November 12th

Then Jesus said, "There was a man who had two sons. Luke 15:11

oh, Jesus,
you offer us such a
tempting, tasty parable—
we can easily see it as
being one about those
who are either in or out,
scofflaws or successful,
prodigals or privileged,
sheep or goats.
it is the easiest interpretation
and since we always love
taking the easy way,
we may skip over the pieces
where it is clear the parent
offers wide open arms to both,
shares everything with both,
refuses to hold back grace
from either one of them—
which makes it clear
this is a parable
for all of us.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 11th

“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) Thom M. Shuman

 Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 10th

"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:
apparently, there are still those
who believe the only way to win
is to make someone else lose,
who think the sweetest taste of victory
comes from watching neighbors
swallow their disappointment,
whose favorite national pastime
is serving up another helping
of contempt to anyone
who doesn't share their table.
and, Lord, we confess:
we are tired of the shouting,
the sneering,
the turning of neighbors into enemies,
and the fear that hope
has somehow become a foolish thing.
we have had more than enough
of the Bitter Buffet,
where resentment is supersized,
division is the daily special,
and fear is the house dressing.
but we keep coming back
to your table,
where the chairs are open to all,
the bread is broken, not wielded as a weapon,
and the cups are filled
with something stronger than hate.
so keep us from becoming
what we have spent so much time resisting,
and send us out to set tables
where others build walls,
to practice kindness when contempt prevails,
and to stand with those pushed aside.
for the election may be over,
but your work is not.
and neither is ours.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 9th

“But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.” Luke 14:13

lest the holidays
leave no room for grace,
let us pull up chairs
for those whose lives
have been pushed aside;
for the broken
who still dare to hope,
for the lost
who have forgotten the way home,
for the hungry
who have never known enough,
for the vulnerable
whose names the powerful never speak;
for families torn apart
by injustice and fear,
and for those strangers who long
to be called friends.
because God’s feast
has never been intended
only for those with name cards
at certain places on the table,
but for every person longing
to be made welcome.
so,
may not only our tables
but our hearts as well
look just a little more
like God's Beloved Community.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 8th

"saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.'” Matthew 20:12

like politics, we think God
should stay out of economics,
especially if God’s belief is that
the last are not forgotten,
the least are not discounted,
and the latecomers
are not handed yesterday's leftovers.
for if paychecks are not based
on hours put in,
if blessings do not depend
on the amount of sweat produced,
if grace simply opens its hands
then what is the purpose?
if there are no seats for privilege
in the boardrooms,
if there are no stock options
or golden parachutes,
if there is no basis for the argument
that those who struggle should have
simply taken a second job,
then those who have always
had more may discover
that God’s accounting system
never matches that of the world—
for God’s economy is based on
the abundance of God’s heart
not on what we deserve.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 7th

“I will deal with all your oppressors
     at that time.
And I will save the lame
     and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
     and renown in all the earth.” Zephaniah 3:19

we preach, sing, write ad nauseum
about the promises of God:
of that city where there will be
no more night, just light forever;
of those tears which will be dried
and set out as seasoning at the table;
of those places roughened by
folks slogging through tough moments
being made smooth as glass;
of those mountains of cruelty
which towered over the oppressed
being leveled by that thundering,
roaring river of justice;
of all scattered by hate and injustice
will be gathered into God’s embrace—
yet,
in all those words and songs
and sermons and prayers,
we conveniently continue to forget
that
while God is the maker
of all these hoped-for promises,
God is counting on us to be
the ones who make each
and every promise come true.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

November 6th

“For I will leave in the midst of you
     a people humble and lowly.
They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord-”
   Zephaniah 3:12

as the Old Book says:
it is not those wrapped in flags
or who call their power holy;
it is not the ones who holler
God’s name the loudest
all while turning their backs
on the most vulnerable among us
that God relies on in our times.
no, God’s people
are the humble, the ignored,
those who open their hearts
to the stranger,
who speak truth when lying might
earn them more money as influencers,
who offer compassion while the powerful
applaud cruelty and hate.
yet they are the rich soil
where God plants the future,
the quiet who don’t need
to ask what Jesus would do—
the remnant God is still
using in our midst.

(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman