The trip to Bethlehem

Haiku responding to Lk 2:1-14

A head-count becomes

the occasion for the trip

to Bethlehem town.

Joseph took Mary

to the city of David;

he was from that tribe.

Mary delivered

her baby in a stable.

(No room in the inn!)

Shepherds in the fields,

(low on the pecking order),

watching sheep at night.

An angel arrived,

speaking God's good news: Fear not,

I tell of great joy!

A child has been born

in Bethlehem, David's town,

a Saviour, the Christ.

This will be a sign;

he's lying in a manger,

wrapped in bands of cloth.

A mob of angels

turn up, praising God, singing:

Peace to all on earth!

© Ken Rookes 2025 

Announcement

 

Haiku of surprise

Angel Gabriel

finds himself in Nazareth

talking to a girl.

Her name was Mary,

engaged to marry Joseph

of King David’s line.

Greetings, favoured one,

said the messenger from God.

The Lord is with you.

Do not be afraid.

You will conceive, bear a son,

and call him Jesus.

Destined for greatness,

he’ll sit upon David’s throne,

he’ll reign forever

This cannot happen;

I’ve never been with a man.

The Lord will do it.

What say you, Mary?

It’s a most daunting prospect;

are you up for it?

I’m here, said Mary,

God’s servant. Let it happen

to me as you say.

© Ken Rookes 2023

Nearing the finish

Haiku of goodbye

Nearing the finish

Jesus dines at Bethany

with his dearest friends.

They make him welcome;

Martha, Lazarus, Mary.

A fellowship meal.

A pound of pure nard,

costly perfume; Mary spills

it over his feet.

Fragrance fills the air.

Mary touches feet with love,

wipes them with her hair.

There are objections.

This perfume could have been sold;

money for the poor!

Jesus agrees, It

could have been sold for the poor;

but it’s not wasted.

A gift for my death,

my burial. It comes soon;

do not chastise her.

The poor will remain

to test your loving. But I

won’t always be here.

© Ken Rookes

Stable and shepherds

Haiku of the nativity

 

We love Luke’s stories

with the stable and shepherds,

humble and common.

Joseph, his child-bride,

the journey to Bethlehem,

no place of welcome.

I imagine them;

humble northerners, seeking.

Will we welcome them?

Making folk welcome

is not on our agenda,

Sorry, there’s no room.

In a stable, shed;

an improvised bed, cradle.

Yes, these will do fine.

Wrap him in cloth strips.

Thus they will dress him when Luke

concludes his story.

The angels fly in

with shining invitations

for lowly shepherds.

The shepherds turn up,

take in the wonder; return,

telling ev’ryone.

© Ken Rookes 2021

Promise

 

Haiku for upsetting

News of excitement!

A pregnancy of promise:

confiding cousins!

Luke holds nothing back!

In Elizabeth’s old womb

the child is leaping!

Prophet-like, Mary

announces the radical

program from above.

His way is mercy,

this God who finally comes

among God’s people.

They will be brought low,

the powerful and mighty;

their time is over.

They will be raised up,

the poor and the lowly ones,

their moment has come.

The hungry are filled,

the rich sent away empty;

the great levelling.

The conservatives

tremble; this is not the faith

they were counting on.

© Ken Rookes 2021

The tomb

Haiku of surprise

Stories of wonder

seeking to give shape and form

to deep mysteries.

Early on day one,

still dark, the Magdalene came,

to visit his tomb.

The large stone employed

as a door had been removed.

Mary is distressed.

She ran to tell them:

They have taken his body;

we do not know where.

It was as she said;

the tomb was empty, only

the linen remained.

Mary, weeping, stayed

at the tomb. Two angels asked:

Why are you weeping?

My Lord is taken.

I know not where he lies, or

what’s been done to him.

A stranger enquires:

Why do you weep? She asks him:

Tell me where he is.?

The man speaks: Mary!.

Her weeping eyes are opened.

Rabbouni! Teacher!

As per instructions

Mary found his disciples

I have seen the Lord!

The resurrection

reports begin; a woman

and an empty tomb.

© Ken Rookes 2021

Annunciation

 

Improbable Haiku

Annunciation;

a big word for an event

cloaked in mystery.

What really happened?

Only sceptics such as me

would ask that question.

Greetings, favoured one!

The angel addresses her,

claims her attention.

The girl, young, awestruck

by news of a pregnancy.

How would I respond?

How can these things be?

The girl has not known a man;

it’s not possible.

Ah, the story goes;

you will be overshadowed

by the Most High God.

You’ll have a baby.

You will call the child Jesus;

he will be God’s Son.

© Ken Rookes 2020

Revolutionary Tract

Haiku to cause offence

The magnificat:

revolutionary tract

proclaimed by Mary

A new era comes

where the humble will be blessed,

the wealthy brought low

The powerful ones

are brought down from lofty thrones,

the lowly lifted.

The proud are confused

in their thoughts, the strong justice

of God is revealed.

This is the era

of justice and hopefulness

that God has promised.

Capitalism

is eclipsed in Mary’s song;

the rich sent away.

Let’s stop pretending

that the bible is neutral,

politically.

© Ken Rookes 2020

Love's duty

Haiku of the dawn

The Sabbath had passed.

They came to tend to his corpse,

to confront their pain.

The three: Salome,

the Marys, women of faith,

doing love’s duty.

As the sun rises

they bring their aching sorrow,

their baskets of spice.

Who will roll the stone?

One more barrier to face

and to overcome.

Look! The stone is gone!

Come inside the dark unknown,

discover the truth.

A youth dressed in white

greets them, Do not be alarmed!

Not much chance of that!

The tomb is empty.

What are we to make of this?

Does he really live?

Mark leaves us with doubt,

bewilderment and terror

as they flee in fear.

© Ken Rookes 2020

One for the Narrative Lectionary, responding to Mark's story of the empty tomb.

We are born, we die.

Haiku of joy and sorrow

Near Jerusalem,

Bethany, place of welcome;

Martha and Mary.

Brother Lazarus

is ill. They send for Jesus.

He doesn’t hurry.

Twelve hours of daylight,

nobody needs to stumble

if they see the light.

Lazarus is dead.

Much grieving with many tears;

Jesus weeps with them.

Your brother will rise.

I am the resurrection.

Trust in me, and live

Yes, Lord, I believe

that you are the Messiah,

the Son sent from God.

Mary comes and kneels.

If only you were here, Lord,

he would not have died.

We are born, we die.

Cycles of joy and sorrow;

we all must face death.

It’s overrated,

bodily resurrection;

there’s a time to die.

Jesus prefigures

his own dying and rising,

raises Lazarus.

© Ken Rookes 2020

Natal Narratives

Haiku for a birthday

History retreats

as the birth stories unfold,

highlighting wonder.

Natal narratives,

much loved by card designers;

but no shepherds here!

Matthew takes Joseph,

scripting him the leading role,

puts him centre stage.

Found to be with child!

Mary; what to do with her?

Joseph measures up.

As the story goes

an angel helps him decide,

to do the right thing.

The child, he is told,

is conceived through the Spirit.

Most improbable!

Hooray for Joseph!

By obedience and love

the story proceeds.

The child will be born

and the course of salvation

will not be hindered.

© Ken Rookes 2019

Song of Mary

Song of justice, song of peace,

song of struggle, song that pleads,

song to stir the anxious breast,

song that brings the weary, rest.

Song that speaks into the pain

song to bring us back again.

Song upon the lips of Mary,

song to make the rich folk wary.

Song of revolution shout,

song to throw the despots out.

Song of promise for the poor,

song that opens up the door.

Song to ring across the nations,

song of reconciliation.

Song of blessing from above,

song of unexpected love.

Song for widow, orphan, stranger;

song to celebrate the anger.

Song of laughter, song of tears,

song that challenges the fears.

Song of trouble, song of strife

song of hope and truth and life.

Song that overturns the wrong,

sing with Mary, join the song.

© Ken Rookes 2019

Hospitality

Haiku of grace

Martha and Mary:

the sisters receive Jesus

and make him welcome.

Hospitality.

Someone has to cook the food,

Marha is busy.

On the other hand,

Mary is quite indolent,

list’ning to Jesus.

A gen’rous spirit

is key to any welcome,

but Martha complains.

Lord, do you not care?

she protests, asking Jesus

to judge between them.

It’s all right, he says.

Mary hears my words of grace;

you should listen, too.

Jesus’ correction

is not without affection.

One thing is needed.

It’s about choices,

every day we make them;

choose grace ev’ry time.

© Ken Rookes 2019

Bethany friends

Haiku of love

His Bethany friends

make him most welcome; again.

Jesus is grateful.

Brother Lazarus

reclined at table with him

Martha is serving.

Mary! Ah, Mary.

What are you about to do

to demonstrate love?

Mary comes, bringing

a pound of costly perfume;

pours it on his feet.

The fragrance lingers,

along with indignation:

What outrageous waste!

Such extravagance

and squander! T’was better sold

and spent on the poor.

Returning her love,

Jesus speaks to defend her;

She has done no wrong!

This beautiful gift,

images her love for me;

soon I will be gone.

The poor will remain

to provide new occasions

to demonstrate love.

Gather what remains,

save it for my burial;

it comes soon enough.

© Ken Rookes 2019

The birth

Haiku of wonder

When a king is born

the stories must reflect it

with wonder and awe.

Apart from angels,

this narrative is humble,

with a common cast.

Comes to Bethlehen,

the tradie with his girl-bride,

about to give birth.

A shed out the back

of a packed-out small-town pub.

Nothing flash in that!

A son is born, wrapped

in cloth strips and put to bed

in a feeding trough.

Shepherds get the news:

the Messiah has been born,

look for a baby.

This will be the sign:

a baby in a manger,

in David’s city.

The shepherds decamped

to see for themselves the child,

as they had been told.

They told ev’ryone

about the child, the one born

to save his people.

© Ken Rookes. 2018

The great song of announcing

Haiku that lead to fulfilment.

Mary went in haste

to visit Elizabeth

at home in the hills

Two women embrace,

both pregnant, feeling wonder

and knowing the joy.

They cry and they sing

their songs of expectation;

the world is pregnant.

The young woman’s song

filled with its socialist themes

won’t win many friends.

The proud are scattered;

powerful kings and rulers

brought down from their thrones.

And yet the lowly,

cast aside, will be lifted

and the hungry filled.

And what of the rich?

They have had it all; send them

away wih nothing.

A promise of hope

for the people who struggle:

The new realm comes!

All old promises

will achieve their fulfilment

in the One who comes.

© Ken Rookes 2018

Annunciation

Haiku of wonder

In these ancient tales

unexpected pregnancies

convey the wonder.

God, they assure us,

is at last doing something

to sort the world out.

An agéd woman

has managed to conceive, now

it’s her cousin’s turn.

The angel’s busy

conveying surprising news.

The girl is nonplussed.

Do not be afraid!

Easy to say, Gabriel;

it isn’t your womb!

You will bear a son.

You’ll call him Jesus. He will

do amazing things!

That, we know is true.

We will follow his story;

we will follow him.

Her fears overcome,

the girl agrees, allowing

events to proceed.

Only Luke gives us

these strange announcement stories,

stretching the waiting.

We’re left to ponder:

is wonder the same as truth;

and does it matter?

© Ken Rookes 2017.

As the story goes

Haiku of unexpected life

As the story goes

Lazarus from Bethany

had been dead four days.

When Jesus arrived,

sister Martha did complain:

What kept you so long?

If you had been here!

I am the resurrection

and the life, he said.

Yes, Lord, I believe

that you are the Messiah;

God's Son, in the world.

Mary fell weeping

at Jesus' feet. Lord, she said,

If you had been here!

Had you come sooner

my brother would not have died.

Take me to his tomb.

Jesus also wept.

They removed the entrance stone

to see life triumph.

© Ken Rookes 2017

A wondrous yarn

Haiku of an often told story

There are no records

of the birth of the Messiah;

just an old story.

An anxious couple

seeking a place of shelter.

The time is at hand.

In a crowded town,

a stable, strangely, becomes

a delivery ward.

A baby is born,

this thing of joy and wonder.

Happens ev'ry day.

Shepherds tending sheep,

angels winging in the sky;

a fabulous yarn.

Go and check it out!

The baby in a manger,

with his mum and dad.

The infant is found;

it was as the angel said.

They are all amazed.

The shepherds return

singing, “Glory!” praising God,

They tell everyone.

© Ken Rookes 2016

Magnificat: a haiku sequence.

Haiku for a revolution

A young teenager,

so the ancient story says,

offered up a song.

The girl is with child;

this is a thing of wonder,

of hope and of joy.

Nobody special,

she is God's lowly servant;

humble, accepting.

Magnifying God,

she sang with praise, rejoicing

at God's strange favour.

Mercy unconfined,

across the generations,

for those who trust God.

God's strength surprises

to scatter the great and proud

in their vanity.

From their noble thrones

the powerful are brought down.

Let the day come close.

The poor, down-trodden;

these will be elevated

to God's chosen place.

The hungry will eat,

they will dine upon good food;

the rich will miss out.

From this young girl's lips

came words of revolution.

Most disconcerting.

© Ken Rookes 2016