sometimes (Luke 15:11b-32)

sometimes
we're the parent
sitting by the window,
our hearts longing for a glimpse
of the child who walked away;
sometimes
we're the kid on the porch
hesitant to ring the bell, not
sure if the door will be flung open
or slammed in our face;
sometimes
we're the perfect child
who has always done
everything expected, but
left wondering was it worth it;
but in all such moments, we
find ourselves swept up
in God's embracing grace.

(c) 2019 Thom M. Shuman

hand-wringing

because we put down our nets

and catch only a few minnows;

because we look up 

and see the cracks in the ceiling

and not you high and lifted up;

because you have not made 

an in-person appearance to us,

we wring our hands, thinking

we have not done much

when it comes to faith,

never noticing that all you ask

is for us to trust . . .

you

(c) 2019 Thom M. Shuman

1 Corinthians 13

we give thanks, O God,
for love that is patient with our foolishness,
and impatient for justice;
for love that does not brag about itself,
but lifts up those whose lives are forgotten;
for love that is not a pebble in our shoe,
but a caress that wipes our tears;
for love that does not mock those who have messed up,
but speaks words of truth when truth is in short supply;
love carries the most vulnerable;
love trusts the littlest kid;
love refuses to hoard hope;
love meets disappointment face to face.

love persists in, and through, every moment,
especially when we can't.

(c) 2019 Thom M. Shuman

grace

in the crusty bread and hot soup

on a wintry night,

   we taste what grace is like;

in the eyes of a child

seeing the grandparent 

step out of the car,

   we see what grace like;

in the rich soil turned over

for spring plantings,

   we smell what grace is like;

in the whispered, 'i love you,'

as the casket is lowered,

   we hear what grace is life;

in the hand of a stranger 

clasping ours in acts of kindness,

   we feel what grace is like;

grace

upon

grace

upon 

grace

(c) 2019 Thom M. Shuman

bookends (Mark 13:1-8)

theologically
exegetically
i understand why
the gospel bookends
for the church year are
'little apocalypses'

but emotionally
(and hopefully)
i long for bookends marked
grace
peace
forgiveness
kindness
justice
compassion

and then i realize
that what jesus
is talking about is not
fear,
   but faith;
not terror,
   but trust;
not the worst of times,
   but the hoped-for
   fulfillment of all
God's goodness, wonder,
life, beauty, and love.

(c) 2018 Thom M. Shuman

then what? (Mark 12:28-34)

did they go off
and share a pizza
and a pitcher;
did they agree
to disagree;
did they shake their heads
as the other walked away;
did one say,
'if you knew
my neighbors
the way i do;'
while the other laughed,
'if you knew
God the way i do;'

after they agreed
that love was what
was most important,
yet almost impossible
to live out,
what did they do next?

(c) 2018 Thom M. Shuman

what must i do (Mark 10:17-31)

it is so good to know

(because i am nowhere rich)

that you are not talking

to me, Jesus, but

don’t you dare bring up

my attachment to

my books,

my politics,

my team,

my interpretation (or mis-)

of you.

© 2018 Thom M. Shuman

blocks (Mark 9:38-50)

when we spell 
   faith 
f-e-a-r; 
when we cross out 
   love 
with anger's sharpie; 
when we think 
   hope 
is best kept 
locked away 
in case others 
might misuse it, 
we continue to put blocks 
in the path 
of your children. 
 
(c) 2018 Thom M. Shuman 

crumbs (Mark 7:24-37)

with great umbrage
(and righteous words),
we call you out,
   Jesus-in-our-box,
for turning your back
on a crying mother's
hopes for help,
         but

when we put pocket change
in the plate, saving
our folding money
for the buffet down the street;

toss our (slightly) stained
and (only a small one) torn
winter jacket in the collection
for the homeless folks
instead of that brand new one
we just got for ourselves
(two winters ago);

empty our pantries
of the about-to-expire
canned goods for the
food pantry, so we can
go and get newer ones for us,

we continue to believe
our crumbs are a feast
for those we wouldn't welcome
to our tables.

(c) 2018 Thom M. Shuman

at the borders (Mark 4:35-41)

at the Tombs Apartments 
where Brother Legion lives; 
at the doorway 
leading to where 
a little girl sleeps; 
at the top 
of a garbage dump 
outside Jerusalem; 
at the crossings 
where we would separate families, 
devalue sisters and brothers, 
and terrify innocent children; 
at all the borders 
which threaten to separate us 
from God (and 
from each other), 
Jesus cries out, 
'why are you afraid?' 
 
for 
at all the edges of our fears, 
Jesus comes 
to tear them down 
and build God's community 
of grace, hope, and welcome 
 
(c) 2018 Thom M. Shuman 
 

seeds (Mark 4:26-34)

we imagine the kingdom
as a bonsai plant,
that neatly trimmed art form
just the right size
for us and a select few;
      or
a redwood forest
where we can wander,
gazing up at the towering
giants of faith, before
getting into our cars
to do more sightseeing;
      or
those gentle pines who
whisper in the breezes
and whose needles provide
a soft bed where we
can curl up with apathy;
      and
so it will be as long
as we leave your
seeds
of hope, grace, life,
peace, joy, wonder
deep within the ground,
dormant.

(c) 2018 Thom M. Shuman

called (1 Samuel 3)

in the store, parking lot, 
or the walks in the neighborhood, 
i heard you calling clear as a bell, but 
when i turned around, you 
were nowhere to be seen; 
 
i remember the embarrassment 
(too many times) 
of being so busy, that 
it took a stranger tapping me 
on the shoulder and saying, 
'i think you're being paged,' 
to realize that you have been trying 
(doggedly) 
to get me to notice; 
 
in the tears of a child 
over her sick pet, 
you call; 
in the memories 
of a hospice patient, 
you call; 
in the whisper 
of hope into loneliness' 
empty nights, 
you call; 
in the sudden 
burst of forgiveness 
from the depths of hurt, 
you call. 
 
help me 
to pay attention. 
 
(c) 2018 Thom M. Shuman 

orphanage (John 14:15-21)

when 
we keep forgiveness 
      tucked away in 
      the back of our freezer, 
   yet are eager to 
   microwave anger; 
we cannot find 
      the time to be 
      with our loved ones, 
   because our stress-causers 
   take priority; 
we stand alone 
      convinced that we 
      need no one else 
      to help us, while 
   they are knocking 
   on our heart with 
   hope in their hands, 
we continue 
to fill the world 
      with 
orphans. 
 
(c) 2017 Thom M. Shuman 

sorry, paul (Romans 5:3-5)

 watching chemo drip
      into your child
   week after week, does
      not produce endurance,
   it wears your soul
         down to a nub; and
walking by the side
      of your aging parent
   through
         dementia's desert
      doesn't build character,
   it erodes your
          heart; and
though the preachers
      always pontificate
   other wise,
      too many know
         how hope
   trips them and
   leaves them crumpled
by the side of
      despair.

(c) 2017 Thom M. Shuman
 

all we need (Romans 4:16)

not the letters after our names,
   or the framed sheepskins;
not the amounts in our accounts,
   or the stocks we hope to use to
   paper the mansions in heaven;
not the successes we have carved out,
   or the pats we get on the back;

but simply,

the simple faith
that we can
                  depend
on God's grace,

that's the only
guarantee we
need.

(c) 2017 Thom M. Shuman

neighborhood (Leviticus 19:18)

in the little kids
who spend Saturday mornings
making sandwiches for
rough sleepers, and
      giving them away
      in the evenings;
in the PTSDed vet
who gives half of his
sandwich to the
four-legged friend
   who shadows him
   everywhere;
in the dog who
keeps guard over
the aluminum can filled cart,
      while the old lady
      sleeps on the doorstep;
in the old lady
who gives a tenth
of her earnings from
the recycled aluminum
      to the children, so
      they can buy more
   sandwich fixings,

i meet neighbors
who love others
far better than
   i ever will.

(c) 2017 Thom M. Shuman

blessed

blessed are the dog-walkers,
    for they will discover the streets of the kingdom;
blessed are those who welcome refugees,
    for they will embraced with unimaginable love;
blessed are those who read to children,...
    for they will plant seeds that bear fruit;
blessed are those who shelter the homeless,
    for they will be shawled in God's grace;
blessed are those who stock food pantries,
    for they will taste God's hope;
blessed are those who reach out to the outsiders,
    for they shall be called bridge-builders;
blessed are the faith-full foolish,
    for they shall be called the clowns of God.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

room of requirement (Micah 6:8)

so self-focused
on our devices, we
   wander right past
   injustices sprouting
         up around us;
we step over those
sleeping on the streets,
   who thirst for just
   a sip from our steaming
         cups of kindness;
we race after the
proud and powerful, trying
   to grab their coattails,
           until

we discover your heart
standing wide open so
   we can enter and
   learn how to live.

(c) 2017 Thom M. Shuman

coddiwomple (Baptism of the Lord)

drenched
    in your grace,
  dried off
    with your tears,
we slip our
feet into the
   sandals finely crafted
   by Spirit, and
begin our stumbling,
      hesitant
   walk with you,
not sure
   where
  or why
    or how,
for it's even
a mystery to you.

(c) 2017 Thom M. Shuman

servant one (Isaiah 42:1-9)

your servant,
      Gentleness, comes,
   splinting bruised
                  reeds
         with justice;
   using Spirit's tweezers
   to slowly pull
            faith
      out of the
      puddles in our
            souls,
         so we can
         burn brightly;
   birthing hope
      from fear's
      barren womb.

(c) 2016 Thom M. Shuman