Whoville, I Am God's Friend Series

Whoville I am God’s Friend

Over the past few weeks we’ve talked about Whoville in relation to Dr. Suess' classic Horton Hears a Who, but the reality is, that when most people hear the term “Whoville” that isn’t the book they think of. Instead, they think of Little Cindy Lou Who and her family from Seuss’ 1957 Classic how the Grinch Stole Christmas.

And that is where the title of this series came from.

Back in November, the worship team led us singing "Who you say I am" and there had been a pile of advertising for the new CGI feature of the Grinch and my mind went to Whoville.

And while Whoville in Horton hears a who was a small world that existed on a speck of dust that existed on a flower, the Whoville in the Grinch is only identified as existing at the base of Mount Crumpit. In the live action version with Jim Carrey, we are told Whoville exists inside a snowflake.

Are they the same Whoville? I don’t know.

But the end destination of my mental meandering that morning is this series, Whoville: Who God says we are.

And over the past five weeks we have looked at how we are called Disciples of Christ, Children of God, Victors and just last week Pastor Stefan looked at how we are called Ambassadors and New Creations.

This week I want to take you back to the hours before the crucifixion. The story was read earlier, Jesus and the Apostle had celebrated Passover together, in a way that we have embraced as our communion celebration.

It was then that Jesus told his followers, John 15:13-15 There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn't confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends since I have told you everything the Father told me.

I remember the first time I read that passage and the reality of verse 15 actually sank in. Jesus, the Son of God said, “Now you are my friends”. And while Jesus was specifically speaking to the Apostles I truly believe that these words apply to us today.

So when we ask, “Who does God say I am” as a follower of Jesus Christ you are his friend. And this isn’t the only time the Bible refers to someone being a friend of God’s.

The prophet Isaiah wrote these words Isaiah 41:8 “But as for you, Israel my servant, Jacob my chosen one, descended from Abraham my friend,

And Jesus’ brother James writes in James 2:23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.

And so, Jesus tells us, that he is our friend. But what does that mean?

Helen Keller once wrote, “Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.” And Henry Van Dyke said, “A friend is what the heart needs all the time.”

So let’s go to the words of Jesus that were read for us earlier, John 15:16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.

Friends are Chosen You’ve all heard the statement, “You can pick your friends but you are stuck with your relatives.” And we do pick our friends, I’m not sure how that works, it’s pretty hard to quantify.

I think about my relationship with my best friend, Reg and I have been friends since grade 9, that would be like almost 20 years ago or so. Actually, it has been 44 years and when I stop and think I can't remember the exact moment that we became friends, let alone became best friends. But we are.

Commentators say that 2000 years ago it was customary for disciples to find a rabbi or teacher and choose to sit under their teaching. But in the case of Jesus and his apostles, it was the reverse, in each case we see it is Jesus who does the choosing.

But not everyone who Jesus invited on the journey accepted the invitation. I think one of the saddest parts of the Jesus story is told in Matthews account. It is the account of a young man who sought Jesus out to ask him about eternal life. And after a little bit of back and forth we pick up the story in Matthew 19:21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” The story doesn’t finish with the invitation, if we keep reading it says. Matthew 19:22 But when the young man heard this, he went away very sad, for he had many possessions. He was chosen, but he didn’t accept the call.