If God is for us

Haiku responding to Rom 8:26-39

The Spirit helps us;

we are weak we do not know

just how we should pray.

Spirit intercedes

with deep groans when words fail us.

God understands groans.

Things work together

for those who love God, who are

called. (But not always!)

We who have been called

are bearers of Christ's image.

We are justified!

If God is for us

there can be none against us.

Who would dare condemn?

In all our suff'rings

we are more than victorious

through him who loved us.

Nothing; death nor life,

rulers, powers, height, depth, can

keep us from God's love.

In all creation,

nothing can part us from God's

love in Christ Jesus.

© Ken Rookes 2026

Abba! Father!

Haiuku responding to Rom 8:12-25

Brothers and sisters,

don't live by the flesh; the flesh

is the way of death.

Live by the Spirit

and put to death sinful deeds;

this way leads to life.

Led by the Spirit

you are made children of God;

free, and without fear.

You've been adopted

by God. Cry Abba! Father!

you are God's children!

If you are children,

then you are also God's heirs;

heirs alongside Christ!

As joint heirs with Christ

you're called to share his suff'ring;

and then his glory.

Present day suff'rings

are nothing when compared with

the coming glory.

Creation's waiting,

yearning; asking, when will God's

children be made known?

Creation's enslaved,

futility reigns; when will

creation be freed?

The whole creation

is groaning, as in labour,

waiting its true birth.

We have the first fruits

of the Spirit, we groan too,

waiting adoption.

In hope we were saved.

Hoping for what is unseen,

we wait with patience.

© Ken Rookes 2025

Be steadfast

Haiku responding to 1 Pt 4:12-14, 5:6-11

There's some heavy stuff

going down; it will test you,

this fiery ordeal.

Rejoice as you share

Christ's sufferings, you'll then be glad

to see his glory.

If you are reviled

for Christ's sake, you'll be blessed; God's

Spirit rests on you.

Be humble, trust God.

When the right time has arrived

you'll be exalted.

Do you feel worried?

Bring all your anxieties

to your God who cares.

Discipline yourselves,

be alert. Confront evil,

be steadfast in faith.

Sisters and brothers

all around the world, suffer

because of their faith.

You suffer for now;

the God of grace will restore

you and make you strong.

© Ken Rookes 2026

For this you have been called

Haiku responding to 1 Pt 2:19-25

Being God aware,

you do well to endure pain,

unjust suffering.

If you endure when

you suffer for doing right,

God approves of you.

We're called to follow

Christ who also suffered; He

is your example.

Jesus did not sin,

he spoke truth; he was abused

but returned it not.

Christ trusted in God,

knowing that God is a judge

who is always just.

He carried our sins

in his body, opening

our way to healing.

Like sheep we had strayed,

now the shepherd welcomes us

back, and guards our souls.

© Ken Rookes 2026

A living hope

 

A living hope

Haiku responding to 1 Pt 1:3-9

Blessed be the God

who is Father of our Lord;

Jesus, who is Christ.

By God's mercy, we

are born to a living hope

through Jesus' rising.

Our inheritance

does not perish or fade; it

is kept in heaven.

God's power protects

us, through faith; we shall be saved,

when the last day comes.

Rejoice! Though suff'ring

and trials are yours at this time,

they prove your faith true.

Your faith is precious,

more than gold tested by fire;

it brings much honour.

Your faith will bring praise

honour and glory when Christ

Jesus is revealed.

You have not seen him,

still you love him; you believe

and rejoice in him.

This glorious joy

is the outcome of your faith;

your soul's salvation.

© Ken Rookes 2026

Suffering joins us

 

Haiku responding to Heb 2:10-18

Suffering joins us

in common humanity

and links us with God.

We are made holy

through Jesus; with him we are

all children of God.

Sharing flesh and blood,

Jesus, through death, defeated

the power of death.

We no longer fear

death, Jesus has set us free

from death's slavery.

Jesus came for us,

(not angels!), to make us his

brothers and sisters.

He frees us from sin.

(Is sacrifice, atonement,

the only process?)

Jesus was tested

by what he suffered; he helps

all who are tested.

© Ken Rookes 2025

Love, Power, self-control

 

Haiku responding to 2 Tim 1:1-14

The writer opens:

Timothy, beloved child,

Grace, mercy and peace.

The letter proceeds:

I give thanks to God for you;

praying night and day.

Recalling your tears,

I long to see you, that I

may be filled with joy!

Profound faith, learned from

your mother and grandmother

lives strongly in you.

Rekindle the gift

that you received from God, when

hands were laid on you.

God did not give us

a spirit of fear, but love

power, self control.

Join me in suff'ring

for the gospel; trust in God,

the power God gives.

God's power saves us,

our calling is holy, we're

saved by grace, not works.

Grace was always here,

is now revealed in Jesus

through the gospel's light.

Suff'ring for Christ's sake

brings no shame. I put my trust

in him; he guards me.

I taught you soundly,

hold to that standard; in faith,

love, through the Spirit.

Ken Rookes 2025

Who finds me guilty

Reflecting on Isaiah 50

Haiku of vindication

I am called to teach,

to bring words to encourage

those who are weary

.

Every morning

God wakes me, opens my ear

to teach me his way.

I listened to God,

I did not rebel or turn

away from the Lord.

Enemies struck me;

I took their blows, accepting

cruel punishment.

They tore at my beard,

I hid not my face from them;

their spitting insults.

I am not disgraced,

I have set my face like flint;

The Lord God helps me.

God vindicates me

and God is near; no one dares

to contend with me!

Who challenges me?

Bring them on! The Lord helps me;

who finds me guilty?

Ken Rookes © 2025

Job

Haiku for testing

Wealth and possessions

have long been seen as proof of

a virtuous life.

Surely God blesses

the ones who are deserving!

Yes, but not always.

The poor are not blessed;

their poverty evidence

of their shortcomings.

The story of Job,

written to challenge. The good

don’t always prosper.

In the land of Uz,

so the ancient tale goes; lived

Job, a righteous man.

Blameless and upright,

bulk money, stacks of children;

Job had a good life.

God boasts about Job.

Satan calls his bluff. Test him;

let’s see what he does!

In but a moment

it is gone. Taken away,

the blessings withdrawn.

Job remains faithful.

God boasts again. Satan laughs;

I’ll really test him!

Satan inflicts Job

with sores from head to toe. Let’s

see what he says, now!

Job’s wife speaks to him:

Enough! It is surely time

to curse God and die!

Job replies:

The good we receive

comes from God, surely we must

accept the bad, too.

© Ken Rookes 2020, 24

But unless you repent

The story of Job

was written to show how the innocent suffer.

We ignore it, preferring to believe

that people get the treatment they deserve;

or at least that they should.

The poor are made to struggle

because it's their own fault;

they are lazy and lack our virtues.

The wealthy, on the other hand must be deserving.

The Almighty, we like to assert,

rewards the righteous

and punishes those who are not.

It's a convenient shorthand

that allows us to pass safe judgement

upon our fellow mortals.

Forget Job,

and Jesus, for that matter;

for neither will permit us to indulge the smug comfort

of dismissing the unworthy.

Jesus, in particular,

tells us to stop looking at other people;

and to take a good hard look

at ourselves.

We never asked for that.

© Ken Rookes 2016

Passion Sunday - ready for resurrection life!

Uniquely in our Lectionary, we have such a choice for this Sunday. We can celebrate this day as either Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday. We may prefer Palm Sunday because it is a happy day. Passion Sunday calls us to confront the pain and suffering of the Crucifixion and in the world.

We are not called to the pursuit of happiness in following Christ.  Joy is a Fruit of the Holy Spirit living in us. In the Good News Bible, an American interpretation, maybe influenced by their constitution, the word that is “blessed” for us is translated as happiness. But “blessed” and “happy” are not synonymous. We can still feel blessed even when we may be suffering. Suffering is part of the human condition. Some suffering comes in following God’s Way. It is usually a result of God’s Way colliding with powerful forces such as self-interest, greed and control. This is the type of suffering Jesus endured.

Some believe we should suffer as penance for our sins. Another form of suffering comes because choosing to do wrong robs us of life. There is pain in guilt and shame. Much suffering is the result of others doing wrong; in seeking power and wealth and failing to care or share, we hurt others. Much suffering is inexplicable and it is painful to live with this. Some comes from so called “acts of God”. We may try to avoid suffering by avoiding the suffering of others and pretending to ourselves it can’t be as bad as people say.

It can be a relief for those suffering to know that others have felt as they are feeling and that it is okay to cry out to God. In the reading from Isaiah 50, the writer has been disgraced, intimidated, bullied and insulted, but is still able to praise God because God helps and strengthens him. The Psalm [31] contains an incredible list. The psalmist laments that his eye, soul, bones and body have wasted away and strength failed because of his misery.  

God doesn't tell us very often to stop complaining. Nor does God tell us to pull our socks up when we are in pain. God is far more likely to invite us to rest and to be gentle with ourselves as God is gentle with us, or to offer us strength to persevere. Suffering shared with God is suffering halved. Let us be honest about agony; that of God, that of others and also that of ourselves. Then we too, can heal and help and ease burdens ready for resurrection life!

Rev Julianne Parker

Invitation

The great Apostle

wasn’t much good at spin,

nor would he ever have been elected

to the position

had apostleship been subject to

democratic processes.

“Join me in suffering

for the gospel,” he writes

in a policy speech to his young acolyte;

seemingly oblivious to the oxymoron

that many good people see in that

brief invitation.

Yes, folks; that’s what discipleship

can do for you, too!

Out the window with that ‘prosperity’ stuff;

if you want a world of justice,

truth and love,

it looks like we’re in for the hard slog.

Not quite the good news we were expecting;

might as well vote for higher taxes,

while we’re at it.

© Ken Rookes 2013

Commandment

 

A new telling

from the lips of one

who is himself a new telling.
A word, a message unexpected,
a love-letter declaration of commitment
and embrace from above.
A new telling by which the man calls his friends
to generosity and joyous sacrifice.
“You’ve heard it said,” he sometimes taught,
“But now I’m telling you. . .
Now I’m telling you
that if you’re going to stay my friends
then you will have to look a bit ridiculous,
you have to love,
you have to give.”
A new telling,
to up-end creation
re-fashion human relationships
and make the powers shudder.
A new telling; unexpected and difficult,
but then, he’s not asking you to do anything
that he wouldn’t do himself.
To make the point even more inescapable,
the teller stretches out his arms,
writes the word on the parchment of his skin,
and underlines it with his blood.
 

© Ken Rookes