It is I, don't fear

It is I, don’t fear

Haiku of uncertain faith

He had healed them,

blessed and fed, instructed them,

then he sent them home.

He stayed by himself

while his friends left in the boat

for the other side.

Finding a high place,

letting go; resting body,

communing with God.

In the boat, his friends,

battered by the wind and waves

were getting anxious.

The story tells us

he came walking through the waves.

It is I, don’t fear!

Command me to come,

if it really is yourself;

the fisherman spoke.

The word was spoken.

Bold Peter walked on water;

then fear reclaimed him.

By ourselves we sink.

Save us, Lord! we cry in fear.

His hand reaches out.

Is it his command

of storms, that prove his Sonship;

or is it his love?

© Ken Rookes 2020

Two masters

Surely Jesus was wrong
with his misconceived diatribes
against wealth and possessions.
He was making some heavy-handed points,
and we all understand
that in the heat of vigorous debate,
one is prone to exaggeration and hyperbole.
It’s not that possessions are wrong, per se;
it’s more that in the wrong hands,
(the self-centred and unenlightened),
the preoccupation with money and wealth
can be something of a distraction.
It doesn’t really apply to us;
we know how to deal with it.
I’m sure that if Jesus was here today
he would recognise the sheer necessity
of wise investments, a solid superannuation plan,
and a dwelling that adequately reflects
the needs of modern living. You and I
would never let such matters determine our priorities,
or intrude into our spiritual lives, would we?
No, I’m sure that Jesus wasn’t referring to us,
and that he was simply, at times,
guilty of a little overstatement.
A lot of times, actually.

© Ken Rookes