January 23, 2024
January 23, 2024
Pause. Pray. Read. Be still. Write. Pray.
Read: John 15:15
I do not call you servants any longer, because servants do not know what their master is doing. Instead, I call you friends, because everything I heard from my Father, I have made known to you. (CEB)
Be still: Up to this point, Jesus referred to the Disciples as servants. They did what Jesus told them to do, and they see what he (the master) does, but they do not always understand the intention or meaning of what Jesus is doing or has done. Friends on the other hand, develop deep fellowship by being in communion and conversation with one another. The word translated “friend” is from the verb “to love,” so when Jesus speaks of friends here, he is speaking about “those who are loved.”
When I was a child there was a group of neighborhood friends whose bond and love for one another ran deeper than the roots of the shade trees that lined the gully at the end of the block. During the summer months we were inseparable. We laughed, cried, skinned our knees, played unending games of kick-the-can, ran through the sprinklers, managed Kool-aide stands, broke peanut butter and jelly sandwiches together under the shade trees, and played hide-n-seek often stopping to gaze into the night sky.
During these elementary years, our friendships blossomed simply from spending hours in communion and conversation together. Through shared secrets and confessions (nothing outrageous) we learned the art of empathy, understanding, and acceptance, building a safe place where the true essence of friendship was embraced.
Eventually, things changed, new interests evolved, families moved, yet the memories of the long summer days and nights of being in constant communion and conversation with friends remain, and for this I give thanks. I learned a lot during the summer months that in some way helped me navigate the tumultuous sea of teenage uncertainty. I have had many friendships over the years, but none as formative and meaningful as my childhood friends.
Today, celebrate the cherished memories of childhood friends during a time when you were fortunate enough to be in constant communion and conversation with one another.
Prayer: God of friends, old and new, we give you thanks for the many ways friendships have impacted our lives throughout the years. Help us to be mindful of the new ways we can befriend others through a simple invitation. May we be mindful of the new opportunities to extend the table of friendship as we extend an invitation to break bread and to be in conversation with others. Amen.
Pastor Kellie