What a Friend We Have in Jesus

As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another. John 15:9-16

It’s been a quiet week at Crown and Cactus Lutheran Church, that little congregation over between Mesa and Gilbert and Chandler. Last Sunday everyone was surprised to see an old car pull into the parking lot just as worship was about to begin. And when three tired looking scraggly young men exited and headed toward the church several people on the welcoming committee fairly ran to greet them. Two were easily recognizable. Chris and Syd had been pretty involved with the congregation last summer, and they had brought along their friend, Niles. He’d heard about last year’s VBS and want to join the fun. Together they’d be helping Janice Porter’s youth choir to learn some new songs. Chris and Niles had their guitars and Syd was carrying some percussion instruments he wanted to teach the kids to play. Everyone was glad to see them.

They didn’t go into the sanctuary at all but went over to the Sunday School area to set up and get ready for the procession of children who would come after the first part of the liturgy. They would be a surprise for the kids, and Janice was expecting the children would be thrilled. Which they were! The rehearsel time passed quickly and the children were reluctant to go back into the worship service for Holy Communion, but Syd told them he wanted to commune too, and when they heard that, they gladly returned.

Chris and Niles were surprised when Syd told the children he wanted to stay. They’d expected that they would just leave when the practice was over. But Syd’s faith has escalated in the last few months and he’d actually been thinking of finding a place where he could worship regularly. He likes the informality of Lacey’s Thursday night gatherings but a part of him has been yearning for what he called the “old school” feeling of Holy Communion. So Chris and Niles went back too–Niles had actually grown up in a Lutheran congregation in California, but like many confirmands he’d also “grown out” of that congregation. 

After the service during the fellowship time the young men stayed for some goodies and drinks. People were glad to interact, and of course some of the kids hung around them too. They were particularly attracted to Syd. Pastor Baldridge, who was observing all this, took note and suspected it might have something to do with his drummer demeanor. He laughed easily and the kids related to him as they would to one of their peers. Pastor Baldridge remembered the difficulty they’d had in getting the volunteer background check done on Syd the year before. This year his rap sheet would show prison time yet he suspected no one would be bothered in the least by his involvement with the children. A lot had happened, not everything good, but it had all worked out to Syd’s benefit.

On Monday morning at the staff meeting there was a lot of conversation about what had happened on Sunday. Jennie Craster wondered if there had been any more conversation about having a new worship style incorporated into the Sunday morning experience. She said, “Maybe this fall we could have two worship services, one traditional and one more experimental. I think we have enough people worshiping now to support that.”

No one said no to the suggestion, but Janice Porter indicated that this move would involve a lot of work, and it might syphon some of her singers away from the traditional service. She’s been working really hard to build up the numbers and she’s only been able recently to increase the complexity of the choir anthems. She said, “Just wait until you hear the one we’re doing for Mother’s Day. Just nine months ago I wouldn’t have even dared try it. It’s going to be beautiful!”

Lacey added that Chris had said nothing about a change in attitude on his part. She’d asked last summer about him doing more worship leadership at Crown and Cactus, and he’d considered it, and then turned her down. He didn’t feel that his style of music would work with people used to more traditional liturgies. She said, “I think they’re open to periodic involvement, like what we’re doing with the kids on this Sunday. But I don’t think they’re up for anything more than that.”

Brad Zeiner has been thinking all week about Lacey’s suggestion that he write a nice mushy card to his Mom for Mother’s Day. He didn’t like being reminded, but at the same time he knew she was right–that’s one of the funny things about wives–and for Brad it’s happening frequently. This time rather than getting defensive about it, he decided to go the extra mile. He called up his mother and invited her to lunch with him at La Madeleine’s, and they met there about 11:30 last Friday. 

Marge, his mom, was thrilled to be invited out by her son–and even more delighted that in honor of Mother’s Day, he was going to pay. She can’t remember that ever happening before. At first Brad was feeling nervous–it wasn’t necessarily a place he’d ever eat at–and he’d never before sat across the table from his mom in a restaurant for casual conversation. They talked about a number of things: the youth group, Lacey’s new job, his dad’s impending retirement, and Marge’s volunteer work at the Mesa Center for the Arts. They even talked about the recent football draft and Brad’s take on the Cardinal’s chances. Brad was surprised. He didn’t realize his mom knew so much about things that he was actually interested in. He’d never ever talked with her like this before. He even talked about his relationship with Lacey and how much he loved her. Before he realized it, the lunch had stretched into two hours–and the conversation hadn’t been hard at all.

Finally he said, “Mom, I just want you to know how much I love you and appreciate you. I know that I was a problem son and I did a lot of things that hurt you. I’ll always feel bad that I blew through that school money Grandpa set aside for me. I only earned one credit in two years. And then there was all the stuff with drugs. But even when I thought you’d given up on me, you really hadn’t–and when things turned around you never said, ‘I told you so.’ I don’t know if dad will ever come around, but you never went away…” And big tears rolled unbidden out of his eyes and down his cheeks.

Marge reached out her hands and grasped his. She said, eyes glistening, “Brad, I’ve always loved and I always will. And I’m so proud of you! I know that I spent a lot of years trying to get you to do what I wanted–you were so stubborn–but somewhere along the way I feel like things changed. And in these last months I’ve actually begun to feel less like your parent and more like your friend. And I like that feeling–and I’d love it if you felt that way too.” 

Brad wiped away his tears. Wow, his mom was asking him to be her friend! He’d never even thought of that as a possibility. He knew that this was the way it was between Lacey and her mom–actually they were more like sisters than friends–but he’d never thought of that as being a possibility for him. He thought a bit before saying with a smile, “I guess I could…though I don’t think you could ever be Marge–you’re always going to be Mom!”

As they parted Marge gave her new friend a big hug and said, “This has been the best Mother’s Day gift any woman could have. I’d love to do it again. How about next month we go to one of those places you and Lacey have found in Tempe? And this time I’m buying.” All Brad could do was nod and giggle.

Later that evening he was talking about his experience with Lacey. As was her practice she listened intently, drawing him out with questions, all the while with a huge smile on her face. Then she said, “This is so cool. This is what I’ve been thinking about all week as I’ve worked with the text for Sunday in John. Jesus did exactly the same thing with his disciples as your mom did with you. He told them that from this point they were no longer his servants. But because they now had learned all the things he had to teach them, they were going to be his friends. They were going to be friends who loved as he loved and who walked in his way. Sometimes that’s how I’ve come to think of Jesus too. I know he’s my Lord, and always will be, but I also want to think of him as a friend, one who laid down his life for me.” 

Brad marveled at how Lacey could wrestle with a text and come up with such gems. That’s what made her such a great teacher. He’d have to think about his for a while. He’d never thought of Jesus in such terms before–but he guessed that Lacey was right. If his mom could be his friend, then certainly Jesus could be too! 

That’s the word from Crown and Cactus Lutheran Church, where all the men are faithful, the women are committed, and the children are all growing in grace.