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