On Sunday, I spoke about how important trusted friends and companions are as we seek to faithfully discern how to be and act in the world. As the temperatures in Rome have steadily risen, I’ve been fortunate to host and connect with friends who are spending summer holidays here. Priest friends who are on sabbatical, friends from places where I’ve previously lived, friends of friends who were transformed by their time at St. Paul’s and who want to make sure their friends don’t miss the opportunity to worship with us. One of the great benefits of being in Rome is that, at times, it feels like the world comes to you, and that all roads indeed lead here!
In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes a point of telling his disciples that friendship with God and with one another is essential for understanding this new community to which he calls them.
But the question arises, what does it mean to be friends with one another as a follower of Christ?
My guess is that the shape of good friendship in secular and other religious contexts shares much with the shape of friendship in the Christian context. A good friend cares about their friend’s life and wants to share the joys and burdens of it. A good friend listens and seeks to truly hear what their friend is expressing in words and in silences. A good friend spends time laughing, crying, and growing with their friend. Think for a moment about your close friends. How have these relationships led each of you to greater life as a result? Reach out to those friends after reading this and let them know how important they are to you!
One of the aspects of friendship in the Body of Christ that goes beyond the characteristics of friendship in general is that spiritual friends grow and walk together in order to better serve together. Such friends see their relationship as a potential channel for God’s Spirit to transform the world, and the closer and more trusting these friendships are, the more ability those friends have to respond to the harder aspects of Christ’s Way together. Serious challenges like loving one’s enemies, challenging dehumanizing and destructive systems, or maintaining hope and the will to continue journeying together when tragedy and hardship arise. Faithful friends know that it is only together, and with God’s help, that we can face such obstacles and challenges. And for those who have been well nurtured in this kind of friendship, their attention then turns to befriending and including others whom the world often considers marginal but God considers essential.
Who are the faithful friends with whom you are serving these days?
How might you expand your networks of friendship to include those who are longing to find the strength and community that such friendship offers?
I wish you blessings, dear friends, as you invest in your friendships this summer. May your meals, your conversations, your smiles, your tears, your activities, and your dreaming draw you closer to one another, and to the very heart of God. And may such friendships empower you to serve together with renewed energy and focus, and to be part of the transforming reconciliation of the world through Christ.
Missed last Sunday? Watch the sermon here! July 9th: A Way to the Way Sermon by The Rev. Austin K. Rios
Read the text version here.
Live & Give
What is it about St. Paul’s that feeds and nourishes you?
Is it our beautiful building, or the wonderful choir and organ music that accompanies the Sunday Eucharist? Is it the joy of sharing in prayer and quiet contemplation with people from all over the world, or how we embrace cultural, ethnic and linguistic diversity? Is it the warmth of our invitations to shared meals, the rich nightly concert programs, or our daily offerings of safety and resources for refugees and migrants?
Whatever your response, we invite you to share with us in keeping alive those things you value at St. Paul’s.
During this season of Epiphany, we want to make sure you have the opportunity to participate no matter how large or small your gift is. There is still time to fill out your giving estimate! Cards are in the church and can be filled in and placed in the offering plate, or you can use the online form!
