Friendship of God

A kid was bullied at school because he pretended that the talk show host, Jay Leno, was his uncle. When Leno learned this, he tracked the kid down and drove him to school in his Lamborghini.

Jay Leno said:

I got a letter one day from a kid saying he was in trouble because he had told his friends that I was his uncle and that we would go driving around in my Lamborghini. And his friends all called him a big liar. He wanted to know if I could give him a ride to school one day in my Lamborghini Countach. It so intrigued me that I called the kid, of course speaking to his mother first, and said, why don't we do this next week?

So, I drove out to where the kid lived and picked him up. Then we waited until the opportune time, when most of the buses are in front of the school and all the kids are hanging out and we pull up in front, the doors go up into the sky, the kid goes, '’Bye uncle Jay!'’ And I go, '’OK, Billy, take care, I'll pick you up next week and we'll go driving.’ And of course, all his friends' mouths are hanging open. It was hysterical.

Possible Preaching Angle:

Jesus promises to walk with us every step of our journey. He is caring about our problems and he promises to protect and guide us. We can proudly say, “The King of Kings is my big brother.”

During his days as President, Thomas Jefferson and a group of his companions were traveling across the country on horseback and they came upon this flooded river which had washed the bridge away. Each rider was forced to ford the river on horseback, fighting against deadly currents.

One traveler, not part of the group, was watching from a distance. After seeing several people cross the river safely, the stranger wandered up to the President, tapped his boot, and said, “Can I have a ride across the river?” President Jefferson agreed with hesitation and the man climbed onto Jefferson’s horse and the two of them made it safely to the other side.

As the stranger slid off the back of the horse to dry ground, a man in the group looked at him with incredulity, and said, “Why on earth would you ask the President of the United States for a ride across the river? Why didn’t you ask one of us?” And the man was shocked, and said, “I had no idea that he was the President of the United States. All I knew is that written upon some of your faces was the word ‘no’, but written upon his face was the word ‘yes’ – and I needed a ‘yes’ face today.”

Dr. Jeffrey Hall, a communications professor at the University of Kansas, published research about the relationship between time invested in a friendship and friendship closeness. In general, Hall found that it took 40-60 hours to form a casual friendship. Moving from casual friend to friend required between 80-100 hours, and moving from friend to good/best friend took between 160-200 hours. Time spent together was a key predictor of friendship closeness, but the type of activity mattered as well. For example, more time spent at work or in class together actually predicted lower closeness, but more time spent hanging out without an agenda predicted higher closeness.

The kind of talk friends engaged was also important. Small talk (about things like pets, sports, current events, TV/music/movies) predicted lower closeness over time. But striving talk (which Hall defined as “catching up by talking about events that have occurred since you last saw each other,” “Talking about what’s up/what happened to you during the day,” “Serious conversation where both of you are involved in the conversation,” “Playful talk to have fun or release tension,” or “Talking in ways that express love and give attention and affection”) predicted greater closeness.

Possible Preaching Angles: 1) Assimilation; Church; Small groups – Time and energy spent in meaningful conversation will help people become connected and have a sense of belonging in the group; 2) Prayer; Fellowship with God – Since closeness in a relationship requires time and deep conversation, then the same is true in our relationship with God.

In a New York Times article titled "The Stories We Tell Ourselves," philosopher Todd May notes that we're often telling stories about ourselves—mainly to make ourselves look good. May writes: "We tell stories that make us seem adventurous, or funny, or strong. We tell stories that make our lives seem interesting. And we tell these stories not only to others, but also to ourselves."

May says that most of us "live in echo chambers that reflect the righteousness of our lives back to us." And in our "echo chambers" we justify why we and our group are superior to others. In short, we tell ourselves a very narrow, shallow story.

Followers of Jesus aren't always better people, but we always have a better and bigger story because our story isn't first and foremost about us. It begins with Jesus. A children's Bible called The Jesus Storybook Bible has a wonderful way of summarizing this story as Jesus tells his followers:

This is how God will rescue the whole world [Jesus says]. My life will break and God's broken world will mend. My heart will tear apart—and your hearts will heal … I won't be with you long. You are going to be very sad. But God's Helper will come. And then you'll be filled up with a Forever Happiness that won't ever leave. So don't be afraid. You are my friends and I love you.

In his book The Christian Atheist, Craig Groeschel offers a litmus test of sorts that might shed a little light on your relationship with God. He writes:

If you call me "Pastor Craig," chances are you might know a little about me. You know what I do, maybe you've heard me speak, and maybe you're familiar with some of my favorite topics and my up-front personality. But your use of my title doesn't mean that you know me personally.

You might just call me "Craig," and I'd usually assume that you know me even better. My friends call me Craig. We're close.

Then there are those who possess exclusive rights to a few specialized, far more intimate forms of address. These are the six beautiful, small people, very dear to me, whom I allow to climb up in my lap. They rub their hands on my face and say things like "You need to shave" and "You're the best" and "Can I have some candy?" They call me "Daddy." The name reveals the intimacy.

What do you call God? Your answer may be a clue to how well you know him. Or don't.

One of the most moving passages in English literature comes towards the end of Charles Dickens's Tale of Two Cities, a story of the French revolution. Each day, a grim procession of prisoners made its way on the streets of Paris to the guillotine. One prisoner, Sidney Carton, a brave man who had once lost his soul but had now found it again, was now giving his life for his friend. Beside him there was a young girl. They had met before in the prison, and the girl had noticed the man's gentleness and courage. She said to him, "If I may ride with you, will you let me hold your hand? I am not afraid, but I am little and weak, and it will give me more courage."

So they rode together, her hand in his; and when they reached the place of execution, there was no fear in her eyes. She looked up into the quiet composed face of her companion, and said, "I think you were sent to me by heaven."

In all the dark valleys of life, God our Father, the God of all comfort, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, is at our side.

Real prayer is a serious concern, for we are speaking to the sovereign Lord of all the universe, who is willing to move heaven and earth in answer to sincere and reasonable prayer. Prayer is not a mechanical duty, but a wonderful opportunity to develop a loving and caring relationship with the most important Person in our lives.

Just as husband and wife live out their lives against the backdrop of being married, so do we live out the entirety of our lives against the backdrop of a constant relationship with God. He is always there, always loving us, always ready to listen to us. As we recognize his unwavering commitment to us, we are able to live in the day to day adventure and challenge of his presence. We enjoy the dialogue. It's as if we say, "Oh, I must talk to him about this!"