Hi Friends - John 15:9-17

When it comes to addressing a Christian community, there are a lot of options. For example, if I’m writing something formal or newsworthy to all of you, I might start the letter with “Dear People of Christ Church.” The apostle Paul had the best opening lines for letters, of course, but it might feel a little over the top if I wrote something like: “Kate, called to be a disciple of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the Church of God in Little Rock, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” That’s hard to beat, though perhaps overkill for an email.

Mostly for messages to the staff and various committees, I stick to greetings like “Hey team” or “Hi folks.” But my favorite, and the one I use the most is, “Hi friends.” While that might sound like I’m trying to cosy up to or sneak something past the vestry or finance committee, I promise that it’s for a much different reason. In today’s passage from John’s Gospel, Jesus calls his disciples friends. For followers of Jesus, friendship is fundamental language for who you and I are to one another. We are friends because that is what Jesus has called us. The Gospel invites us to meditate on this unique kind of friendship this morning.

Last year, my friend chose this same passage for his installation as a new rector, so I did some research on friendship for the sermon that day. And by research, I mean scrolling on my phone and coming across a third-rate article with the headline, “The 10 Friends Every Woman Needs in Her Life” (goodhousekeeping.com). Apparently, we need the school friend, the work friend, the shoulder-to-cry-on-friend, the fun friend, the brutally honest friend, the mom friend (or dad friend), the long-distance friend, the total opposite friend, the friend-of-a-friend, and last but not least, the furry friend. I’m pretty sure that last one refers to cats and dogs, but you never know on the internet. It was a pleasant read, and, probably a good cultural snapshot of how we usually think about friendship. I don’t think that’s quite what Jesus had in mind, though. One thing that’s missing, obviously, is ancient Greek philosophy on friendship.

Over three centuries before the life of Jesus, Aristotle suggested that there are three kinds of friends. There are friends of utility, or those who are useful to us. There are friends who bring us pleasure, or the people we have fun with. And the third kind, which is the highest, most noble kind is friendship for the sake of friendship itself. These are our virtuous friends. Such relationships take a great deal of time and energy to cultivate, and the results are deep and true. These are the people who know us best, the people we love and who have the greatest impact on us. They are the people we trust with what’s really going on in our lives. Aristotle taught that we are formed as good and loving people largely through virtuous friendships. They bring out the best in us, and ultimately, they teach us how to love.

Though helpful, Aristotle’s philosophy of friendship was not quite complete. Jesus had something to add. Greek philosophy was in the water during Jesus’ lifetime, so it’s not too far-fetched to assume that he knew about virtuous friendship. He seemed to build on that idea in his farewell discourse in John’s Gospel. On the night of the last supper, Jesus talked with the disciples about friendship. “I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I 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 he gave them a new commandment, to love one another as he had loved them.

In thinking about what kind of friendship Jesus had in mind, it’s doubtful that the disciples were friends of utility alone. Yes, they would launch the church, but they weren’t always particularly useful to Jesus. And given their considerable imperfections, “fun” or pleasure are not the first words that come to mind to describe Jesus’ relationship with them. These chosen friends must have fallen into the third category, friends in the truest and deepest sense. When Jesus called them friends, he named a particular kind of relationship that was emerging that night. To Aristotle’s virtuous friendship, Jesus added the presence of God. What an amazing moment that must have been, to be called friends of Jesus. The gift of that friendship would make amazing things possible, like preaching and healing in his name and carrying forth his ministry into the wider world. It all happened because he chose them as friends. And he chooses us as friends in the very same way.

What does all of this have to do with the Church of God in Little Rock? I’m glad you asked. Our relationships here are something special. They are unique among the other relationships in our lives. Among the various kinds of friends - fun friends, useful friends, fair-weather friends, shoulder-to-cry-on friends, and many others, we are called to be friends in Christ. These friendships are a gift, and they take time and energy to cultivate. They are deep and true. Also, as anyone in a church knows, these friendships do not prevent conflict, but they call us to the higher road of working things out. They bring out the best in us. They teach us how to love as Christ loves us. And in a world suffering from a pandemic of loneliness, Christian friendship is one of the most important things the Church has to offer to everyone who comes through the door.

Understanding Christian friendship feels especially important to me as we get closer to finishing a master plan for Christ Church. You’ll hear much more about that in the coming weeks as the architects and engineers complete their work. It’s exciting for sure, after years of discernment and hard work by a lot of committee friends. If we were just friends of utility, we could focus all our attention on things like HVAC units and updated restrooms. But since we are friends in Christ, we are called to ground everything we do in the commandment to love one another - and our downtown community - as Jesus loves us. This higher calling of Christian friendship will keep our work grounded in the things that matter most as a church.

So, dear People of Christ Church, or folks, or team, every now and then you’ll see an email or letter from me that starts with “Hi friends.” I hope this honors who we are to one another in the name of Jesus. And I hope that as we talk about HVAC units and renovations over the summer, we’ll remember that everything we do together is out of love.