In my name

Haiku of inclusion

Dividing the world

according to our judgements,

into us and them.

They watched him cast out

demons. Not part of their group!

They tried to stop him.

Jesus said, Let be!

Who does such things in my name

cannot malign me.

Someone not opposed

to the things I do or say

must be on our side.

A cup of water

given in the name of Christ

will be rewarded.

Take good care of them,

the little ones who believe,

that they may grow strong.

Do not be tempted.

Whatever makes you stumble,

best to discard it.

Salt should be salty,

adding flavour to living;

be salt for others.

© Ken Rookes 2018

Drum Major instinct

One of my favourite sermons of Martin Luther-King Jr is his 'Drum Major instinct sermon. it makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. If you can, look up the whole text of the sermon, and even better listen to the mp3. Here is an excerpt.

"...I want you to see what Jesus was really saying. What was the answer that Jesus gave these men? It's very interesting. One would have thought that Jesus would have condemned them. One would have thought that Jesus would have said, "You are out of your place. You are selfish. Why would you raise such a question?"

But that isn't what Jesus did; he did something altogether different. He said in substance, "Oh, I see, you want to be first. You want to be great. You want to be important. You want to be significant. Well, you ought to be. If you're going to be my disciple, you must be." But he reordered priorities. And he said, "Yes, don't give up this instinct. It's a good instinct if you use it right. (Yes) It's a good instinct if you don't distort it and pervert it. Don't give it up. Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be first in love. (Amen) I want you to be first in moral excellence. I want you to be first in generosity. That is what I want you to do."

And he transformed the situation by giving a new definition of greatness. And you know how he said it? He said, "Now brethren, I can't give you greatness. And really, I can't make you first." This is what Jesus said to James and John. "You must earn it. True greatness comes not by favoritism, but by fitness. And the right hand and the left are not mine to give, they belong to those who are prepared." (Amen)

And so Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. (Amen) That's a new definition of greatness.

And this morning, the thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, (Everybody) because everybody can serve. (Amen) You don't have to have a college degree to serve. (All right) You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. (Amen) You only need a heart full of grace, (Yes, sir, Amen) a soul generated by love. (Yes) And you can be that servant."

For full text: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/drum-major-instinct-sermon-delivered-ebenezer-baptist-church

for a good listen

https://archive.org/details/MlkAFoolishManAndDrumMajorInstinct

Who will be the greatest?

Haiku for the competitive

Speaking quietly

Jesus taught his disciples

the things that must be.

Of the Son of Man

he spoke, about betrayal,

and untimely death.

It won’t be the end.

After three days he will rise.

They don’t understand.

They were arguing:

which of us is the greatest?

He made them ashamed.

Would you be the first?

Then you must become the last,

serving your comrades.

He placed a small child

in the middle of the group;

took it in his arms.

Welcoming children

is the thing you are to do;

so you welcome me.

When you welcome me

you welcome God; and take part

in God’s own being.

© Ken Rookes 2018

Who do people say that i am??

The big question

Haiku for disciples

It’s the big question:

Who do people say I am?

Have to think on that.

A prophet, for sure;

just like John the Baptiser,

even Elijah!

But what about you,

you who journey beside me

you who know me well?

Breaking the silence

Peter, fisherman, spoke up:

You must be the Christ!

Perhaps I am he,

but do not speak of these things;

they won’t understand.

He began to teach:

The Son of Man will suffer

and he will be killed.

Once more to Peter:

Please don’t talk like that, he said;

This cannot be true.

It is true for me,

and it will be true for you,

if you follow me.

To gain the whole world

is not the same as true life;

to gain, you must lose.

Be my followers.

Take up your cross, just like me,

and take on the world!

© Ken Rookes 2018

Ephphatha

Ephphatha.

I love this word and i love the Jesus story. At times sitting in plain sight in our readings is a particularly powerful word and speaks to my heart. This week it is 'Ephphatha' which means 'be opened'. As with all of the stories of healing which the Gospel writers give us, it is not just about the magic of the healing. It is not about the 'what'. It is about the 'Why'. It is pointing to a deeper layer of meaning within the story. And the gospel writers never accidentally put stories together without there being a connection. Here Mark has put this story about the miracle opening of the deaf man's ears together with a story in which Jesus has just had his ears opened to the plight of the Syrophoenician woman and her child. It is portrayed as a moment of mercy on Jesus part but, i believe, also a moment in which Jesus' heart was shown to be open to all people of need (maybe even a moment of transformation for Jesus himself in which his eyes were opened). 
I live in a country which is currently making a firm division between those who are worthy of mercy and compassion and those who are not. Our Government is choosing to close its ears to the cries for mercy of asylum seekers and instead is sending them away where they hope they cannot be heard or seen.
To our Government and to us i believe Jesus would be saying 'Ephphatha' - Be opened! He would challenge us to see all people of need as being equal in the eyes of the Divine and for us to act with mercy and care, to open our hearts.

("ef'-a-tha, ef-a'-tha (Ephphatha): Aramaic word used by Christ (Mk 7:34), the 'ethpa`al imperative of Aramaic pethach (Hebrew pathach), translated, "Be (thou) opened"; compare Isa 35:5. The Aramaic was the sole popular language of Palestine (Shurer, History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, IIg, 9) and its use shows that we have here the graphic report of an eyewitness, upon whom the dialectic form employed made a deep impression. This and the corresponding act of the touch with the moistened finger is the foundation of a corresponding ceremony in the church’s formula for baptism.")

Incognito

Haiku for staying uninvolved

Jesus headed north

to foreign parts, seeking rest.

Tell no one I’m here.

The word got around.

A woman came to see him;

her daughter was ill.

She was a Gentile

with no claim on this Hebrew,

except that of love.

Come and heal my child,

cast the demon out of her,

give her back to me.

No, it is not right.

My food is for the children,

it’s not for the dogs.

Not fair! She replied.

The dogs under the table

get the scraps that fall.

He must think again,

enlarge his understandings

and respond with love.

That’s a great answer!

Quite right, you can go home now,

your daughter is freed.

© Ken Rookes 2018