Won't be who you want

Haiku for causing offence.

They spoke well of him.

impressed by the things he said,

gracious, filled with hope.

Local boy makes good!

We remember Joseph’s son;

yes, he’s one of us!

He can’t let it rest.

I’m not who you think I am,

won’t be who you want.

There are no home town

prophets. Their honour is found

in other places.

Elijah went not

to help Israel’s widows,

but one in Sidon.

Prophet Elisha

cleansed the Syrian leper;

none from Israel.

I’m no longer yours.

Other folk will find more faith,

receive the blessings.

In the synagogue

the people rise up with rage

at the things he said

They would have killed him,

thrown him down from the cliff top,

but they changed their minds.

© Ken Rookes 2019

You have heard that it was said (1)

A haiku sequence,

Going beyond law.

You have heard that it was said;

but I say to you.

You shall not murder;

but anger with a brother

also is a sin.

Insult a sister

or call a brother “you fool,”

this will bring judgement.

Don't attend worship

if you have caused an offence;

first be reconciled.

If you are accused

don't wait 'til it gets to court,

sort it out before.

No adultery,

but even looking with lust

damages the heart.

If your hand or eye

leads you astray, discard it.

Live with truth and grace.

Do not swear falsely;

better still, don't swear at all.

Stick with 'yes' and 'no.'

He rewrote the law,

calling forth our better selves;

for the sake of love.

© Ken Rookes 2017

The gift of righteous anger

In the Gospel reading set to go with Ephesians, the Jews were complaining about what Jesus had said about being the Bread of Life. [John 6:41] They were angered by his words. They felt indignant about his claims that were, to be honest, confronting. Their smouldering rage led to them having Jesus killed.

The Gospel of John was written around the end of the first century after the split between Jesus’s followers and the Jews. While there is little doubt that there was trouble between Jesus and some Jews in his life time, it seems that this has been expanded to include all Jews by the time this Gospel was written. Jesus’ claim to be the Bread of Life and likening himself to the manna in the wilderness would have seemed outrageous to many. However it can be a source of strength and encouragement for those fighting injustice.

If we are true followers of Jesus, acknowledging that we feel angry about an injustice is never enough. We are called to follow Jesus’ example of doing something to rectify the situation. What God requires is justice.[Micah 6:8] Feeling anger is to be followed by action by us as members of the body of Christ. Grumbling and complaining among ourselves is not enough. Justice for all is to be top of our agendas and we will be guided into the area of our work by examining our feelings of anger. Therefore, “Be angry, but do not sin and do not let the sun go down” without having begun to address the situation that aroused your anger.

May be richly blessed as a passionate member of Christ’s body ready to discern and respond to injustice.

Rev Julianne Parker (for full sermon see sermons page)

Everywhere I look

Do not neglect to do good
and to share what you have,
for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. Hebrews 13:16
Everywhere I look
I see words, hear a voice
that calls me to love my enemies,
to bear fruits of justice,
to live the grace,
to welcome the strangers,
to visit the prisoner,
to forgive without counting,
to have compassion on the wounded,
to care for my neighbour,
to extend generous hospitality,
to not be afraid,
to treat my fellow mortals
with dignity and respect,
to gather treasure in heaven
and not upon earth,
to guard the interests of the weak,
the vulnerable, the widow and the orphan,
to give the cup of cold water
to the one who thirsts,
to offer food to the one who hungers,
to be a servant,
to make peace,
to be the least,
to follow Jesus.

Everywhere I look.

And these blaspheming party leaders
who tell me they are Christian,
want me to vote for them
so that they may deal cruelly
with the weeping and broken ones,
in order that boats might be stopped.

© Ken Rookes 2013

What would Jesus have been feeling?

I find this engraving quite poignant as it portrays Jesus as even a little afraid of what is happening, rather than the 'cool as a cucumber' attitude that we normally imagine. What would he have felt?

Eve Ensler, poet on the wall st protests

"So I came out to face this contradiction: the dehumanization of poverty and the exploitation of capitalism. A block away from the park where the second General Assembly was being held, I heard the words "I love you." The words were as swift as the man who said them, for when I looked back he was already five paces away. But they were as firm as those paces — heavy with determination, purpose, depth. His words permeated the air in Washington Square, and the air on the march, and the air in Zucotti Park. Love was EVERYWHERE!"

Tomorrow’s worries

The sermon on the mount, so called

tells me that I should be content,

satisfied with all the blessings

that God has freely strewn

upon my privileged path.

So I am. And I am grateful.

My worries for tomorrow

are slight; I seldom dwell upon them.

I have clothes in my wardrobe,

food in my larder,

and money in my term deposits;

not huge, but enough.

I try to live generously;

sometimes I succeed.

But still I am angry,

for I know that there are some lilies

in God’s fields who are not arrayed

like Solomon in all his glory,

and that, unlike the birds of the air,

the barns of some are profoundly

and painfully empty

whilst others install locks

and pay for extra security measures

lest a few grains of their abundance

should somehow be lost, or shared.

And there are people for whom

the stores of fear never fail

who still set sail on wooden boats,

whilst grey steel ships

decked in colourful flags

as sent out to patrol anxious coasts

fearful for tomorrow.

© 2011 Ken Rookes
Thought I'd do a new one!