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