A Friend for the Journey

A Friend for the Journey
Eccl. 4:9-12

Introduction: I hate to travel alone. I know those of you with small children are thinking, “Is he kidding?” Or maybe you had a rather tense road trip with you kids this past summer and dreamed about a nice, peaceful vacation without that tension. There are times when we just want to get away from people. But in the end we know we need others. Kids may drive parents crazy and parents do the same thing to their kids. But take them away for a while, let one get lost on a camp out and suddenly all that irritation drops off the map.

I. We Need People
The reading this morning comes from a book of wisdom in the Old Testament called Ecclesiastes. The writer makes the observation that being alone is tough, “But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:10) I don’t know if you have ever observed trees when we get a heavy snow. The lone tree has a big problem because heavy snow can topple it over. Trees in a group tend to support each other and it is more difficult for that to happen. Most of us realize it is that way with people also. We are like that; we can go along quite okay on our own but when the pressure of a crisis happens then we realize we need others.

That is why one trend in our society is so troubling. A recent study showed a steep decline in close personal relationships here in the US. Ten years ago 10% said they had no close friend or confidante. Today 25% said they had no close confidante. Another 19% said they had only one close friend they could confide in. We have a lot of lone trees in our society. Some years ago Robert Putnam wrote a book called "Bowling Alone" in which he observed the collapse of the sense of community in our country.

No matter how smooth things may be going in your life right now you will face a crisis, all of us will. You will lose someone close to you. You will face a health crisis of some kind. There could be a crisis of employment or money problems. In Michigan the number of foreclosures have doubled in the past two years. Quite a number of them are in this area. There will probably be some national crisis that will take our breath away just as 9/11 did five years ago.
We are aware of the problem. The question is what will we do about?

II. Looking for Answers
There are many ways people try to answer this problem. Women are probably better suited to building friendships than are men though the decline in relationship is across the board for men and women. We may find friends in areas of common interest. There are clubs and organizations that we can join or serve in. Some find a sense of community on-line. A church is another place where people come looking for an answer to loneliness.

Of course a church might be the last place some would choose. As one person once remarked, “Why would I go there? I already feel bad enough about myself.” I suppose as long as people are in churches you will find imperfection. The church has never been all that Jesus wanted it to be. Yet I think he knew this even while he was here. He knew how messy friendships could be and how disappointing. He knew the pain of betrayal and the joy of fellowship that comes through friendship. In spite of the imperfections he called his people into communities called churches.

There are all kinds of churches with a variety of shapes and sizes. Some churches are alive and active and others seem asleep or even dead. And, unfortunately some churches are toxic and poisonous to the soul. You might find levels of all the above in every church to some extent. Churches are imperfect just as people are imperfect.

But the church Jesus wants will try to reflect certain things however imperfectly. The apostle Paul described the church with these words, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27) There are many organizations in the world that are doing good works but there is only one body of Christ. To be the body of Christ is to commit to being the hands, feet and voice of Jesus in our world today. That means several things.
First, it means we are to reflect the grace of Jesus towards people. This is a concept that is easily misunderstood. Grace is expressed in acceptance of others where they are. Jesus reflected this constantly in his ministry. He welcomed a common fisherman like Peter. He welcomed a rich corrupt tax collector like Zacchaeus. He welcomed a woman divorced and remarried several times at a well in Samaria. He welcomed people with leprosy. The reason Jesus did this is that he could see the image of God in each and every person no matter how clouded or marred with sin or disease. Becoming a Christian means starting to see people in this way. Paul wrote, “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:16-17)

This brings us to another aspect of grace as Jesus displayed it; grace is there to change people. Jesus never left people where they were. Jesus would forgive people but then call on them, in the light of that forgiveness, to live differently. He wanted people to live their lives pleasing God. So Jesus forgave the woman caught in adultery when others were condemning her. The Jesus said these words, "Go now and leave your life of sin." Sin deforms people’s hearts and minds and it is only by Jesus’ grace that people can be healed and changed.

Another characteristic where churches try to reflect Jesus is in love. Jesus told his followers, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35) Jesus was the ultimate friend. He was someone who would give everything for his friends, even his own life. Admittedly Christians fail here more often than they succeed. But we hold love as a goal because we need friends. We need people to walk beside us and help us when we fall. We need the warmth of friendship in the harsh realities of this life. We need the strength that comes from standing with others in a dangerous and unpredictable world.

The lone tree is vulnerable to wind and elements. But scientists have discovered something remarkable in forest with diverse trees. When the roots begin to contact the roots of other trees a fierce competition begins for resources. But where a certain fungus is present instead of competing the trees share resources of sunlight, water, and minerals among the group. It is an amazing example of interdependence. Churches are like that. We have people from all kinds of different backgrounds. It would be easy to get into conflict much like we see in our world. But there is one different element, our Lord Jesus. With him in our midst things change, we change. We become the kind of people God intended us to be, a community of Christ. If you want to know more about us and become a follower of Christ then just ask. We love to talk about Jesus.

Livonia Church of Christ: September 10, 2006