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

Arguing

Haiku for thinking again

A divided church!

The apostle is appalled.

Understandably!

From earliest times

these Christians are arguing;

splitting into groups.

I belong to Paul,

I to Peter, I to Christ!

Is Christ divided?

Was Paul crucified?

Were you baptised in Paul’s name?

Paul’s just the conduit.

Are you arguing

about your theology?

Get back to basics!

It’s about the cross.

Always, says Paul. The power

is in the giving.

Always and only

the cross! Nowhere else is love

so fully revealed.

The foolish message

of sacrifice, grace and love;

this is the gospel!

© Ken Rookes 2023

The teacher instructs

Haiku for disciples

The teacher instructs

his followers; they will shape

their lives upon his.

The teacher directs

her disciples; live like me,

they’ll treat you the same.

Do not be afraid.

Truth will come out at the end.

Simply be faithful.

Proclaim it loudly

from the rooftops, what you hear

from me in whispers.

You are of great worth

to God. Should they take your life

God will receive you.

I bring division.

There is much they will not hear,

much that will offend.

You must take it up;

the cross that says servanthood.

Shrink not from its shame.

You would find your life?

Lose it with me. Discover

the life that is true.

© Ken Rookes

Fire on Earth

Haiku of urgency

He brought division,

surprised us all; we wanted

polite religion.

His words were crazy,

wild, disturbing our comfort,

not respectable.

Co-opting his words,

we made of them a program

of pious order.

If you want polite,

respectable and ordered,

you’d better leave now.

Your world is dying

and all you sing is pretty.

Don’t give me pretty.

Your world is dying,

open your eyes, can’t you see?

Time to do something.

Don’t give me love songs,

give me love’s revolution;

let me take the pain.

© Ken Rookes 2019

The present time

Some Haiku

Kindling the fire,

the one that burns so fiercely

divides day from night.

Division not peace.

Inevitable conflict:

darkness versus light.

Baptism the door,

not to comfort or respect;

life fulfilled by death.

Households will be split;

the ones who serve the kingdom,

the ones who do not.

I, disloyal son,

dared to defy my father;

wounding more than one.

The cloud, it rises

in the west to bring the rain.

The north wind scorches.

Register the wind,

read the signs of earth and sky;

interpret the times.

© Ken Rookes 2016

us vs them no more

This is a time when the list of “us” verses “them” seems almost endless: whites against people of color; pro-life advocates against pro-choice supporters; liberals against conservatives; Westerners against Middle Easterners; Muslims against Christians; rich against poor; male against female; native against foreign; whoever against someone else. “Us” against “them.”
...The three foreigners of today’s gospel remind us once more that our task is to embrace and teach the view that no one is so different that we dare treat them with less love or less respect than we would show those whom we know as brothers and sisters. The epistle reminds us that there is no gentile, no “other” who exists beyond the circle of God’s love. It reminds us that divisiveness like we experience so often is not consistent with the values of God.
http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/stw/2012/12/27/epiphany-2013/

I have come to bring fire!

A passage like this provides an opportunity for reflection on centres of powerful influence in our local communities. What are these gods? We need to name them. For some they will still be in families. Liberation will come as they learn to say no to family authorities, whether in real life outside or in the real life of the mind. Grace invites us to stand on our own two feet, to say No, to grow up, to be born again. If you touch on this, be prepared to ensure there is support for those who dare such a change. It can be lonely and painful.
For others the gods run them in their workplace or across the counters of commerce or in the obsessions of advertising. Gods are always bigger than particular people. This is about more than addressing individual loyalties. Ultimately it is about the vision of justice and peace for all which we celebrate in the feast of the eucharist. The radical inclusiveness of that meal and that vision is a fellowship of sacrifice in which we nourish ourselves from a broken and poured out life. Perhaps the best commentary on today’s passage is, indeed, the breaking of the bread.
http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/LkPentecost13.htm