I Have Called You Friends

John 15: 9-17

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ amen.  The sermon text for the sixth Sunday of Easter is the Gospel reading John 15.  When I was in 8th grade my class took a trip to Chicago at the end of the school year.  I was very excited but right before the trip I got into a bicycle accident and fractured both my arms.  I wore a brace on one arm and a cast on the other.  I was still able to go with my class on the the trip and I was able to do most of the activities.  We visited the museums, and we rode on the trains.  In the evenings we would go back to our hotel and my classmates along with the teachers and chaperones had fun jumping into the pool at night.  They splashed each other with water and threw the beach ball around and did all the sorts of things people do in a swimming pool. This was one activity that I could not take part in.  I was still wearing my cast so I couldn’t go into the pool and join the others.  So I sat on the end of the pool with my legs in the water.  One of my friends saw that I was just sitting there so he came over and talked to me. He stayed there for the rest of the evening. He did not rejoin the others but instead stayed at the side of the pool to keep me company.  He was a good friend.

All of us need and want friends.  It is important for all of us to have people that we can count on.  It is important to have people in our lives that we can trust.  Our friends are the people that know us and understand us.  They are there to guide us and to be a helping hand in times of trouble.  Our friends will welcome us into their home, and they are someone to talk too.  For some of you your spouse is your best friend, for others it is a relative, for some it might be a person that you have known for a long time.  Friends might even be more important in our day because we live in a time where people are often isolated and lonely.  People want to have friends.  People need to have friends. 

In our Gospel reading for today Jesus Christ our Lord said something truly remarkable to His disciples.  Jesus called his followers His friends.  Recall the words of our Lord.  “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made know to you”.  Our Lord originally spoke those words to His disciples.  He chose them and sent them out into the world to bear fruit by proclaiming the Gospel.  The Holy Spirit inspired some of the apostles and associates of the apostles to write down the New Testament so that through their ministry we could also receive the Gospel.  We now are able to hear Jesus call us His friends.

Think about that for a moment.  The eternal Son of God is calling you, Hs friend.  The Lord Jesus who is the King of kings and Lord of lords is calling you, His friend.  Jesus the savior of the world is calling you, His friend.  We call God our Father.  We can now call the Son of God our friend.  One of the most popular hymns in the church is one that we will be singing during communion.  It is called “What a Friend we have in Jesus”.  Our text along with that hymn reminds us that Jesus Christ our Lord truly is our friend.  Christ is telling us that God Himself is a friend to His people.  All of us want to have friends.  All of us need to have friends.  We are all reminded today that we do indeed have a great friend in Jesus Christ. 

Living in this world knowing that the Lord is our friend is wonderful indeed. The sinful world is filled with many things that make life very hard.  The future of our country is uncertain.  What kind of world will our children and grandchildren live in?  It seems that we are living in a time that is becoming more hostile to the Christian church.  Many of us have to deal with sickness and poor health.  Even if we are healthy, we still know many people who need our prayers. At different times in our life we face disappointment, loneliness, and worry.  It seems to me that having a good friend will be very important for all of us. Christ tells us that the good friend that we all have is the Lord Himself.  Recall the words of Jesus.  “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made know to you”. 

A few minutes ago we talked about the qualities that make a good friend.  A friend is someone that we can count on. After our Lord’s resurrection He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father.  That means that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him.  That gives to us assurance that the Lord is with us every moment of our lives.  We certainly can count on Him.  A friend is someone that we can trust.  Christ healed the sick and showed compassion to all. He spoke the truth about God’s kingdom and carried out God’s plan to bring us salvation.  We certainly can trust him and through the power of the Holy Spirit we do.  A friend is someone that understands us and knows us.  Jesus knows us better then we know ourselves and understands what we need. A good friend is someone that can give guidance.  Our Lord does indeed guide us in His Word.  He guides us with words that are always true and are always right.  A friend is there to help in times of trouble. Our Lord has already rescued us from sin and eternal death through His own death and resurrection.  If he has redeemed us, He will certainly give us all that we need in this life including the strength to live in times of poor health, worry, and disappointment.  A good friend is someone that invites us into their home.  Christ has opened the Kingdom of God to all of us and is preparing a place for us in His heavenly home.  A friend is someone that you can talk to.  I am reminded of the first verse in the hymn, “What a friend we have in Jesus”.  “What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!  What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer”. Indeed we can talk to the Lord at any time and in any place through prayer.

Jesus Christ has revealed the Father’s plan to bring us peace and joy, life and salvation and He has made that plan known to His friends.  Jesus Christ has made it known to us that He is the light in a very dark world.  He has made known to us God’s great love by sacrificing Himself on the cross to rescue us from sin and death.  Our Lord said these words; “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends”.  Jesus Christ laid down His life to remove our sin and cover us with His righteousness. Christ laid down His life so that He could call us His friends.  He rose from the dead to assure us that He will remain our friend for all eternity. 

Our Lord has now called all of us to befriend others.  Remember what our Lord said in our text.  “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you”.  The apostles went out into the world and shared the love of Christ with others. We are not apostles, but we do still share the love of Christ in the callings that the God has given us. 

Our Lord is calling us to be friends to each other and to those around us. To show hospitality, engage in spiritual conversations, share the Gospel, to serve and to care for others. To be willing to lay down are life for our friends.  Everyone wants a friend.  Everyone needs a friend.  May God abide in all of us as we befriend those around us.  May God fill our hearts and minds with the joy knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ has called us His friends.  Amen.