Post on 04-Jan-2016
Friendship Old and New
Peter Fitch, St. Croix VineyardSunday, February 1, 2015
Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold. New-made friendships, like new wine, Age will mellow and refine. Friendships that have stood the test-Time and change-are surely best; Brow may wrinkle, hair grow gray; Friendship never knows decay.
For 'mid old friends, tried and true,Once more we our youth renew.But old friends, alas! may die;New friends must their place supply.Cherish friendship in your breast-New is good, but old is best;Make new friends, but keep the old;Those are silver, these are gold.
John Donne (1572-1631)
No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as any manner of thy friends or of Thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
Matthew 14:13-14
13 Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities. 14 When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.
Older Version
• LSW, “Facing Generational Problems”• Kind of idealistic• Even Jesus mourned the loss of his cousin • He provided a caregiver for His mother as He
died• Yet He didn’t stop doing the will of God, even
in the midst of pain
Newer Sense
• We are always in the midst of friends or potential friends
• Each person we meet is a manifestation of God’s image/Idol and worthy of our care
• If we have decided to follow Jesus then we must treat each person with dignity and justice and attempt compassion
• Jesus calls us to be ready to care for each soul we meet, yet . . .
Silver, Gold
• There are orbits of intimacy in our lives and it’s entirely appropriate to have more than one level of love
• To pretend that we could treat all people as family or dear friends would be a “disembodied idealism”
• Rejoice in the moment; rejoice still more in the life-long gifts of friends and family