Acts 10:44-48
Psalm 98
1 John 5:1-6
John 15:9-17

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The Gospel according to John 15:9-17

As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.  I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.  "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.  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.  You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.  I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

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WHEN I WAS IN SEMINARY TAKING A COURSE IN PASTORAL CARE, WE WERE TAUGHT, WHEN COMING INTO A NEW SITUATION, WHETHER IT WAS A HOSPITAL VISIT, OR A VISIT TO A NEW FAMILY, OR JUST A VISIT FROM A STRANGER, ALWAYS TO STOP FOR A MOMENT AND ASK OURSELVES THE QUESTION, "WHAT’S GOING ON HERE." I TRY TO DO THAT NOW, TO TAKE IN ASPECTS OF THE PHYSICAL SURROUNDINGS, LISTEN, NOTE ANY FEELINGS, AND DEVELOP A PICTURE OF "WHAT’S GOING ON."

THAT IS THE SAME QUESTION I ASK MYSELF WHEN I READ A PARTICULAR PASSAGE IN SCRIPTURE. READING FROM JOHN TODAY, I IMAGINE A GROUP OF PEOPLE SITTING AROUND IN THE UPPER ROOM LISTENING INTENTLY TO JESUS. IT IS THE NIGHT BEFORE THE PASSOVER. THEY HAVE HAD THEIR SUPPER, AND JESUS HAS WASHED THEIR FEET, REMINDING THEM THAT THEY ARE TO DO LIKEWISE - AS SERVANTS THEY ARE NO DIFFERENT FROM THEIR MASTER. JUDAS HAS BEEN SENT OUT TO "DO QUICKLY WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO."

THERE IS AN ATMOSPHERE OF TENSION I SUSPECT BECAUSE JESUS HAS TOLD THEM MANY TIMES THAT HE WILL BE LEAVING THEM. THEY CANNOT FOLLOW HIM NOW HE SAY, ONLY LATER CAN THAT HAPPEN. HE ADDS, "DON’T LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED," AND DON’T BE AFRAID. I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU AS ORPHANS, THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL COME TO YOU IN MY PLACE. AND THEN HE REPEATS ONCE MORE THE COMMANDMENT, "THAT YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU."

I CAN JUST IMAGINE WHAT THE RESPONSE WAS WHEN AT THIS TIME JESUS INTRODUCES A NEW IDEA TO THE GROUP. "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." WE ARE NO LONGER SERVANTS?? THEY HAVE JUST, A FEW MINUTES AGO, BEEN REMINDED THAT THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO OTHERS, ALONG WITH JESUS, IS AS A SERVANT. AND ARE THEY NOW BEING GIVEN THE FREEDOM TO BE FRIENDS? PERHAPS THEY RECALLED AT THAT MOMENT WHAT THEY HAD LEARNED ABOUT ABRAHAM, HOW GOD SAYS TO ABRAHAM, "ABRAHAM, MY FRIEND". HOW INCREDIBLE THAT SEEMED.

WHEN I THINK ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A FRIEND, I REALIZE THAT THAT WORD IS TOSSED ABOUT AMONG US FROM HAND TO HAND WITH A MULTITUDE OF MEANINGS. SOMETIMES IT IS CASUAL, REFERRING TO AN ACQUAINTANCE, OR SOMEONE WHO LIVES NEXT DOOR. IN JOHN’S READING, IT IS CLEAR THAT JESUS MEANS SO MUCH MORE. IN THIS VERY BRIEF PASSAGE, AS WITH SO MANY OTHER THINGS HE TELLS US, FRIENDSHIP IS GIVEN A DEEPER, A MORE INTENSE SPIRIT.

PONDERING HIS WORDS, I REALIZE THAT JESUS IS SEEING REAL FRIENDSHIP AS INVOLVING A SHARING, A DRAWING TOGETHER OF TWO PEOPLE OF KINDRED SPIRITS THAT SEES BEYOND ANY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEM. RICH/POOR, SMART/STUPID, YOUNG/OLD, THESE ARE NOT IMPORTANT. IT IS THE MEETING THAT IS IMPORTANT.

LET’S LOOK AT THE DETAILS OF FRIENDSHIP AS JESUS SEES IT. THE FIRST THING HE SAYS IS THAT ONE MUST BE WILLING TO "LAY DOWN ONE’S LIFE FOR ONE’S FRIENDS. I FIND THAT A TOUGH ONE. BUT THEN, I HAVE NEVER FOUND MYSELF IN SUCH A SITUATION. IN THE NEWS RECENTLY I HAVE READ OF TWO INCIDENTS IN WHICH A PERSON HAS DONE THAT. THE MARINE WHO, WHEN THE HELICOPTER CRASHED IN A IRAQI CANAL, JUMPED INTO THE WATER TO SAVE THOSE ON BOARD AND DROWNED. AND THERE WERE THE TWO WHO WERE MOUNTAIN CLIMBING. WHEN A BOULDER BROKE LOOSE AND ROLLED TOWARD THEM, THE YOUNG MAN PUSHED HIS GIRLFRIEND TO SAFETY, AND THEN WAS CRUSHED BY THAT BOULDER. I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT IN SUCH SITUATIONS, I WOULD BE ABLE TO RESPOND IN THE SAME WAY, GIVING MY LIFE FOR A FRIEND.

ANOTHER LEARNING I GET FROM THIS PASSAGE IS THE SENSE THAT FRIENDSHIP MEANS OPENING ONE’S HEART AND MIND TO THE OTHER. I THINK OFTEN, NOT BEING ABLE TO DO THAT, IS WHAT KEEPS ACQUAINTANCES FROM BEING FRIENDS. JESUS IS SUGGESTING THAT A FRIEND IS NOT TO BE MERELY OBEDIENT AS A SERVANT. HE IS ASKING HIS DISCIPLES TO SHARE ALL THINGS, KEEPING BACK NOTHING. "I HAVE MADE KNOW TO YOU EVERYTHING THAT I HAVE HEARD FROM MY FATHER," HE SAYS, THE IMPLICATION BEING THIS IS TO BE SHARED. WHAT A WONDERFUL MODEL. HE HAS SHARED SO MUCH, DISCLOSED THINGS THEY NEVER WOULD HAVE FOUND OUT THEMSELVES.

AND FINALLY HE MAKES CLEAR ONE IMPORTANT COMMAND, THAT FRIENDS MUST LOVE ON ANOTHER AS HE HAS LOVED THEM. JIM TALKED A LOT ABOUT LOVE LAST WEEK IN HIS SERMON, BUT I THINK WE CAN NEVER HEAR TOO MUCH ABOUT THIS SUBJECT. IT IS THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL MESSAGE. DID THOSE FOLK WONDER IF THEY COULD EVER LOVE EACH OTHER AS THEY HAD BEEN LOVED? IT’S STAGGERING COMPARISON.

THEN, JESUS TELLS THEM THAT THEY DID NOT CHOSE HIM, BUT THAT HE CHOSE THEM. IT WASN’T THAT THEY JUST BUMPED INTO HIM ALONG THE WAY AND WERE IMMEDIATELY SMITTEN. NO, HE ENCOUNTERED THEM. PERHAPS WHEN HE MET THEM HE THOUGHT, "HERE IS A PERSON WHO CAN HEAR GOD’S WORD AND BE TRANSFORMED, ABIDING IN GOD’S LOVE AND BEARING GOOD FRUIT." OR PERHAPS HE JUST TOOK A CHANCE.

I AM SENT IN TWO DIRECTIONS AFTER LIVING CLOSELY WITH THIS PASSAGE AND THOUGHTS ABOUT FRIENDSHIP. THE FIRST STEMS FROM THE WORDS OF THAT HYMN "WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS." THEY KEEP RUNNING THROUGH MY MIND ALTHOUGH I HAVEN’T HEARD IT SUNG IN AGES. IT ISN’T IN OUR HYMNAL BUT I LEARNED IT SOMEWHERE. IT REMINDS ME THAT, AS HIS DISCIPLES, WE TOO ARE GIVEN HIS GIFT OF FRIENDSHIP. WE, TOO, ARE CALLED TO "CARRY EVERYTHING TO GOD IN PRAYER," TO BE OPEN, AND LISTEN, TO FOLLOW HIS COMMANDS, AND EVEN PERHAPS TO LAY DOWN OUR LIVES.

THE SECOND THOUGHT HAS TO DO WITH LOVING ONE ANOTHER, TO OUR FINDING AND BEING A FRIEND TO ANOTHER PERSON. BECAUSE TO BE A FRIEND OF JESUS, WE HAVE TO BE FRIENDS WITH ONE ANOTHER. FREDERICK BEUCHNER SAYS THAT "FRIENDS ARE PEOPLE YOU MAKE PART OF YOUR LIFE JUST BECAUSE YOU FEEL LIKE IT." AND I GUESS AS I LOOK AT THE FRIENDS IN MY LIFE, THAT IS QUITE TRUE. I AM ALSO AWARE THAT FRIENDSHIP CAN BE A FRAGILE THING. I HAVE AN OLD FRIEND FROM FIFTH GRADE TIMES. AFTER TWENTY YEARS WE MET AGAIN SEVERAL WEEKS AGO WHEN I PRESIDED AT THE WEDDING OF HER DAUGHTER, MY GODCHILD. AT THE TIME OF HER DIVORCE LONG AGO I ESSENTIALLY ABANDONED HER. I COULDN’T HANDLE HER CONSTANT CRY AS A VICTIM. SHE REJECTED ME AS WELL SINCE I REMAINED A FRIEND OF HER EX. GOING UP TO CONNECTICUT I CONFESS I WAS PRETTY NERVOUS ABOUT SEEING HER AGAIN. BUT THAT MOMENT OF MEETING WAS QUITE WONDERFUL. THE FOG CLEARED FOR ME AND WE MET ON EQUAL AND LOVING TERMS, AS FRIENDS, AND I FELT TRULY BLESSED.

I AM SO AWARE THAT THIS HAS BEEN A DIFFICULT WEEK FOR THE PEOPLE HERE AT ST. JOHN’S. THREE PARISHIONERS WHO HAVE BEEN BELOVED HERE FOR MANY YEARS, DIED WITHIN A TWO DAYS OF EACH OTHER. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH THE DEATH OF JUST ONE MEMBER, BUT THREE SEEMS ALMOST OVERWHELMING. AND TODAY, HERE IN THIS ROOM, I KNOW THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST NOT JUST AN ACQUAINTANCE BUT AN INTIMATE FRIEND AND IN SEPARATION THERE IS GREAT SORROW.

ALTHOUGH I HAVE BEEN AT ST JOHN’S A RELATIVELY SHORT TIME, I HAVE KNOWN EACH OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE LEFT US AS AN ACQUAINTANCE. I’VE ENJOYED CONVERSATION WITH THEM, HEARING THEIR STORIES, BUT NOT REALLY KNOWING THEM AS A FRIEND. TALES OF THEIR LIVES HAVE ABOUNDED THIS WEEK, TALES OF THEIR GENEROSITY OF TIME GIVEN AND CARING FOR THIS CHURCH, TALES OF THEIR JOY IN THIS COMMUNITY. IT HAS BEEN A EXCITING TO HEAR THESE TALES. THEY ARE PICTURES OF THE LOVE AND DEVOTION WHICH JESUS INTENDED US TO EXPERIENCE IN THIS LIFE. FOR ME, THAT’S WHAT’S GOING ON HERE NOW.

The Rev. Ruth T. Healy - Priest Associate

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