Postscript

 Haiku of commission

John writes his postscript.

Some disciples go fishing.

The fish elude them.

Daybreak. A man stands

upon the shore: Cast your nets

on the other side!

The nets are weighed down.

So many fish. They struggle

to haul them on board.

It must be the Lord!

Fisher-disciple Peter

jumps in, wades ashore.

A charcoal fire

with bread and fish. The stranger

offers them breakfast.

None ask, Who are you?

Strange observation; must be

different, somehow.

Thrice Peter is asked

Simon, do you love me? He

is hurt. Lord, you know.

You know I love you,

Peter affirms. Feed my sheep;

follow where I lead.

Risen Jesus, Lord:

give us courage to follow,

even unto death.

© Ken Rookes 2022

Do you love me?

The evangelist writes as if for the theatre,

scenes that have been re-enacted

by countless ecclesiastical ensembles for millennia.

In the final act of his disturbing drama

the lead character returns unexpectedly to centre stage

and is brought face to face with a once-trusted friend.

One who famously abandoned him

at a time of desperate need.

We, who also know the bitter taste of failure,

squirm awkwardly with the fisherman

as his master invites him, three times,

to reaffirm his devotion.

The brash confidence of previous boasts

has been supplanted by the shame

of his pre-dawn denials.

Self-assured words no longer come readily

to his lips.

Jesus is gracious, accepting;

he does not chastise.

There is work to be done,

there are journeys to be completed,

there are sheep to be tended;

failures, too, are needed.

© Ken Rookes 2016

Feed my sheep

It’s simple,

Simon.
Yes, we all stuff up,
we all disappoint
and let each other down.
Yes, yours was a big one. Three times.
But it’s a divine principle,
you should have grasped it by now.
One of a handful
that the Master revealed in the few years
that he walked among us.
Like the cycle of death and resurrection,
the centrality of love,
the wonder of God’s presence,
living as God’s children,
and the primacy of grace.
Forgiveness, new beginnings.
The idea that losers become winners;
that, freed from the depression of failure,
and made new in God’s Spirit,
everyone can take part in the work
of the kingdom. You too.
Feed God’s sheep,
take care of the lambs,
share the love,
spread the good news. It’s simple;
Simon.

© Ken Rookes