blessings (Matthew 5:1-12)

give me, O God, this day:

         humility,
   so i can see you in the
      most vulnerable;

         a cup
   to catch the tears
   of all who weep;

         an arm
   for the longanimous to
   cling to as they walk
      through life;

         a broken heart
   which can heal those
   who have harmed me;

         guilelessness
   which looks at the other
   and sees your beloved (not
      an object);

         friendship
   which embraces those
   we are taught to fear;

         hospitality
   which welcomes those
   who are ridiculed as
      they shadow you;

         words
   of hope, of comfort, of grace
   whispered in the ears
      of all who are slandered
      for your name.

(c) 2014 Thom M. Shuman

Thom

ideally (Isaiah 9:1-4)

we would carry
      the Light
   into the shadowed
            corners
         rather
   than sticking it all
   on a tree
      once a year;

we would
      distich
   ourselves to others,
         rather
   than piling on
             more
      than they can handle
           alone;

we would take
      all the ways and means
      in which we harm
         people (including
   those holier-than-thou
               shirts
      off our backs) and
         use it all
   as fuel to warm
   the lives of those
            we despise.

(c) 2014 Thom M. Shuman 

waiting, you waited (Psalm 40:1-3)

hearing my squawk
      of surprise
               and then
   my wails of
         wretchedness,
you came
      running,
   stopping at the
      crumbling edge;

you reached down
   and clasped my trembling
            hands,
   pulling me up
      out of the
      slimy clay that
            fought
         to hold on to
               me;

you unwrapped the towel
      from around your
                  waist,
   and setting me
   on your lap,
         you proceeded
         to wipe off all
      the muddy traces
      of my mistakes,
   drying my feet off
            toe by toe,

all the while
             chuckling,
      and
         asking me,
   'why do you keep
   getting into these
                messes?'

(c) 2014 Thom M. Shuman

Thom

still waters (Baptism of the Lord)

like water skimmers,
we simply glide along
the smooth facade of our lives,
till you come running up,
diving right in,
coming up with rivulets
caressing your big grin,
as you splash water
in our eyes so we can
see;

we drift along
just below the surface,
occasionally coming up for air,
hoping you cannot spy us
hiding in the shadowed pools,
but you step in
with your waders on,
tying the special fly
the Spirit made for you,
casting, casting, casting,
again and again,
until we take that first bite
of your grace
and we are hooked;

throwing caution to the wind,
you drive out onto our frozen souls,
setting up the shack,
chipping through the ice,
dropping your line in the hole,
patiently waiting
(while you pass the bread
and bottle around
with your two buddies)
to pull us into
the warmth of your heart.

(c) Thom M. Shuman