first star . . .

star light:
when invited to ride
in comfort and style through life,
when tempted to take
the path of least discipleship,
shine on another road
we are called to take -
worn smooth by humility,
bordered by flowers of grace,
winding through the brokenness
of your heart,
taking us to the kingdom.

star bright:
illumine the shadowed corners
of our world,
where poverty rules with
an iron fist;
where injustice paces
the corridors of power;
where need is easily handed
to the lost, the least, the last -
for it is in these places
we are called to walk.

in our grief,
glisten;
in our sadness,
shimmer;
gleam with hope, with joy,
with peace, with grace:
star light,
star bright,
only star for our life.

(c) 2008 Thom M. Shuman