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The Gospel of Matthew Bible Studies
The Gospel of Mark Bible Studies
The Book of Acts Bible Studies
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
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September 2009
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November 2009
December 2009
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The 6th Sunday of Easter (B) Text: John 15:9-17 May 17, 2009 Many of you may have heard of Facebook – a popular online social networking site. On Facebook, “friends” share their profiles, photos, and comments with each other. Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg, a student at Harvard University, in 2004 – and since then has enjoyed phenomenal growth. At present, just five years later, the Facebook website now has more than 200 million active users worldwide. But what exactly is a “friend” on Facebook? A year ago, a British judge made official what many have long suspected – that being a “Facebook friend” with someone does not necessarily make you their friend. The magistrate was presiding over a harassment case in which a woman accused her former boyfriend of hounding her by sending her a “friend request” on the Facebook site. The ex-boyfriend, Michael Hurst, 34, was cleared of the charge after the magistrate accepted his argument that the contact was highly innocuous because being “Facebook friends” could not be defined as “friendship in the traditional sense.” “Chris Moyles (a popular British radio DJ) has 1 million Facebook friends. Do you think he knows them all intimately?” Mr. Hurst said. Geoff Dick, a senior lecturer in information systems at the University of New South Wales, said he agreed with the judge that Mr. Hurst wasn’t actually asking to become friends with his ex-girlfriend and physically spend time with her. He was merely suggesting that they give each other access to their profile pages, pictures, and comments. Dr. Dick went on to say that a lot of the time “friends” listed on the pages of Facebook or similar site MySpace were more like “acquaintances” and the more there were, the less friendly the profile owner was with them. He also said that it was important to maintain true friendships in the traditional way – by spending actual time together. In today’s gospel, Jesus says that he has chosen us to be his friends – and in saying this, he obviously does not mean friendship of the Facebook kind, or even the casual friendship of people who spend time together at social activities. “Friendship” as Jesus uses the term is not just a superficial thing. It is rather something very deep and personal. To Jesus, friendship means love – love so great that one is willing to do anything for the well being of his or her friend – even to giving up one’s life if need be. It also means intimacy – knowing (and being known by) another person completely with no secrets or hidden thoughts between them. Finally, friendship also means having total loyalty and trust. Let’s look at these qualities of friendship in greater detail… The first quality of true friendship is love. As Jesus says; “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” There is a story I shared with our confirmation students and guides several months ago about Pvt. Ross McGinnis, a soldier who was killed in Iraq on December 4, 2006. McGinnis was manning the turret of a Humvee on patrol when an insurgent threw a grenade from the roof of a nearby building. McGinnis tried to deflect the grenade, but it fell into gunner’s hatch into the vehicle. He could have jumped to safety from the turret, but instead his concern was for his four fellow platoon members in the Humvee. One of those four other soldiers, Sgt. Ian Newland, described what happened next. After hearing McGinnis’ warning, he spotted the enemy grenade inside the Humvee. Almost simultaneously, he saw McGinnis lower himself onto it. “I saw him jam it with his elbow up underneath him,” said Newland, who was sitting inches away. “He pressed his whole body with his back (armor) plate to smother it up against the radios.” The heat and flash of an explosion followed, and McGinnis was killed. Hours later, after surgery for shrapnel wounds, Newland realized the enormity of what happened: McGinnis had sacrificed himself to save his four fellow soldiers in the Humvee. “Why did he do it? Because we were his brothers. He loved us,” Newland said. “In the military, “everyone always tells their friends, I’d take a bullet for you. I’ve read books and seen plenty of movies about it. But to actually live through a situation like that, have someone do that, is just – there’s nothing else more courageous that a person can do in their entire life…” “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Jesus says. Sometimes this may mean making the ultimate sacrifice – as Ross McGinnis did for his friends – and as Jesus himself did for us – his friends. More often in our day to day living, it simply means caring for one another, even at the expense of seeking our own comfort or having things our own way. If we truly see someone as being our friend, this does not seem burdensome. Instead, it is a great joy! True friends LOVE to help and serve and give of themselves for each other. It is what gives our lives meaning and purpose and makes it really worth living! That is the kind of life that Jesus is offering us by inviting us to be his friends! And as we love him and love each other – and are loved by him and each other – we experience a deep JOY beyond anything else that this world can give. As Jesus says: “I have said these things to you so that my JOY may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” So may it be for us in our lives! The second quality of true friendship is intimacy – a complete knowing of our friend’s heart and mind – and also being willing to be completely known by our friend. Between true friends, there is no shyness or secretiveness. They see each other and value each other just as they are. This is what it is like in a loving marriage. I know that in Carol’s and my relationship, we can see right through each other and we know each other’s deepest hopes and dreams – and it is truly a gift to have a relationship like that. But this kind of friendship does not have to be only limited to marriage. Many of us have friends with whom we have a long history – not in a marital or sexual way – whom we have come to know and love. They are the people whom we can be completely honest with – and can be completely honest with us. And in its best sense, this kind of friendship finds its fulfillment in Christian community – in which we have come to know Jesus and be known by him in the most intimate kind of way. As Jesus says: “I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.” Jesus has held nothing back from us – he has shared with us everything of whom and what he is. And as brothers and sisters in Christ, we are also invited to become friends with each other in the same way. Finally, true friendship means having total loyalty for and trust in the other. Even though we may know our friend’s weaknesses and shortcomings, we never doubt their loyalty. We know that when the chips are down, we will always be there for our friends and they for us. And we also know that true friends are always sincere with each other. Having that kind of a relationship is worth more than all the money in the world. That is the kind of relationship that Jesus has established with all of us as his people. He calls us his friends – and he will always be there for us as we go through life, come what may. We can always trust in his love. And now, as his friends Jesus appoints us to go and bear fruit – that is, to be friends with each other in the same way that he is with us. To love one another, give of ourselves to each other, open our hearts to each other, and always be there for each other. “Friends” as Jesus uses the term is not like having Facebook “friends” or other casual acquaintances. It is rather a deep and loving communion of hearts and minds – like Ross McGinnis had with his fellow soldiers, like we can have in a loving marriage, and like what we can have in a Christian community. Friends of Jesus – and friends with one another – so may it be for us. May God bless you all – my friends in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen! -------------------- Pastor George Karres 418 W. Main St. Sidney, MT 59270
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