Jim Gill                                                                                                May 21, 2006                                              “Friends”                                            John 15;9-17 INTRODUCTION In my country we play baseball.  We didn’t always play nice.  In fact there was a time when baseball wasn’t the international sport that it is today.  Who could have imagined that the World Series as we like to call it, would actually involve folks from around the world.  This past year there was a little thing called the World Championships and we lost. When we actually invited the world to play a series against us, we lost.   There was a day when baseball only had people of the same skin color, paste. But then came Jackie Robinson.  Jackie Robinson was the first black man to play Major League baseball.  In his first season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson faced venom nearly everywhere he traveled. Pitchers threw fastballs at his head. Runners spiked him on the bases, brutal epithets were written on cards and spoken from the opposing dugouts. Even the home crowds in Brooklyn saw him as an object of reproach. During one game in Boston, the taunts and racial slurs seemed to reach a peak. To make matters worse Robinson committed an error and stood at second base humiliated while the fans hurled insults at him. Another Dodger, a Southern white man by the name Pee Wee Reese, called timeout. He walked from his position at shortstop toward Robinson at second base, and with the crowds looking on, he put his arm around Robinson's shoulder. The fans grew quiet. Robinson later said that arm around his shoulder saved his career.    A friend in need,….is a friend in deed.  Pee Wee was a friend in deed.  Indeed! In my book, any man who has a strong enough character to go by the professional name of Pee Wee, deserves a gold star.   Maybe that’s what moved him to reach out to Jackie, years of abuse over his nickname.   Who among us can say we have too many friends? The Clergy Journal recently shared some disturbing information about making friends: 60% of men over 30 cannot identify a single person they would call a close friend. Of the 40% who list friends, most were made during childhood or school years. Most women can identify 5 or 6 women whom they call close friends. A closer look shows that a lot of these were functional relationships. Friendship is not easy to develop.   This morning I want to read a few verses that Jesus spoke about friendship. Long before followers of Jesus were called Christians they were called "friends."  The New Testament says, "it wasn’t until Antioch that the disciples were first called 'Christians'" -- long after the death of Jesus and the dispersion of his disciples in the early days of the church. But long before the followers of Jesus were called “Christians,” Jesus called them “friends.”     Think about that. Let it sink in. "I have called you friends." Before Anything else. "I have called you friends."   (David Leininger, Jesus’ Friend)   Hear the gospel of our Lord, our friend Jesus, from John 15:1-16   ******* A mother was enrolling her child in kindergarten. The teacher, following the usual procedure, began to ask questions. “Does the boy have any older brothers?” “No.” “Younger brothers?” “No.” “Older sisters?” “No.” “Younger sisters?” “No.” By this time, the lad was very self-conscious and unhappy. Defensively he said, “But, I’ve got friends!” Who were these people that Jesus called his friends? What did they have to offer Jesus? What did he have to offer them? What kind of people were they? Where did they come from? What was it that caused them to respond positively to Jesus? It may be easier to turn the question around and say who they were not. We know, for example that, with some exceptions, they were not prominent people. They were not the kind of people who had their hands on the levers of power in society. Since they did not have connections in high places, they could not make things happen behind the scenes. They were not in a position to manipulate public opinion or to affect the cause of human events. Now, of course there were some exceptions. There were a few people in high society who sought him out. There was a Roman centurion who came to him because his servant was paralyzed with pain. On another occasion Jairus, the ruler of the local synagogue, came to him because his little girl was near death. There was also a man by the name of Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the powerful Sanhedrin, who seems to have been a friend of Jesus, although he always stays in the shadows. There was also Chuza, Herod’s steward. Luke tells us that his wife Joanna was a follower of Jesus, and many have wondered if this wealthy man was one who help bankroll the disciples, so to speak. So there were exceptions. But for the most part, the friends of Jesus were not the ruling members of society.  They would not make Maxine Messinger’s column.  Also, we know that his friends were not generally wealthy people. They were usually working people. They were humble people. Indeed, when a rich ruler appears that he is interested in becoming a disciple, Jesus tells him that the qualification is that he must give up his wealth the man walked away sadly because he had many things.   You might also say that the friends of Jesus were not particularly religious people. They were not among those who worried a great deal about scribal law and ceremonial cleanliness. In fact, Jesus had to face criticism because on occasion, his disciples broke the Sabbath law. Jesus was also frequently accused of enjoying the company of sinners. These were people who, for one reason or another, were not a part of the strict religious community   As far as we know, they were not particularly educated people.  In those days the only schools were religious schools.  But the disciples Jesus called to follow him were all laymen.  There was not a rabbi among them. None of them had any formal religious training.  And you know that ratio is still true today. In my doctoral studies I discovered that 99% of the church is laypeople.   If the church is going to make an impact on the world, it stands a much better chance if she draws on the gifts and skills of the 99% than if she relies on only the 1%!   The friends of Jesus were a mixed bag.  They were young and old.  They were both men and women.  They were poor and poorer. They came from different walks of life. Some followed him very closely while others followed at a distance. But the significant point is that they did not represent the establishment. What did they have to offer Jesus? Obviously they could not offer him wealth. They could hardly offer him prestige. They were not in a position to offer him political power. I suppose that you could say that they could offer him advice, but there is no record that Jesus ever consulted with them. Indeed, when they did offer advice, Jesus rejected it. On the face of it then, it seems like a one sided friendship. It seems as if they had little to offer. But they did have something to offer. They had themselves. They offered him their love, imperfect as it was. They offered him their loyalty, even though at times it was flawed by self interest. They offered him companionship, even though they were not always around when he needed them. We should never underestimate the power behind the sheer physical presence of our friendship.  Our friends may not be able to give us wealth, or prestige, or even good advice. But their standing with us through tough times can many times be the greatest gift in the world. The friends of Jesus may not have had much to offer, but they had themselves. When he died, John and Mary, they were there. On the first day of the week the women went to the tomb where Jesus was buried.  They were gathered together in the upper room when the resurrected Jesus appeared to them.  They were gathered together in that same Upper Room when the Holy Spirit descended upon them on the Day of Pentecost. They had themselves to offer. They had their friendship, not always perfect, but friendship nonetheless. What did these friends find in Jesus?  He did not offer them patronage. James and John tried it but it didn’t work. He did not offer them success. Indeed, when Simple Peter reminds Jesus that they have left everything to follow him, he offers this blunt and ridiculous question: Now what is in it for us? Jesus answer? He said, “If you will be my disciple take up your cross daily and follow me.”  I think what Jesus offered them was a reason for living. Peter and Andrew James and John would have gone on with their lives and been fishermen to their dying day, had not Jesus~ called them to stop catching fish and start catching people.  Zaccheus would have gone on with his miserable life, counting his money but living in loneliness unless Jesus had said to him: Zaccheus, I’m coming to your home tonight. Mary would have gone on with her life, peddling her virtue had Jesus not called her to a higher virtue. Jesus wants to offer that same friendship to you. As you come this morning to participate in the worship of God, Jesus wants to say to you, “You are no longer my servant, you are now my friend. “ Elliot Gershenson is the executive director of Interfaith Ministries. Ever since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Elliot has continued sending updates on the Interfaith Communities response to those disasters.  In addition to updates Elliot sometimes includes other information and even some inspiration. This week he sent me the story of an unnamed boy who befriended another boy named Kyle.  In light of our participation in the Baccalaureate Celebration this afternoon to honor the 2006 graduates of Pearland High School I think it is timely to share the story of this unnamed hero this morning.  It highlights the value of extending friendship.  Hear his story. “One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class who was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes. My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get a life." He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and handed me half the books. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak. Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous! Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. "Thanks," he said. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends... I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story." I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. Kyle said he had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable." I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and Dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize its depth. Never underestimate the power of your actions. When he was at his lowest point Kyle found a friend.  You can be a friend to the Kyles of this world.  You can find a friend like the Kyles of this world.  You have a friend in Jesus.  You are here in a room full of friends We’ve got you surrounded. Kairos prison ministry has a mantra by which they live.  It goes like this.  “Make a friend. Be a Friend.  Bring a friend to Christ.   Friends will travel half way around the world to attend a wedding.  Greater love has no man than this that he lays down his life for his friends.   You may not be as high a profile friend like Pee Wee was to Jackie.  You may not be al low a profile as the young man that befriended Kyle, but you can be a friend.  There are people like that need to be forgiven and to know the forgiveness of a friend.  There are people like Kyle in your neighborhood, in your school at your work, even in this church who need a friend.  There are people who need to know that they are loved and are ready to bloom like Kyle if someone will just reach out to them.  There are even bullies who knock books out of hands who need to know that they are loved, by Jesus, and by us.   You’ve got friends!  We’ve got friends and in Jesus, we’ve got a friend, a beautiful, loving friend who has worked it out for us to be God’s friends. We don’t have to see our God as way off in the sky on a cloud demanding that we do good work for him. Instead, we are close, intimate friends of his who can go right into his presence without fear. He is not our task master who will burn us if we don’t satisfy him. We need not work like crazy to please him so he will treat us well. Instead, he comes to us as a warm and loving friend whom we then serve because that’s the normal response to having a loving friend like that. Jesus said, “I no longer call you servants.  I call you friends.”   Let’s pray. Lord, thank you for making friends with us.  Thank you that  you have reached out to us and that through the power of your Spirit we can reach out to others in your name.  Thank you for the friends that you have gathered into this fellowship at Peace.  Thank you for the friends we will make as we leave this place of worship.  Thank you for the friends that are waiting to be made.