I may not be preaching this weekend (I'm at the altar here in the parishes, just not in the pulpit)...but I still wanted to put a little something out there for you to chew on, if you like...
"I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father."
John 15:15
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"Christ and Abba Menas," also known as, "Christ and His Friend"
6th century Coptic icon
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It is probably no fun being a servant, but in a way it is easier than being a friend. Servants do their jobs without expecting more than the agreed compensation. If they quit, they may feel a little regret over breaking such an impersonal contract. Friends have higher expectations of each other, giving us to understand why it is more demanding to be Christ's disciple. God's servants will likely follow the law, but perhaps have little incentive to embrace the Beatitudes. This may be why the rich young man "goes away sad" after Jesus invites him to do more than "the minimum daily requirements" of faith. Such is the difference between obligation and communion, between serving God and loving God.
Jerry Welte
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