Stripped, beaten, thrown in jail

Responding to Acts 16: 16-34

Haiku of freedom

The fortune-telling

slave girl made heaps of money

for those who owned her.

The slave girl followed

Paul and Co. These men, she cried,

tell God's salvation.

Annoyed, Paul ordered

the spirit to leave the girl.

It left her at once.

The slave-girl's owners,

were not happy at the loss

of their enterprise.

Paul, Silas, were seized,

dragged before the magistrate;

They disrupt our life!

Attacked by the crowd,

stripped, beaten, thrown into jail;

poor Paul and Silas!

Praying and singing

as the earthquake struck; the doors

opened, chains fell off.

The jailer panicked.

Paul cried out: Don't harm yourself,

we are all still here!

Sirs, what must I do

to be saved! Trust in Jesus,

you and your household.

The guard took them home,

made them welcome, dressed their wounds

and offered them food.

The gathered household

hears the word of love and grace

and all are baptised.

© Ken Rookes 2025

Purple

Responding to Acts 16:9-15

Haiku of witness and welcome.

Paul has a vision:

a Macedonian man

calls, Come and help us.

We booked a passage

to Macedonia. God

wanted us to go!

We had to proclaim

the good news of God's new life.

So we went to them.

There, in Philippi

they went down to the river,

to the place of prayer.

On the Sabbath day,

They met the gathered women,

sharing God's good news.

Lydia, dealer

in purple cloth, heard Paul's words

listened eagerly.

Worshipper of God,

Lydia, asks: Baptise me!

She, and her household.

Lydia urged them:

If you judge me faithful, come,

and stay at my home.

© Ken Rookes 2025

The Gentiles have come to faith

 Responding to Acts 11:1-18

Haiku of new insights

No way! The Gentiles

have come to faith! Was that in

our mission statement?

What goes on, Peter?

Eating with Gentiles? You know

they're uncircumcised!

It's like this, said Pete.

I had a vision; a sheet

of unclean creatures.

A voice spoke to me:

Get up and eat! No way, Lord,

I don't eat unclean.

The voice spoke again:

If I say it's clean, it's clean!

Now do what I say.

It happened three times;

leaving me perplexed, not sure

as to its meaning.

Just then, three men came.

Go with them, said the Spirit.

Thought we'd better go.

The house was Gentile,

but that no longer mattered.

We went inside, preached.

The uncircumcised

heard the gospel and believed;

we didn't plan it!

The Holy Spirit

fell on them, just like on us;

so we baptised them.

The penny has dropped:

God's salvation is for all,

both Jew and Gentile.

© Ken Rookes 2025

Faithful Tabitha

Responding to Acts 9:36-43

Haiku story from the early church

Faithful Tabitha,

also known as Dorcas, cared

for Joppa's needy.

The Joppa faithful

loved disciple Tabitha;

so full of good works.

Tabitha was ill,

and she died. They laid her out

in preparation.

They sent for Peter.

He came at once, was touched by

the widows weeping.

Peter cleared the room,

knelt down and prayed to the Lord.

“Tabitha arise!”

Tabitha opened

her eyes. Peter took her hand;

called in the faithful.

The story was told

throughout Joppa: many came

to believe in God.

©Ken Rookes 2025