January 27th

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ." Galatians 1:6-7

when the hucksters try 

to trick us into believing that 

welcoming the immigrant

or caring for the vulnerable

or even showing mercy 

are no longer part of faith,

may we simply walk away

from their 3-card monte table.

when the aw-shucksters cozy 

up to us, putting their arms

around us to whisper in our ears

that God really doesn't mean it

about loving our enemies

or speaking truth to the powerful

or sharing from our abundance,

may we simply shake them off

to reach out to embrace the forgotten.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman