Part 2 - We can do Haiku.Can you?

One idea tried in one of our recent services which worked surprisingly well was the writing of Haiku poetry.

In the lead up to Christmas, Julie was to preach on Joseph,which she did.

It probably did not feel like this at the time!

She also made the point that all the people in the Christmas story probably did not feel at the time that they were in some lovely sentimental nativity but probably found it all rather heavy going. Mary would have found it difficult when she had to tell Joseph she was pregnant and face the stares of the village for several months. Joseph could have felt angry and a bit of an idiot as he walked around beside his pregnant wife. He would have hoped he really DID see that angel!
And leaving Bethlehem to flee for your life to Egypt would not have been a picnic either!

What stands out though is that they did trust God and they played their part in His story.

During the "sermon" as part of our reflection on how the characters in the Christmas story would have felt we were asked to divide into groups and choose a character.
We were then told "the rules" of Haiku and asked to write a Haiku poem as a group.

The "recipe" is outlined below if you want to try it some time, maybe on different topics, just alter the directions slightly. The idea can be found on The Mustard Seed site. You can use this idea for any bible story.It really helps people to think about the story deeply and in a fresh way.

On line 1 -Name the person you chose from the Christmas story in one word.
on 2 - Two words for how they felt
on 3 -Three words describing who they were
on 4 - Four words or more describing their reaction
on 5 - One word which sums up their character

These are the poems we came up with!

  Mary 

Fear, Surprise.

Young, honourable, strong in character.

The dignity to carry out God's wishes.

Obedient.

Mary

                               Surprised, joyful,

                         Trusting,obedient,quiet.

                              Looked to God.

                                     Faithful.

Sheep at Hillston in the dawn light.
          

Shepherds

   Wonder and Awe.

Humble,rough,watchful.

Didn't hesitate to follow God.

Worshipful.

Shepherds

Amazed, Afraid.

These ordinary men.

They, heard, they believed and they acted.

Responsive

John the Baptist  
   Believer,Son.
    Faithful, Good, a Preacher.
     Baptised everyone in the name of the Father.
Trust.


  Haiku

                                         Easy , Fun.

                                  Give it a go yourself.

                     Be surprised at what you discover.

                                          Insights.