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