true/false

"But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong;'" Matthew 20:13a

but how can you be

right

insisting that latecomers

get the same pay as

the founders of the company,

that outsiders should 

be welcomed as kin,

that peacemakers should

be honored with massive,

tickertape parades,

that we should see

little children as our mentors

and not the superstars,

that love is always, 

always

to be preferred over hate,

when the world

insists you got everything

wrong?

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

plaitudes

"I will abundantly bless its provisions; 

    I will satisfy its poor with bread."  Psalm 132:15

when we think

poverty can be solved

by forming more commissions,

rather than sitting with

and learning from the poor,

when we are convinced

our thoughts and prayers

should fill the emptiness

in the souls of the struggling,

when we believe a few sacks 

of almost-expired canned goods

and day-old bread should 

take away any hunger pangs

of your children around us,

O God,

well, why are we shocked

that you act as if you

don't know us at all?

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

because

"'Because the poor are despoiled, 

   because the needy groan, I will now rise up,' says the LORD;
'I will place them in the safety for which they long.'”  Psalm 12:5

may we be the

safety net for all

who are tossed aside

by the privileged.

may we be the ears

for those nobody else

cares to hear.

may we be the haven

for all who have lost

their way because we

never were willing to share

the directions to life

with them.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

may . . .

"For God alone my soul waits in silence; 

    from him comes my salvation.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
   my fortress; I shall never be shaken."  Psalm 62:1-2

may the waiting 

not become so onerous

we simply give up.

may the silence 

allow us to hear the

gentle rhythm of love.

may the rock 

be wide enough

for more than just one.

may our fort be made

out of pillows and blankets

so no one feels threatened.

may we feel your arms

wrap tight around us

when we tremble with fear,

and may we realize 

that your salvation means

we are never left on our own.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

welcome mat

"Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." Romans 15:7

stepping over the 

rough sleeper on the

sidewalk, we rush 

to greet the privileged,

to hold open the doors

for the celebrities, to

offer the best seat

to the powerfully wealthy,

while you bring a meal

to the person we ignored,

you sit with the lonely

on their park benches,

to read to the children

waiting for the doors

to the shelter to open.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

grace notes

"The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen." Revelation 22:21

grace gathered the

silence of chaos and

sang creation into life.

grace was in the corner

of the delivery room

crooning lullabies.

grace composed the

carols of joy whenever

we turned cartwheels in life

and chanted in the minor key

when things fell apart.

grace taught us the secret

love songs lodged deep

in the hollows of God's heart,

and grace will sing the

requiem

when we take our last

breath.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo:  @Thom-Shuman

the loneliest number

"'What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?'" Matthew 18:12 

to be honest, we think

you are not a very good

manager of your time

as well as your resources,

that you probably did not

do well on the exam asking

to define utilitarianism, and

that you are clearly too much

of a liberal, bleeding heart . . .

except

when we are the 

one

who has lost their

way.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

no more

"And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever." Revelation 22:5

the day will come

when

the monsters under

our bed turn out to be

the dust bunnies of our fears,

the terrors in the closet

are the clothes we forgot

to hang up before bed,

the tapping on the window

in the middle of the night

is simply your grace falling

like gentle rain.

but until that day, we

will simply crawl under

the covers, with our 

flashlights in hand,

reading of your love.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

at a distance?

"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 

'“See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;'" Revelation 21:3

you are the neighbor

who welcomes us 

when we move into

our very first home,

the maintenance person

who always responds

to a problem in our flats,

the hair stylist who listens

to all our disappointments

while making us look good,

the server at the ice cream

place who has a special cone

for our dog as we walk by,

the doctor who sits down

as soon as they come 

into the room letting us know

they are there for as long

as we might need.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

subfusc

"When they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, and said, 'Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; he often falls into the fire and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.' Jesus answered, 'You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.'”  Matthew 17:14-17

we waste so much

time in committees and

developing action plans,

while you stare at your watch

wondering when we will 

get off our keesters and simply

go out and get our hands dirty.

we are so busy coming up

with all sorts of complicated ways

in which to try to solve the (actually

simple) ways to feed the hungry

that you just shake your head

in bewilderment at our subfusc choices.

we spend all our energy 

wringing our hands and shaking

our heads 'no' whenever someone

asks us for help in troubled times

that you feel another headache

coming on and just want 

to lie down and take a nap.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

DIY

"Restore us again, O God of our salvation, 

    and put away your indignation toward us."  Psalm 85:4

it's a never ending struggle

for you, isn't it, our Parent?

you just seal up the basement

so the waters of temptation

cannot keep seeping in,

then have to rush up

to the attic of our minds

to repair the windows of our souls

broken by our foolish thoughts.

you landscape our souls

with all the rich varieties

of grace stored in your shed

and you have to fix the holes

in the walls we have made

when we lash out in frustration.

yet,

rather than throwing up

your hands and walking

away in disgust, you mop

your brow, grab your tools,

and get back to work on

flipping our lives so we can

look as new as the first day

you created us.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

it's only money!

"'No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.'” Luke 16:13

don't get your knickers

in a twist, God.

those plastic cards don't

really matter to me,

any more than those 

apps that make it so

easy to pay for all 

that stuff i don't really 

need (but the great god

Bezos tells me i do),

and besides, if i really

do get into a bit of

a bind, i am sure you

will bail me out with

the winning numbers,

the jackpot in the machine,

or finally putting that prosperity

gospel i have heard so much about

into practice.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

students

"Great are the works of the LORD,
   studied by all who delight in them." Psalm 111:2

may the archaeologists

find as much wonder in 

the stuff they find in the dirt,

as a dog does when digging

up the bone it had forgotten.

may the meteorologists

discover the laughter in clouds

that little kids lying on their

backs and staring at the sky do.

may the theologians realize 

hope is as near as the sunbeam

creeping across their paper strewn

desk as the kitten does trying

to catch it on the kitchen floor.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

invisible fence

"Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
    whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle,
    else it will not stay near you."  Psalm 32:9

may your grace

be a toddler gate

which keeps us from

wandering too far from you.

may your hope

be the childproof lock

on the drawers and cabinets

holding all the disappointments,

temptations, and worries

the Evil One intends

for our souls.

may your love

be that alert button

we can press as many times

as we need, knowing

the battery will never 

need replacing.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

even if

"'Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,
     for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready;'"  Revelation 19:7

even if we never

opened the invitation,

even if the RSVP

gets lost in the mail,

even if our gift

is insignificant compared

to those brought by

the rich and powerful,

even if all we have to wear

are the clothes we had on

when we got off work,

yet

you will run to throw

your arms around us,

handing us a glass of wine,

flagging down a server 

carrying the tray of bruschetta

and showing us our place card

at the table close to the

chocolate fountain.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

homeward bound

"O LORD, who may abide in your tent? 

    Who may dwell on your holy hill?"  Psalm 15:1

the ones whose shoes

are scuffed, muddied, and hole-y

from walking the streets with

the lonely and the broken,

the caring whose arms ache

and are sunburnt from carrying

water, medical supplies, hope

to those climbing out of rubble,

the folks who spend their 

weekends mowing the lawns

and repairing the homes 

of elderly neighbors,

they

are the people you 

put out the welcome mat

for and prepare a place

at your table.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

for crying out loud

"O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, 

    and you have healed me." Psalm 30:2

i cried to you 

in my loneliness

and you sent me

to help a refugee

who became my best friend.

i moaned about

my fears of dying

and you asked me 

to volunteer in a hospice

so i could witness grace.

i complained that

no one listened to me

and you had me take

a class in sign language

so a little child could 

tell me the stories trapped

in her imagination.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

unafraid

"They are not afraid of evil tidings; 

   their hearts are firm, secure in the LORD." Psalm 112:7

when the narcissists

expect undying fealty,

may we keep our bond

with you in those moments.

when the purveyors of snark

offer us special deals on

the cruelty we could inflict

on the most vulnerable,

may we continue to rummage

through the bargain bin filled

with your grace and hope.

when evil wraps its arm

around our shoulders and

begins to whisper sweet

nothingness into our ears,

may we turn and say, 'sorry,

we are already spoken for.'

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

unrecognizable

 "Very early in the morning he came to his disciples, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified and said, 'It's a ghost!" Matthew 14:25-26a

very early in the morning,

you come down the sidewalk

with your dog who looks younger

and sprightlier than you do, 

and as we love all over the mutt

you wonder why we think

you are invisible.

around noontime,

you sit on the corner

where the roads cross one another,

a cardboard sign in your hand,

a tattered, stained jacket 

struggling to keep you warm,

and as we glance up from

our devices to check the lights,

you wonder why we look

right through you.

in the evening, we sit

in the same room with our love,

one glued to sports while

the other is reading a book,

while you wonder why

we never notice you in

them.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

for my sins

"For I know my transgressions,

    and my sin is ever before me."  Psalm 51:3

for my sins,

may i learn to be 

as merciful as you are,

may i discover new relationships

which can be built from the ashes

of broken promises and failed deeds,

may i help to craft stained glass

windows in the heart which 

i have shattered by my foolishness,

may i reach out a hand

to help another across the abyss

of loneliness and fear, even

as you continue to hold on to mine,

and may i reach that point

in my journey with, and to, you

that i can look back and see

the litter of my faltering life

and my fallible faith left behind

by the side of the road in those

recycling bins marked GRACE.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

pure, sweet love

"Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this:
   that power belongs to God,
and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord."  Psalm 62:11-12a

once, so long ago

i wonder if i remember correctly,

a voice told me you were

nothing

but pure, sweet love.

then,

other voices surrounded me

strident, overbearing, overwhelming

with accusations of your anger,

of how you couldn't wait

to punish me simply for my thoughts,

how you would dangle me

like a fish on a hook and line

over hellfire, all the while smiling,

so,

whisper once again 

reminding me (and all of us)

of that pure, sweet love

which belongs to you, yet

you willingly give to us.

that pure, sweet love

strong enough to become weak,

wise enough to relinquish grudges,

compassionate enough to forgive.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman 

sing! sing! sing!

"I will sing of your steadfast love, O LORD, forever; 

    with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness 

     to all generations." Psalm 89:1

we sing your steadfast love

when we make sure hungry kids

are fed before the powerbrokers.

we sing your constant love

as we come together to build

affordable housing for the vulnerable.

we sing your never-ending love

when we refuse to take 'no'

for the answer when seeking

justice for all the forgotten.

we sing your abiding love

when we open the eyes of the world

to see the innocents on all sides

of broken promises and angry responses.

we sing your relentless love

when we stop trying to rewrite 

the lyrics so the song is all about us.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmon: @Thom-Shuman

Beloved Community

“'The kingdom of heaven is like . . . 'Have you understood all this?'” They answered, “'Yes.'" Matthew 13:44a, 52

you make it 

as simple as 

one of these 6-piece

puzzles for little kids,

but

even that seems

too complicated

as we insist on analyzing,

overcomplicating, theologizing,

turning it upside down 

to see what might be missing,

never noticing you 

rolling your eyes and 

throwing up your hands in

despair.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

who?

"Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me." Psalm 5:8

who will walk with us

as we begin this day,

seeking to be faithful?

the God who takes us 

by the hand, never letting go.

who will be our guide,

our guard, our boon companion

as we try to keep from slipping

on the paths the knuckleheads

of soaked with water?

Jesus, who has walked the path

many times before and 

will keep us from getting lost.

who will illumine the way

as the shadows of fear and worry

block the light of grace,

of hope, and wonder?

the Spirit who, even if blindfolded

by our foolish faithlessness,

can show us how to reach

the doorsteps of God's house.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman 

about those thoughts and prayers

"The LORD works vindication and justice
     for all who are oppressed." Psalm 103:6

yes, 

prayers are important

but what may really be needed

is for the privileged to admit

that the folks who sleep

in parks, cars, and under bridges

each night are not worthless

but their most valued, their

most forgotten, siblings.

yes,

thoughts may help us

feel better (or at least safer),

but it is thinking outside

that space that is wrapped

around the metaphorical box

so we can come up with

new ideas, fresh approaches

innovative ways to solve

the problems which surround us.

yes,

we are tempted to leave

everything up to God, who

has already been hard at work,

pausing every once in a while

to mop their brow and ease

the pain in their back, while

we are on our second cup 

and scrolling through mindless

foolishness on our devices.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

these are us

"Then he said to me, 'These are they who have come out of the great ordeal;'" Revelation 7:14b

it might be

that first time love

breaks our hearts, or

the last breath our lover

takes while we sit 

holding their hand.

it could be 

the boss ridiculing us

at our first presentation, or

having to tell staff

there is no longer money

in the budget to keep them on.

it may be

as overwhelming as waking

to find ourselves on life-support

or the first time a child

wakes up sick in the night,

but every ordeal, every 

struggle, every heartbreak

is held in God's comfort,

hope, and grace.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

courtside

"My soul longs, indeed it faints 

    for the courts of the LORD;" Psalm 84:2a

not in the marble

corridors of power and wealth,

but in the hallways

of the hospice center.

not in the vast homes

and gardens of movie stars,

but in the rundown, weather-beaten

homes in every wrong part

of every community.

not in the arenas filled

with the privileged paying

outrageous prices for entertainers,

but in the quiet songs 

by little kids in cooling bathwater.

it is there

in those least

likely 'courts' that

our souls will find you,

o God.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

all souls day

"Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, 

   'To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb 

    be blessing and honor and glory and might
   forever and ever!'" Revelation 5:13

the young people whose

music was shattered by gunfire

and the little children under

the rubble whose mothers

whispered, 'you are not alone.'

the rough sleepers who

never found the warmth

to keep them alive in bitter winter

and the privileged who took

their last breath in their old beds.

the altar boy left to die

on a split rail fence

and those who have 

never let us forget.

the freedom riders who

endured split heads,

the haters who were

transformed into lovers

by such a powerful witness.

the broken and the bitter

the hopeless and the heartened

those who always expected to be

a part of this chorus 

and those who are shocked

because they never auditioned

all sing with wonder, joy, 

laughter, and love playing

the melody for them.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

the unexpected

"Then one of the elders said to me, 'Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.' Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth." Revelation 5:5-6

we want a lion

who will rip out

the evil from all those

who taunt us and 

would harm us, and

you send that Lamb

which is scarred and shattered.

we adopt a worldview

which demeans those we

cannot understand, but know

we must condemn with every breath,

and you send a Listener

who sits by wells chatting

with the forgotten and who 

dares to learn from those

the world views as unworthy.

we secretly (and openly) long

for that bully who will crush

those we know you hate simply

because we dare not love them,

and you send a Heart which

gathers every little child on its lap

and which writes 'you are Beloved'

in the sand at the feet of everyone

we would banish to the outer darkness.

(c) 2023 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman