Friend

While my grandson Payden was visiting I was delighted with his view of the non adult world. When we visited Pam at school he called her kindergarten class, “the friends” and when he called out to our neighbor’s children through the fence he solicited their attention with, “friends.” In Payden’s world the possibility of friendship is assumed with those of like stature and youthful innocence. When describing the child led world of God’s redeemed kingdom Isaiah writes, “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together and a little child will lead them.” Such poignant and poetic imagery evokes the view of a world that is enemy free… where friendship is assumed and peace prevails. In John’s third letter he interchangeably uses brother and friend. John’s customary greeting was, “Friend.” It is in John’s gospel we are told of Jesus’ affirmation, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you (John 15:15).”

I want to be more like my grandson and view the world full of friends! I want to take serious my Lord’s affirmation that knowledge of the divine produces friendship. I want to recapture the spirit of first century Christians who were not only a brotherhood but friends. And most of all I want my life, my church, my world to be friend invested with an openness that looks beyond fences and calls out, “Friends!”

Though this may be a child led and youthful innocent view of life, I don’t believe that it is naive or irrational. Will evil still exist? Yes. Will enemies disrupt peaceful and friendly efforts? Yes… but in the midst of a fallen world the only hope to dispel such darkness is a kindly light. Friends work hard at loving, sharing, caring and repairing a world at odds with itself. I can think of no greater challenge for the church and our communities than for each of us to be committed to being friends. No more wolves, lambs, leopards, goats, calves, lions or yearlings but simply friends! “Welcome friend,” should always be on our lips. -DAN