April 16th

“I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.” John 15:15

we haven’t earned our way
to the table by being good employees,
we have a seat because
you pulled up chairs
in the dust of our days.
while we scroll past cruelty
looking for memes which seduce,
while we believe mercy
should be rationed carefully,
while we do not see your stories
in the faces we rush past,
you call us friends—
leaning close to share God’s secrets
that love washes feet,
compassion sticks around,
that grace throws away the rules.
to be your friends now
is to forget what separates,
to be a listening heart
in the noise of the world,
to carry each other as if
we were carrying you.
may we learn friendship
as you model it for us—
unconditional,
risk-taking,
a threat to a time which
would turn us all into enemies.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman