But emptied himself

Haiku responding to Phil.3:5-22

Jesus did not grasp

at equality with God;

try to think like him!

He emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave;

became one of us.

One of us. Humble,

obedient unto death;

suffered on a cross.

Because of this, God

exalted him, naming him

above all others.

At the name, Jesus,

every knee bends, in heaven

and upon the earth.

Every tongue should speak

to confess Jesus is Lord,

bring glory to God.

.© Ken Rookes 2026

Set your mind on the Spirit

Haiku responding to Rom. 8:6-11

Looking to ourselves

leads to death; to find life, peace,

look to the Spirit.

Minds set on the flesh

are hostile to God; God's law

does not rule in them.

You are not fleshly

since God's Spirit dwells in you.

You belong to Christ.

Christ dwells in you; though

the body, through sin, is dead,

the Spirit is life!

God's Spirit, who raised

Jesus to life, gives us life;

makes God's home in us.

© Ken Rookes 2026

Once you were darkness

Haiku responding to Eph 5:8-14

Once you were darkness,

now, in the Lord, you are light.

Live as Light's children.

For the fruits of Light

are all around; in those things

good and right and true.

Live to discover

that which is full of love, and

pleasing to the Lord.

Shun works of darkness;

they are not fruitful; rather,

bring them to the light.

Expose them to light!

Illuminate shameful works

that they be transformed.

Wake up you sleepers!

When you rise up from the dead

Christ will shine on you.

© Ken Rookes 2026

Peace with God

Haiku responding to Rom. 5:1-11

.We have peace with God.

By grace we receive, through faith

we are justified.

What a gift this is!

By grace we boast in the hope

of sharing glory.

From our afflictions

come endurance, character,

and finally, hope.

Our hope is from God,

whose love does fill our hearts, through

the Holy Spirit.

While we were helpless

Christ died for the ungodly.

That is unheard of!

God's love has been proved:

While we were still lost in sin

the Christ died for us.

Since we have now been

justified by his blood, we

are saved from God's wrath.

We were made God's friends

by his Son's death, so much more

we're saved by his life.

We boast of God's love

in Jesus Christ; through our Lord

we are reconciled.

© Ken Rookes 2026

Through faith

Haiku responding to Romans 4:1-5, 13 - 17

Good works don't make us

righteous, so Abraham was

justified by faith.

When you work, you're paid;

wages are not a gift, they're due

to he who earned them.

Works won't get us there,

we have to put trust in God:

God makes us righteous.

Righteousness is gift,

from the God who justifies,

it's received by faith.

If Law's adherents

are God's heirs, faith is nothing,

God's promise is void.

The Law is not what

makes us righteous, without law

sin doesn't exist.

God's promise of life

comes through grace to all who share

in Abraham's faith.

With Abraham”s God

the dead have life, and nothings

are made to exist.

© Ken Rookes 2026

All of us

 

Haiku responding to Rom 5:12-19

Because all have sinned.

Not just Adam, all of us

are destined for death.

Sin was before law,

but is not counted as sin

before there was law.

Death was always here.

Even righteous people died;

from Adam onward.

God's free gift is life.

Grace came to us through Jesus,

one man, for many.

God's grace through Jesus

brings forgiveness, righteousness;

death no longer reigns.

From one man's tresspass

death reigned; through one's righteousness,

life for everyone!

One man disobeyed:

we share in his sin; one man

obeyed, we're made right!

(Original sin?

There is no need for Adam;

we do it ourselves.)

We made known to you

Haiku responding to 2 Pt 1:16-21

We came not with myths,

cleverly designed, we told

you of his coming

He came among us.

We witness to his power;

we saw it ourselves

We witnessed Jesus

in all of his majesty

in all his glory.

God acknowledged him

on the mountain, declaring:

My beloved Son!

We were with him there,

when the voice spoke from heaven,

in that holy place..

We bring a message

of prophecy, God confirms

the things that we say

Attend to these words,

light shining in a dark place,

dawning in your hearts.

No prophecy comes

from human will; but from those

moved by God's Spirit.

© Ken Rookes 2026

Among the mature

Haiku responding to 1 Cor 2:1-16

When I came to you,

Paul wrote, twasn't with big words,

or clever wisdom.

I was hesitant,

wanting my words to reflect

the power of God.

We do speak wisdom

among the mature; we speak

God's hidden myst'ry.

God's purpose stayed hid;

or else the Lord of glory

would not have been killed

Things of great wonder,

beyond thought, God has prepared

for those who love him.

God's Spirit is ours,

revealing to us wisdom

taught by the Spirit.

Spirit gifts from God

seem like foolishness to those

who lack the Spirit.

Who knows the Lord's mind,

to be guided by him? We

have the mind of Christ.

© Ken Rookes 2026

Foolishness

Haiku responding to 1 Cor 1:18-31

To those who perish

the cross is foolish; to us

it is God's power.

Wisdom has limits;

human wisdom cannot lead

to God's truth in Christ.

It seems foolish, but

we proclaim Christ crucified.

They stumble at this!

Christ is the power

and wisdom of God, for those

who have come to faith.

Consider yourselves:

few were wise, noble, or strong,

and yet God chose you.

God chose the foolish

and the weak, to shame the strong

and to shame the wise.

None of us can boast

in the presence of God, yet

here we are, in Christ!.

Jesus has become

wisdom, righteousness, from God.

Our boast is in him.

© Ken Rookes 2026

Undivided

Haiku responding to 1 Cor 1:10-18

Paul makes his appeal

for unity, decrying

the Corinth factions.

In the name of Christ

you must be knit together

in mind and purpose.

I hear of quarrels

among you, brothers, sisters;

that you form parties.

I belong to Paul,

some say; I to Apollos,

and I to Cephas!

Some, claiming high ground,

declare: I belong to Christ!

Is Christ divided?

Was Paul crucified

for you? Or were you baptised

in the name of Paul?

I, Paul, was not sent

to baptise; Christ sent me to

proclaim the gospel.

Eloquent wisdom

is not my concern; I speak

of the cross of Christ.

To those who perish

these words are foolish; to us

they are God's power.

© Ken Rookes 2026

Enriched

Haiku responding to 1 Cor 1:1-9

The apostle, Paul

writes a letter to his friends

at the Corinth church.

Greets them with his words

of grace and peace to bless them

on behalf of God.

With effusive words

Paul gives thanks for all the gifts

God has granted them.

A polite intro,

knowing there will be strong words

in pages to come!

The Corinthians

have been enriched in knowledge

and speech, by God's grace.

Their witness to Christ

has been strengthened, and, in turn,

Christ will strengthen them.

You are not lacking,

Paul notes, in spiritual gifts,

as you wait for Christ.

You will be blameless;

God who joins you into Christ

will not let you down.

© Ken Rookes 2026