Friends of God
Psalm 16 John 15: 13-15
Joseph Scriven was born into a wealthy, devout family in Northern Seapatrick, Ireland, in 1819. He completed his education at Trinity College, Dublin. Scriven’s life took a tragic turn in 1844, just before his marriage. His fiancée was thrown from her horse and drowned in the River Bann, the day before their wedding. Overwhelmed by grief, Scriven left Ireland for Canada in 1845, settling in Port Hope, Ontario.
In Canada, Scriven committed his life to God and service. At 25, he vowed poverty, sold his belongings, and helped those in need. He preached and read the Bible in community gatherings, taught in a school, and even cut wood - all for no pay. He was known as “the good Samaritan of Port Hope”.
In 1855, Scriven penned a poem titled ‘What is this Friendship for Which We Long?’ to comfort his ailing mother in Ireland, never intending it for public eyes. She kept the poem safe in the pages of her Bible.
A decade after his first fiancée’s death, Scriven fell in love with Eliza Roach, niece of a naval officer. However, tragedy struck his life again when Eliza died from pneumonia in 1860.
In 1865 Charles Converse wrote some music for Scriven’s poem to his mother ‘What is this Friendship for Which We Long?’ – which was published as the hymn…‘What a Friend We Have in Jesus’.
Joseph Scriven drowned near a friend’s home in 1886, under mysterious circumstances: possibly he was delirious with fever and wandered into a stream; or possibly he decided to take his own life.
He was described by his friends as someone whose faith never wavered, despite all his losses.
What does it mean for us to say we have a friend in Jesus, or that we are a friend of God?
If we want to know what it means in everyday life to be a friend of God – we can learn a lot from Psalm 16.
Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you;
I have said to the Lord, "You are my Lord,
my good above all other."
This is not a nodding acquaintance with God – it is the sort of friendship that offers strong protection from everything that assails us – God is our refuge.
But those who run after other gods
shall have their troubles multiplied.
We might wonder how this part of the psalm is relevant to us – we are unlikely to see people of other faiths as hostile competitors, and we might think we are unlikely to change religion: but the ‘gods’ referred to here might have very little to do with religion and much more to do with those things which we might put before faith - the things we chase after, the things other than God which think might satisfy us, or which we might prioritise.
In 21st century, and especially with Christmas approaching, there is no end of suggestions for what might be more important to us than God’s friendship - new cars, fancy foods, exotic perfumes, ageless beauty, health and fitness.
But the Psalm makes it clear that God’s love, friendship and care is better than any of these things.
Once we are prepared to put our friendship with God first, everything else falls into place and we learn to be happy with our lot in life
That’s the meaning of the verse
My boundaries enclose a pleasant land;
indeed, I have a goodly heritage.
These “boundary lines” aren’t about lucky land investments. It’s all about being content. When Israel entered the promised land, the property was divided up by lot, as they perceived that God was giving the whole nation enough land—and each person was given their part.
No one should wish for someone else’s plot of land, but accept what they have, only then do they realise that they have more than enough. Desire and envy are nothing but fear of insufficiency. But God’s friendship is always sufficient. Even if we only have a little.
The Psalm talks about God as the one who gives counsel and protection and hope: as any good friend sticks up for another.
And finally the Psalmist says
Show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
We can rest easy – despite all that happens around us in life – God is our friend.
But, like Joseph Scriven, we have crises in life.
In the light of US election results we might feel there is deep uncertainty about relations between the nations of this world, financially, diplomatically and relationally.
There are so many threats to world peace that it is hard to know where to start to pray.
And in many places this week I have been part of conversations about what we should all do about safeguarding – helping and protecting the vulnerable.
We will want to pray for the victims of abuse. And we might wonder how Justin Welby is coping with all the pressure he was put under to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury. There are plenty of commentators wanting to make statement about how the Church of England should respond when things have gone wrong; about how we all as Christians can be more loving, caring, and active for justice.
Some churches will be marking “Safeguarding Sunday” today, and thinking about all the ways we can make our church and church activities safer for people who attend.
Those things – what we can do – are important.
But I think that more than anything we need God’s help and strong friendship to see us through times of trials and questioning. We need to know we are friends of God.
Jesus promises in some of his final words to his first disciples that he calls them friends. And as we seek to follow, Jesus calls us friends – he offers us his friendship. His love and understanding is with us and beside us in all that we face.
But that friendship is not just one way. Jesus is our friend, and we are called to be friends of Jesus. Jesus says his followers are friends and not just servants because they know who Jesus is and what he is about.
What is Jesus about ?
He is about standing up against abuse & cruelty; calling out hypocrisy & oppression; calling his disciples to be peace-makers.
We have a pretty good idea what Jesus would have to say about all these things that assail us.
And so we are called to be as Christ-like as we can be.
As friends of the God who we know in Jesus:
- We are called to make a community where we encourage one another to grow in God’s friendship.
- We commit ourselves to walk the way of Jesus as his friends, showing love, justice and peace.
- We trust in the friendship of Jesus to strengthen and protect us and make us holy.
We are friends of God.
In the name of Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, to the glory of God.
Amen.
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