Signs

Haiku for the hungry

They came seeking signs.

Were not his words sufficient?

Apparently not.

The crowd was hungry

for his words, for the healing

the signs and the hope.

There’s a food shortage;

the hunger is great, it gnaws.

Jesus must feed them.

A boy brings his lunch.

Five barley loaves and two fish.

That will not go far!

Here is mystery!

Somehow all are satisfied;

their hungers addressed.

An impressive sign!

This indeed is a prophet,

the one God has sent.

That is not a sign;

this is a sign! Jesus strides

across the lake

You want a sign? Here,

try this, he says, winking, as

he crosses the lake

Don’t be afraid, it

is I! Jesus says; his words

bringing on God’s peace.

© Ken Rookes 2021

Dining

Haiku for the hungry

Seeking solitude,

he found a deserted place,

but the crowd followed.

Sometimes it’s too much,

we all need time for ourselves;

space to think and pray.

Seeing the people,

he was stirred with compassion,

reaching out to heal.

As the sun went down

his friends spoke: Send them away,

they need to buy food.

They need not depart,

I have fed their souls, we’ll find

food for bodies, too.

They brought it to him,

the five loaves and the two fish;

all the food they had.

That should do, he said.

as he blessed and broke the loaves.

They shared them around.

So many people,

so many ways to hunger;

Jesus feeds them all.

© Ken Rookes 2020

They came to listen

Haiku for net leavers

They came to listen,

to hear what he had to say;

the Nazareth man.

Some said that he spoke

direct words from the Father.

They pressed in on him.

Two boats at the shore.

He employs one to teach from;

a floating platform.

The lesson concludes.

Take the boat out, he tells them,

and let down your nets.

The fish aren’t biting.

what would be the point? they say.

Yet, if you insist.

The nets are soon filled,

nearly breaking with the strain.

The other boat comes.

Simon, James and John,

fishing partners, are amazed;

can’t believe their eyes!

Boat owner Simon,

falls before him, cries: Depart!

I am not worthy!

Stick with me, he said

we’ll catch people, netting them

into God’s kingdom!

When they reached the shore

the fishermen left their nets

and followed Jesus.

© Ken Rookes 2019

The crowd, hungry for his word.

Haiku of unexpected abundance

The crowd came to him;

saw the signs he was doing,

the sick getting healed.

Up on the mountain

the crowd, hungry for his word;

Jesus will feed them.

Where will we buy bread?

Six month’s wages, said Phillip,

Wouldn’t buy enough.

Five loaves and two fish

that was all they could muster:

a boy and his lunch.

They sat on the grass.

He took the loaves and thanked God,

passed the bread around.

As the story goes

they all had enough to eat,

gathered up the scraps.

Understandably

the people got excited:

He is the prophet!

He made himself scarce,

went further up the mountain

to be by himself.

When evening came

his disciples took the boat,

went out on the lake.

The lake became rough

and the wind blew against them;

they were terrified.

And then Jesus came

with words of reassurance,

Do not be afraid.

© Ken Rookes 2018

And all ate

Haiku for the hungry

Seeking to withdraw,

to find peace, he went by boat

to a lonely place.

They came from the towns

trekking around the shoreline

until they found him.

He saw the great crowd,

and their needs. He went ashore

to bless and to heal.

Evening’s shadows

signal that the day has passed.

The people remain.

Hungers are many.

Send the crowds away, they said,

That they may buy food.

They’ve come to be fed;

we’ll supply for their stomachs

as well as their hearts.

Five loaves and two fish

won’t go far among this crowd!

He blessed, broke the bread.

They passed it around.

Somehow it went the distance.

Nobody complained.

© Ken Rookes 2017

Stop waiting for bread to fall from the sky (or fish)

God tells us, "Not me but you; not my bread but yours; not sometime or somewhere else but right here and now.... Stop waiting for food to fall from the sky and share what you have. Stop waiting for a miracle and participate in one instead." Bread, a simple and most necessary thing--both physically and spiritually--is indeed a powerful thing, and the sharing of it is at the heart of our life together in the church.

“ ‘Man, my friends,’ said General Loewenhielm, ‘ is frail and foolish.  We have all of us been told that grace is to be found in the universe.  But in our human foolishness and shortsightedness we imagine divine grace to be finite.  For this reason we tremble…’ Never till now had the General stated that he trembled; he was genuinely surprised and even shocked at hearing his own voice proclaim the fact. ‘ We tremble before making our choice in life, and after having made it again tremble in fear of having chosen wrong.  But the moment comes when our eyes are opened, and we see and realize that grace is infinite.  Grace, my friends, demands nothing from us but that we shall await it with confidence and acknowledge it in gratitude.  Grace, brothers, makes no conditions and singles out none of us in particular; grace takes us all to its bosom and proclaims general amnesty.  See! That which we have chosen is given us, and that which we have refused is, also and at the same time, granted us.  Aye, that which we have rejected is poured upon us abundantly.  For mercy and truth have met together, and righteousness and bliss have kissed one another!’ “  

                                                        --Babette’s Feast -Isak Dinesen