canticle 15

O God,
who have you made up
the guest room for?
For whom have you set out
a plate on the table?

those who try to keep
on the path of faithfulness,
and who do not keep
truth hidden within themselves;
who won't say an unkind word
about another (especially behind their back),
who care for others
as much as of themselves,
and who don't share gossip
over the backyard fence;
who don't give the haters
a second glance,
but respect those who
listen to God's whispers,
who stick to their word
even when others threaten them;
who freely open their
pockets and purses,
and will care for the most vulnerable,
when offered to look the other way.

these are the folks who
are planted deep in the world
to bear God's bouquets of
hope, grace, love, and peace

(c) 2020 Thom M. Shuman 

canticle 27

as i lie in the shadows,
you are my nightlight,
and i am not afraid of
monsters under the bed
or in the closet's corner.
when i am running from
my worst fears, you gather
me up in your safe arms.

you shield me from those
longing to feast on my worries;
you trip those who chase me
like bullies on a playground.

even when it seems the world
is against me, one and all,
i hear you whisper, 'don't be scared'
and as anger throws its worst at me,
you step in front to deflect it all.

my longing to be in your presence
is so deep i can almost taste it;
i desire to wander through 
the rooms of your heart, to 
discover all your delights 
and to sit with a warm cup of tea
as you answer the long list of questions
i have carried for so many years.

when despair stalks me in every moment,
you take me by the hand and
place me in hope's playroom
where we can spend days in peace.

surrounded by those who don't
know me or care for me, i look over
their heads, and see you coming,
and i begin to sing the songs of joy
the Spirit taught me so long ago.

i whisper, i croak, i shout, 
and you hear me, answering
with the invitation to come
and simply sit with you 
on the front porch in that
still, small silence of grace.

you never push me away
but draw me closer;
you will not toss me aside
in the bin of disrepute;
even if my family locks me out,
you open wide the door
of your heart to me.

when i stumble from pothole
to pothole, you grab my hand
to teach me how to skip down
the sidewalks of your neighborhood;
you will not let the liars or the haters
have the final word about me.

in every moment, through every shadow,
in the little child sharing a sandwich,
in the retiree mentoring a student,
in the nurse holding the hand of a patient,
in the prisoner raising a service dog,
your goodness breaks forth into sight.

give me the patience to simply wait,
gracious God, 
for your joy, your wonder, your peace,
your hope, your grace, your love;

to simply wait in faith.

(c) 2020 Thom M. Shuman 

canticle 29

give God your praise, all creation,
pay attention to what God does.
place God's name on your lips in love;
set your sights on God's glory all around you.

we hear God's voice in the rain on the roof,
we hear God's booming laughter in thunder,
we hear God's word tumbling over the rapids.
God's voice gives healing to the broken,
God's voice offers hope to the forgotten.

God's voice shatters our pride,
God's voice knocks us off our pedestals.
God calls, and children turn cartwheels,
God sings, and old folks remember the refrain.

God's voice illumines the shadows
so we can find our way home.
God's voice shakes us out of our apathy;
God shakes us out of our silence towards injustice.

God whispers, and trees begin to dance
in great circles of joy,
and all creation shouts, 'hallelujah!'

God is in control of every drop of water,
especially those that baptize us.
God gives grace in every moment,
in every moment, fills the beloved with peace.

(c) 2020 Thom M. Shuman

canticle 72

give our leaders justice,
God of mercy;
not the justice which
seeks revenge, or condemns
others simply for who they are
or where they come from, but
that justice which lifts
the fallen to their feet,
which offers food to the hungry,
hope to the despairing.

give our leaders time,
God of every moment:
not those moments
to enrich themselves
or those closest to them,
not hours of self-adulation
or basking in cult-like cheers,
but days of service to others,
seeking the best for those they don't know,
leaving a legacy of kindness not indifference.

give our leaders awareness,
God of imagination:
so they might listen
and be willing to change their minds;
to see the struggles creation faces
and to set aside politics
in order to end all that damages
the gifts of all life around us.

give our leaders compassion,
God of the broken:
to care for the vulnerable
more than they do victory laps;
to notice the poor
more than they do polls;
to seek peace every chance given
rather than send troops at the drop of a hat.

give our leaders hope,
God of the open heart;
give our leaders grace,
God of endless wonder;
give our leaders humility,
God who became one of us:
so we may respect them
as servant leaders of all,
so we may join them
in being just, open communities,
so be may remember them
as those who were transformed
by your goodness and mercy
not by the shifting winds
of political fortune.

and we will bless you,
God of every place,
for the gifts of leaders
who bring the blessings
of grace, hope, peace, and love
to the people they serve.

(c) 2020 Thom M. Shuman