December 24th

“Lift up your eyes and look around;

    they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
    and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.”

Isaiah 60:4

in cars crammed

with packages, on

roads jammed

with weary travelers;

in airport lounges,

trying to get comfortable

in plastic seats, while

another delay is announced;

in adult children

trying to keep the promise

to make it home this year,

and in little kids staring

at the night sky for (just)

a glimpse of a sleigh,

may we see you

gathering us to your

heart

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

December 23rd

“Then young women will dance and be glad,
    young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into gladness;
    I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.”

Jeremiah 31:13

you sprinkle star dust

on the wooden floors

to teach us the old dance steps

every galaxy knows;

you take the tears

we plant at gravesides,

so we might gather up

bouquets of joy;

you wrap your heart

in the soft tissue of grace,

curling the ribbons of hope

to tie them lightly on the box,

so we will have no trouble

opening it each morning

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

December 22nd

“You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?”  Galatians 3:1a

the wizards of worries

wave their wands

and

we begin to tremble;

the magus of mayhem

shouts words of anger

and we echo acclaim;

the enchanters of enmity

weave ancient spells, and

we become trapped

in their webs of

foolishness

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

December 21st

^“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all” Titus 2:11

like little kids,

we keep an eye

on the space under the tree,

to see how much ‘stuff’ we will

get this Christmas,

while grace is quietly

making snow angels

in our souls, wondering

if we will notice, and

want to join in the

fun

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

December 20th

“And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’”  Luke 1:28

if you are with

me,

may i be more just

than judgmental,

more accepting

than angry,

more compassionate

than complaining,

more embracing

than pushing away,

if

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

December 19th

“On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

Do not fear, O Zion;
    do not let your hands grow weak.”  Zephaniah 3:16

yesterday,

you whispered hope

in the winds stirring

the leaves, brushing

aside our fear;

today,

you sing to us

of the grace which

you hand to us, so

we can fill the emptiness

of others;

tomorrow,

shout of the wonders

which await us, if

we only open

our ears, our eyes,

our hearts, our souls

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

December 18th

“Who is this King of glory?”  Psalm 24:10a

this will be a sign for us,

we will find the King of glory

in the homeless fellow

sharing half his sandwich

with the dog who rescued him;

at a hospice bedside,

where a nurse holds the hand

of a grandmother with no family;

in the packages under the tree,

in the little kids making up

their own Christmas carols

as they lie in their beds,

trying to fall asleep

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

Third Tuesday of Advent

“Be silent, all people, before the Lord; for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.” Zechariah 2:13

in the silence,

may we hear your heart

breaking over our cruelty;

in the silence,

may we notice you walking

beside those who have

no home but the streets

they inhabit;

in the silence,

may we learn the words

of grace and hope

the lonely and forgotten

long to hear whispered

into their souls;

in the silence,

may we rouse ourselves

from our holiday detachment,

to follow you to your holy

home,

taken by the hands of those

who know the way

far better than we do

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

Third Monday of Advent

“Then the Lord replied with gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.”  Zechariah 1:13 

when we can’t wait

to hurl anger at others,

let us whisper peace;

when we long

to utter judgment

against those we cannot

abide,

may we speak out

for justice;

when we want

to mock those whose

loss is due to their

own foolish choices,

may we embrace them

with words of grace and

hope

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

Third Sunday of Advent

“On that day I will raise up

    the booth of David that is fallen,
and repair its breaches,
    and raise up its ruins,
    and rebuild it as in the days of old;”  Amos 9:11

the broken relationships

caused by our judgmental

anger –

heal them with your grace;

the dreams we have ruined

by our insistence on our

way –

turn the ashes into

reality by your hope;

the neighborhoods

we write off because of our

privilege –

restore with your justice

(and our helping hands),

on this day

and every day

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

Second Saturday of Advent

Second Saturday of Advent

“For he delivers the needy when they call,
    the poor and those who have no helper.
He has pity on the weak and the needy,

    and saves the lives of the needy.”  Psalm 72:12-13

the rich and the powerful

the narcissistic and arrogant

all say the right words

and do all the wrong things:

they say they care,

but don’t;

they claim to be compassionate,

but turn their back on others;

they say they want only the best

for those who vote for them,

and then become their worst nightmares;

so

may we be the ones

who wield no power,

but serve in weakness;

who have no wealth

but share everything we have;

who see no future

but will keep moving

forward

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

Second Friday of Advent

“I know your works—your love, faith, service, and patient endurance. I know that your last works are greater than the first.”  Revelation 2:19

more now than ever

(perhaps),

may we be patient:

our love weathering

the swirling storms

of bitterness,

our faith refusing

to resign us to despair,

our caring for others

withstanding the cruel

attacks of the powerful

who would snatch everything

from those who barely

have anything to their names

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

Second Thursday of Advent

“When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,

    we were like those who dream.”  Psalm 126:1

we dream

of hope outrunning

despair to life’s finish line;

of peace tearing down walls

to build bridges to life;

of grace feeding those

whose souls are shriveled

by taunts of fear and anger,

and we awaken to find

you

standing at the foot

of our beds, our clothes

and shoes laid out for us,

as you whisper,

‘join me as we make

dreams come true’

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

Second Wednesday of Advent

“But he placed his right hand on me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,’”  Revelation 1:17b

finished,

we stand gazing

at the twinkling tree

with the handed down

ornaments, the garlands

of strung popcorn, the

lights of different shapes,

the cat trying to sneak

up the trunk unnoticed, but

before we go for hot cocoa

and cookies we decorated earlier,

you hand us a wooden star with

‘do not be afraid’

carved by you long ago, and

you lift us up as we stretch

to top the tree with it

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

Second Tuesday of Advent

“Then Amos answered Amaziah, ‘I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees,’”  Amos 7:14 

prophet? no thanks,

but i would be

a border collie

to guide the forgotten home;

a clothier for all

stripped by the

anger of the world;

a heart which

cares for all who

are bullied by

the rich and powerful

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

Second Monday of Advent

“’Look! He is coming with the clouds;

    every eye will see him,’”  Revelation 1:7a

maybe

you will come back

as a homeless veteran

looking after the feral cats,

the woman teaching

her grandson how to fly fish,

a child who will grow up

to develop cancer’s cure,

rather

than a star

falling out of the sky

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

Second Sunday of Advent

“Lead me in your truth, and teach me,

    for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all day long.”  Psalm 25:5

sitting in my favorite

chair, waiting for you

to ring the doorbell, i

never see you

planting justice

in broken communities,

harvesting handfuls

of hope for those

whose souls are empty,

gathering the lost,

the lonely, the leftouts

into your embrace

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

First Saturday of Advent

“Now to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of his glory with rejoicing,”  Jude 24

you

clear up the zits

caused by our snits;

you

grab our hands

every time we start

to trip over our foolishness;

you open the door

to your heart, handing

us the song sheets for

the praises we refuse to learn

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

First Friday of Advent

“I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord;
    I have no good apart from you.’”  Psalm 16:2

you

are

the peace which

calms my anger;

the balm which

mends my brokenness;

the joy which

sets my soul dancing;

the wonder which

widens my eyes;

the grace which

makes me more generous;

the life which

makes mine complete

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

First Thursday of Advent

“For lo, the one who forms the mountains, creates the wind,
    reveals his thoughts to mortals,”  Amos 4:13a

we strain to understand

where you are in these times,

never

noticing your joy in

the giggles of kids

wrapping presents

behind closed doors;

feeling your tenderness

in the paper-thin hands

of our grandparents;

hearing your passion

for justice in the cries

of those who stand in

the shadows of those

rushing by to spend more

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

First Wednesday of Advent

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief,” 2 Peter 3:10a 

tip-toeing into our hearts,

your eyes widen at the

top-of-the-line safe

hiding all our treasures

so the end times

(with a capital E)

will not get them;

then smiling, you

pull out the combination

figured out by the Spirit,

and opening the door,

stuff all our fears, worries,

and worse imaginations

into your pockets, whistling

as you go to waken us

to the new life you offer

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

First Tuesday of Advent

"Therefore I intend to keep on reminding you of these things, though you know them already and are established in the truth that has come to you." 2nd Peter 1:12

this season might
be a lot easier for us,
if you didn't think you
needed to remind us
of those for whom
this is not the most wonderful
time of the year, but
days filled with ashes-filled hearts,
dreams ground into dust,
grief to overwhelming to bear,
emptiness echoing in their souls.

(c) 2019 Thom M. Shuman 

First Monday of Advent

"because they sell the righteous for silver,
    and the needy for a pair of sandals—
7 they who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth,
    and push the afflicted out of the way;" Amos 2:6b-7a

as we jostle elbows
with the crowds in 
the stores and 
type away on our devices
for the best deals on
only the finest we deserve,
remind us 
of the children mining
heavy metals for our
flat screens, lipsticks, laptops;
of the folks working
for a mere pittance 
for our latest mobiles;
of the those working
15-18 hour days so
we can get our deliveries
almost before we have
submitted our orders

(c) 2019 Thom M. Shuman

First Sunday of Advent

"Such is the company of those who seek him,
    who seek the face of the God of Jacob."  Psalm 24:6

with

the kids who keep their

worn-out toys and give

new ones to strangers;

the folks who skip 

the shopping frenzy

to stock bags at the food pantries;

the immigrant teenagers

who move down the street,

ear buds firmly entrenched

and shovels tightly gripped

as they clear the sidewalks

of all their new neighbors,

let us join Advent's company

of caring, compassionate,

faithful seekers of our God.

(c) 2019 Thom M. Shuman