous. Psalm 146:8

when i am tempted
to place myself
in bondage to debt
to show how much i love
others,
set me free to give them
myself instead;
when the glitter, the tinsel,
all the bright shiny
got-to-have-or-elses
cause me to
squeeze my eyes tight shut,
open them, so i can see the
snow falling gently
on a winter's night;
when i can only think that all
the names on all the lists
are the only ones that matter,
may the shepherds
stop me to tell 

(with wonder and delight)
of the hope they just met
in a bairn.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

December 9th

"There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves.” Luke 21:25

looking for signs
in the entrails
of the latest politician
to be skewered,
we may miss
the story
about
the homeless fellow
who pushed a
family's car out of
the snow
and accepted only
a 'thank you'
as his reward;
reading the handwriting
on the 'net
regarding the cliff
we lemmings
seem to be running
toward,
we overlook
the kids lined up
at the tellers'
windows, emptying
their piggy banks
for their teacher
battling cancer;
convinced that the warnings
of that disembodied
radio voice
portend the end
of our sacred cows,
we ignore the songs
composed in
the bathtub
by our grandchildren
as they celebrate
all the wonder of
the life they have.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman 

December 8th

"Let me sing for my beloved
my love-song concerning
his vineyard:"  Isaiah 5:1a

carols cascade
from the lips
of third-graders
packing shoeboxes
for children in
parts of the
world they
only know from
web searches;
hymns are hummed
by neighbors
who rise before
the sun rubs
sleep from its
eyes,
to shovel the walks
of the family who
just brought home
their new baby;
piano keys are tickled
by the arthritic fingers
of the white-haired
janitor who
has just finished
polishing the
gym floor
for tonight's
dance.
our Beloved's
love-songs
are all around us
if
we but take
the time to
listen.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

December 7th

"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope." 1 Thessalonians 4:13

it is so easy to forget
as we stand by the bed

that the last breath 

of our loved ones 

on this side of grace

is the Spirit carrying them

into your arms of love.

we may not realize it

but as we walk away 

from the graveside, we

have not placed someone

in the cold embrace of earth

but into your arms 

of wonder and peace.

so, remind us of that

hope

which is indeed the 

dust of the stars seeded

deep within all creation,

especially us.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

December 6th

"Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD.

    Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
   to the voice of my supplications!" Psalm 130:1-2

we know the quiet of mornings

as the world bustles awake and

the grieving lie in beds made

so much bigger by the absence

of loved ones.

we know the reticence of midday

eating our stale sandwiches 

sipping on the cup of bitter tears

at the table where the forgotten

always find a 'reserved' sign.

we know the silence 

of nights when the voices

of the mockers drown out

the whispers of children offering

prayers crafted from their 

loneliness.

and because you listen to

the cracking of those hearts

which everyone refuses to hear,

we know we are never

alone.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

December 5th

"O house of Jacob, 

    come, let us walk
in the light of the LORD!" Isaiah 2:5

we tiptoe through 

the shadows of our fears,

our fingertips brushing along

the walls bricked by loneliness

desperately trying not

trip over anyone who might

have already given up finding home,

and then,

there

in the far distance

we see a small flame flickering,

slowly drawing closer to us

until we see it held in your hand,

your other reaching out to grasp us

and walk with us so, together,

we can turn the corner and see

the bright light of Advent hope

welcoming us.

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman