November 14th

"He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Matthew 16:15

it seems ingrained in us—
expecting mountain shaking
thunder clapping experiences,
which means we miss
the quiet tea-is-brewing
and the cat is purring
and the day hasn’t placed demands
on us moments, when Jesus
puts an arm around us and
with breath as soft at a feather,
asks the-word question which
catches us unawares and then
undoes all those answers we
had jotted down after last time.
yet, Jesus being Jesus, asks,
not to trick or trap or trouble us
but to unlock that door
we have closed over our heart,
so we can remember that
it’s not an answer or a creed
we need to keep close
but simply that shaky hope
that if we take the risk
(especially in these times)
to call him our Christ,
he will still say we are his
beloved.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman