places

“O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell,
    and the place where your glory abides.”  Psalm 26:8

i will find you in the homes

where the hungry are welcomed

as sisters and brothers,

and on the playgrounds

where immigrant kids share

the intricacies of their childhood games;

i will hear you in the assisted living apartments

as you sing love songs to the lonely,

and in the neighborhoods where justice

is being planted in vacant lots

filled with broken hopes and discarded dreams;

i will find you in the hardened hearts

which sing lullabies to the orphans

of the victims of opioid greed,

and in the light which shines

through the cracked windows

of abandoned houses to show

the forgotten the way home.

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

blessed

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:” Matthew 5:1-2

you could have handed out

volumes of complicated theology,

but you call us

to find community in those we overlook

to welcome hope offered by the broken

to be rich soil for the seeds of the humble

to see justice as the feast of heaven

to make compassion our language of love

to see God in the faces of the most vulnerable

to play games that welcome everyone, and hurt no one

to learn reconciliation from those we have tossed aside

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

wordless

 ^“My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power,”  1 Corinthians 2:4

so busy building castles

in the air with our words, we

never notice those

hungry for a morsel of grace,

thirsty for a sip of hope,

holding open their hands

to cradle reconciliation

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

foolishness

^“For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.” 1 Corinthians 1:25

willing to slip on

a banana peel and

fall on your keister if it

might bring us back to you,

you foolishly left your glory

on the hook in your closet,

letting power think it had

body-slammed you into oblivion,

until your shattered Spirit

sucked the strength out of

death

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

before

 ^“And Ahab said to Naboth, ‘Give me your vineyard, so that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house;’” 1 Kings 21:2

before i pat myself on the back

for not stealing anyone’s vineyard;

remind me of the recognition

i yanked from a colleague;

the hope i picked out of

the pocket of a friend;

the trust i ripped out of another’s

heart when i broke a promise

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

listeners

“O that my people would listen to me,
    that Israel would walk in my ways!” Psalm 81:13

in the memories of grandparents,

we learn of your faithfulness;

in the made-up songs

of kids in the bathtub, we

discover your dreams;

in the questions of teenagers,

we are sung your hopes, if

we but pay attention

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

wind rider

“you make the clouds your chariot,
    you ride on the wings of the wind,” Psalm 104:3b

Wind-rider,

cool our anger

with soft breezes of grace;

blow the cobwebs of apathy

from the corners of our souls;

knock us off our assumptions

with a mighty gust of wonder

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

finally

“Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord.” Philippians 3:1

when grace becomes

the global language,

when peace becomes

the only choice,

when love and hope

settle in every broken heart,

we will join hands with you,

singing and dancing in joy,

finally

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

troublers

“When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, ‘Is it you, you troubler of Israel?’”  1 Kings 18:17

in these days,

we need folks

who would overturn

the tables of fear,

who would let the air

out of pompous politicos,

who would pack injustice’s bags,

and put it on the next train

out of town . . .

could you spare us

just a few troublers, God,

please?

 © 2019 Thom M. Shuman

lyrics

“Sing to him a new song;
    play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.” Psalm 33:3

when we continue

to hum the golden oldies of

fear, worry,

anger, ostracism, rather

than taking the time

to learn the lyrics

of your heart . . .

Lord, have mercy

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

worthy

“Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ,” Philippians 1:27a

though not listed

on any stock exchange,

grace

hope

gentleness

inclusion

peace

may be the most valuable

things we have

(to share)

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

memories

^“I thank my God every time I remember you,” Philippians 1:3

the stranger who waved me

ahead of them at the store;

the little child who gave me

their shy-dimpled smile;

the therapist who challenged me

to take another hesitant step;

may my memories of them

at the end of the day

be my prayer of thanksgiving

to you for these unexpected

gifts

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

apple carts

 ”Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.”  John 10:39

every time

we think we have you

under control

so you can’t keep upsetting

our apple carts full of doctrines,

you slip through our fingers,

your grace too slippery

for our clenched faith

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

offering

“Offer right sacrifices,
    and put your trust in the Lord.”  Psalm 4:5

may we share

justice

from hope’s harvest;

may grace

be the first

as well as the

last fruits

we offer to those

around us

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

the wake

“You have turned my mourning into dancing;
    you have taken off my sackcloth
    and clothed me with joy,”  Psalm 30:11

at the wake,

you see me standing

against the wall, and

taking me by the hand,

lead me out on the floor,

to teach me joy’s jig,

draping your shawl of grace

over my weeping heart

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

oops

“Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves;”  Mark 11:15

when we think

this story permits

us to hurl venom

at others (because

they make us madder

than a hornet),

remind us that you

were trying to overturn

a system of injustice,

not venting

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

believe

“so, you see, those who believe are the descendants of Abraham.”  Galatians 3:7

believing the wild

stories of prevaricators;

buying up stock in

worthless fears;

putting our trust

in the hands of those who

would drop us like

a hot potato, we

sell our birthright

for a bowl of

twitter stew

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

needed

^“If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’”  Mark 11:3

we give away more

than seems prudent,

we welcome those

turned away by others,

we offer grace to all

who would give us anger;

and why?

it’s what Jesus needs,

and that is enough

for us

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

cry out!

“‘Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’”  Mark 10:48

while we keep telling

the vulnerable

the oppressed

the forgotten

to shush and deal

with their lot, you

are whispering to them,

‘keep ratcheting up the noise,

until they pay attention;

if they won’t listen to me,

hopefully they will to you.’

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman

who, us?

“They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.”  Mark 10:32a

like all the

‘followers of Jesus,’

we

are gobsmacked

by your willingness

to welcome everyone,

to listen to anyone,

to see the good in everyone,

to walk with anyone,

and terrified you will

ask us to become

someone

like you

© 2019 Thom M. Shuman