In the darkness

Haiku of enquiry

Nicodemus comes

to see him, in the darkness,

hiding his questions.

Own your questions, Nic!

Don’t worry what others think;

reach out for the truth.

This man called Jesus,

is he sent from the Father?

Let’s see what he says.

You must be reborn!

What mystery he utters:

how can these things be?

If you would enter

the kingdom, you must come through

water and Spirit.

From the things of earth

to the realm of the heavens,

I speak of these things.

Through the Spirit we

rise beyond the world’s limits

to the realm of God.

Ah, teacher of law,

you must understand these things;

you will find life here.

.

For love Jesus comes,

bringing God’s word of grace, hope,

and life from above.

© Ken Rookes 2021

Entering the Kingdom

Haiku of the Spirit

Nic the Pharisee

worthy leader of the Jews,

slipped away one night.

Locating Jesus

he pressed him with his questions.

Tell me what it means.

Truly I tell you

if you would see God’s kingdom,

you must be reborn

How can these things be?

Can one return to the womb,

to be born once more?

It’s a Spirit thing.

The flesh is not important;

true life comes from God.

Unconstrained, the wind

unseen blows where it chooses;

so, too, the Spirit.

Earthly things confound!

When I speak things heavenly

how will you believe?

For the sake of love

God’s only Son lived with us

that we might know life.

He came among us

not to judge or to condemn

but to give us hope.

© Ken Rookes 2018

Born again

How can these things be?

 

Mysteries and intimations;

things unseen,
unknown and unspoken.
The merest flicker of light
shining in darkness;
gleaming life amidst earth’s dust,
passing beyond birth’s waters
into realms of the spirit.
Places of healing, hope,
regions of truth;
mysteries.
 
The story-teller from provinces,
famous for his riddles
and tales with unexpected endings,
spoke often of wonders,
things half glimpsed among the shadows,
fleeting and never quite grasped.
No, you can’t grab hold of the wind.
His erudite nocturnal visitor
can only shake his head
and mumble unanswerable questions;
How can these things be?
 
The mysteries are many,
deep, disturbing and full of wonder:
life, labelled eternal,
generous love, called grace,
discipleship of the passionate kind,
and costly sacrifice.
 

 

 

© Ken Rookes 2015