Friendship

One of the deepest longings of the human soul is the longing to be seen, and to be loved, and to be accepted. Aristotle said that if you could have all the goods the world could give you, but had to have them without friendship, you’d chose not to have the goods. 

There would be no question.

And yet, it’s not easy, is it? 

The poet and philosopher John O’Donohue claims, “There is a natural hunger in the spirit to be loved and to be as you are without being judged. (But) We offer each other these spaces less and less (these days)…” And we don’t take time for it. He claims, “We’ve become post-graduates in the art of acquaintances but paupers in the art of friendship…”

In John’s gospel, Jesus says to his disciples, “I no longer call you servants but friends….” and then he adds, “Love one another as have loved you.”

We do know that in the Bible, it is precisely in the midst of loneliness, in times of illness, and in times of suffering that Jesus shows up.

I imagine, at least in part, that Jesus is inviting us to show up in the same way that he shows up. I imagine, at least in part, he is inviting us to make sure that no one has no one. 

As we walk this journey of life, there is no way around it, we all will face times of loneliness, times of suffering, and times of illness. And so I pray today for each of you:

May God bring into your life at least one faithful friend.  
May you be a friend to the friendless. 
May you treasure the friends you have. 
May you be good to them and may you be there for them.
May they bring you all the blessings, challenges, truth, and light that you need for 
your journey. 
And may you rest securely in the knowledge and love of Christ, who has called 
you friend. 

Let us pray: God of Love, in Jesus Christ you walked among us – flesh and blood. You ate with sinners, you touched the lonely and the sick, you laughed and cried and suffered alongside us. We thank you for your incarnate love. We also thank you today for the people that you have brought into our lives – for neighbors, friends, family, our church family, and for others who walk the journey with us, and for the way that their presence makes the journey richer.

We remember that you created us to be in relationship with others. So we pray today especially for those who feel lonely, and for others who are most often forgotten. May they know your presence and love even now. Grant us your grace, your patience, your forgiveness, and your love so that we might be better friends to those we love – and better able to reach out to those who need us most. In Christ’s name. Amen.