Take your oil and anoint him

Haiku of choosing

Saul was rejected.

God told Samuel, the Judge,

to choose a new king.

Fill your horn with oil,

go to the house of Jesse;

it’s at Bethlehem.

One of Jesse’s sons

is destined to be made king.

I have chosen him.

If Saul hears of it

I’m dead meat! Take a heifer;

make a sacrifice.

The elders come out

from Bethlehem. They’re trembling.

Have you come in peace?

I make sacrifice

to God. Come, join me. You too,

Jesse; and your sons.

The first, Eliab,

came before him. Surely he

is God’s anointed!

But no; for God looks

not upon a man’s stature,

but upon his heart.

In all, seven sons

are brought before Samuel.

Is there another?

The youngest, David,

is with the sheep. Send for him,

we’ll wait ‘til he comes.

The lad was ruddy.

Take your oil and anoint him;

he’s the one, says God.

© Ken Rookes 2023 

Jacob's Well Rap

 

Jacob’s well Rap

It was hot, just south of Sychar, Jesus sat there by a well

One that was dug by Jacob in the stories that they tell.

A woman of Samaria came bearing bucket and a jar,

Jesus was quite thirsty, he had travelled from afar.

He said

It’s really good to see you, I’m so glad that you came by.

Could you please give me some water, I’m tired and I’m dry!

She answered with a question, How come a Jewish man

asks such of a foreign woman? I fail to understand.

He answered, I am come here because God loves you too;

I’ll give you living water, because that’s what I do.

It’s really good to see you, I’m so glad that you came by.

Could you please give me some water, I’m tired and I’m dry!

The Samaritan woman answered, That’s easy for you to say,

but you don’t have a bucket to draw water on this day;

Our father, Jacob, dug this well, two thousand years ago,

are you a better man than he was? Tell me if it’s so.

It’s really good to see you, I’m so glad that you came by.

Could you please give me some water, I’m tired and I’m dry!

Jesus spoke: The water here is good and clear and sweet.

It will quench your thirst, no worries, for an hour or two at least!

But the ones who come to me and drink the water that I give

will never thirst again; yeah, they will truly live!

It’s really good to see you, I’m so glad that you came by.

Could you please give me some water, I’m tired and I’m dry!

The woman grew excited; Give this water now to me!

The Messiah Christ is coming, he’ll make things plain to see.

Said Jesus, (in all modesty), I am the one you’re seeking,

the one who stands before you, the man with whom you’re speaking!

It’s really good to see you, I’m so glad that you came by.

Could you please give me some water, I’m tired and I’m dry!

© Ken Rookes 2023

The italicised part of the chorus can be made as a response.

Underlined for stress to help you find the rhythm. If you find a better rhythm that works for you, that’s fine.

Fur use with children and the young at heart

Come to the water

 

Come to the water

The water, it dances, it gurgles and flows,

it sings alleluia, new life it bestows.

It sweeps over rapids, around unseen bends,

to vistas surprising and landscapes of friends.

This river, it eddies, and catches us all

in long graceful turnings; love’s generous swirl.

This water lives deeply, our thirst, it is quenched;

our bodies are freshened, our souls they are cleansed.

The Spirit is given, she hovers and cries

delights in the dreamings and aches with the sighs.

Give yourself to the water, and hear Jesus' call

to be a disciple, be a servant to all.

Some are wrinkled from birth, some are wrinkled with age;

Hey, come to the water; whatever your stage!

Drink freely, my sister, my brother, my friend;

drink deep from the fountain, receive grace without end.

The water is justice, the water is peace;

it saturates living, its strivings won’t cease

Let none withhold water, the Spirit commands;

as we join in one body to fulfil love’s demands

© 2023 Ken Rookes

Can be sung to the well-known tune St Denio,

Together in Song 143, AHB 80

I have made few adjustments to this hymn, first published in 2016.
The theme of water is strong in this week’s bible readings, especially in the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well.
I initially wrote it for a baptism, but adjusted it for more general use.

Complaining place

Haiku for the thirsty

Water; essential

for all creatures, without it

there can be no life.

Understandably

they thirsted, craving water;

I would complain, too.

In the wilderness

with no river, pool, or spring;

what was he thinking!

How about it, Mo?

Did you bring us here to die,

along with our kids?

Where’s your God, Moses?

It’s getting hard to believe

when our throats are parched!

Okay God, your turn!

They are ready to stone me;

what am I to do?

Take your staff, Moses,

stand at the rock of Horeb,

I’ll give you water!

Moses struck the rock,

water gushed out. He called it,

Place of Complaining.

© Ken Rookes 2023

Let's go!

Haiku for leaving home

Is economic

migration such a new thing?

As ancient as hills!,

God said to Abram

leave everything behind;

come to a new land.

The promise is made

Abram will be blessed, he will

be a great nation.

He’ll be not only

blessed, but will be a blessing

to all earth’s people.

Abram left Haran,

as per instructions; nephew,

Lot, travelled with him.

Seventy-five years

and joining the grey nomads;

quite an adventure!

I’m nearly as old

as Abram when he set forth.

Much trepidation.

Ah, Patriarchy;

wives don’t count. Sarai’s response

was not recorded.

© Ken Rookes 2023

We call it the Fall

Haiku for blaming

We call it the Fall;

this ancient tale that explains

why things aren’t perfect.

When God created

all was good, harmonious;

why did things go wrong?

You may eat, says God

of any in the garden,

save that tree, yonder.

The tree of knowledge

of good and evil; that fruit

will cause you to die.

The crafty serpent,

(Where did he come from?) is made

the villain. Boo, hiss!

No, you will not die,

the serpent spoke. But rather

you’ll be wise, like God.

The man and woman

freely partake of the fruit;

the woman is blamed.

The man and woman,

their nakedness revealed, stitched

loincloths from fig leaves.

Their innocence lost,

the garden becomes a place

of deceit and blame.

Our own earth garden

is wracked by violence, deceit

and blame. Save us, God!

© Ken Rookes 2023 

Come up the mountain

 Haiku

God, Moses chatting.

Come up the mountain, says God;

I’ll give you some laws.

God’s been hard at work

formulating commandments;

writing them on stone.

Benevolent laws

for harmonious living;

laws that lead to life.

Moses, Joshua,

start their climb, tell the elders:

Wait here, we’ll be back.

The mystery cloud

covers Sinai; God’s glory,

a devouring fire.

On the seventh day

God calls from the cloud. Moses

goes up inside it.

From way down below

the people see the glory;

wonder what it means.

Forty days and nights

Moses is gone. The people

think he must be dead.

© Ken Rookes 2023

We work as one

Haiku of the common purpose

Spiritual babes;

that is how Paul described them.

A fractious people.

You are of the flesh,

not the Spirit, I fed you

milk, not solid food.

Quarrels, Jealousies;

these prove that you have not heard,

do not understand.

My job was to plant,

Apollos watered. We work

as one to serve God.

God alone gives growth,

Apollos, Paul don’t matter.

What matters is God

We work together,

servants of God for your sake.

Grow strong in God’s field!

© Ken Rookes 2023

Decide

Haiku for living well

God says: Decide now.

Prosperity or hardship,

life or death. Your choice!

Obey God’s commands.

This is the way to true life,

thus will you prosper.

Rules for living well,

Commandments to enable

harmonious life.

Laws that serve people,

that create community;

building justice, love.

False Gods surround you;

don’t go astray or serve them.

That path leads to death.

Obey and hold fast

to God. This way leads to life;

live long in the land.

I give you this land.

Obey my laws, you’ll be blessed;

choose the way of life.

© Ken Rookes, 2023 

God's good fast

Haiku for our times

They are pretending,

like we do, to be righteous

while ignoring God.

They humble themselves,

(so they say!) They are fasting;

why won’t God see them?

Concerned for themselves

while exploiting their workers;

quarrels and fighting.

Your pious displays,

your fasting, sackcloth, ashes:

God isn’t impressed.

God’s good fast is this:

confront injustice and free

those who are oppressed.

You have bread; share it.

Bring the homeless to your house;

cover the naked.

You will shine with light.

You will be restored; and God

will answer your call.

Give the hungry food,

do justice; your light shall rise

and God will guide you.

You’ll be like gardens

watered by unfailing springs;

God will raise you up.

© Ken Rookes 2023