Our scriptural text today comes from St. John chapter 15, verse 15 through verse 17, reading from the new living translation.

Notice here the scripture, these are the words of Jesus. He says, I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know his master's business

and said I have called you friends for everything that I have learned from my father's

I have for my father I've made known to you you did not choose me but I chose you and

appointed you so that you might go and bring and bear fruit

fruit that will last and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you

this is my command love each other and I'm talking today about the gift of

friendship the gift of friendship, the gift of friendship. Here Jesus takes the time

to call the people who were serving him, he calls them friends. And that's a different compliment.

It's wonderful to be able to do something with people that you like.

My dad used to say, you know, God gives your family, the devil gives your relatives.

I think that that probably had reference to the fact is that sometimes people that might be blood

related to you you don't care for them but it's wonderful when you have people that are family

that's also friends here's sort of a general definition for friendship a friendship is a

reciprocal relationship between two people

who share a bond of mutual affection. Friendship, you share a bond of mutual affection. So friends

have something in common. It could even be that you've experienced the same kind of tragedy

and that bonds people as friends. It could be that some experience in the same kind of profession

and that can forge you a friendship. You have to have something in common that sort of binds you

together friends can oftentimes be described as those who know and they

understand each other they actually like each other they have shared

interests with one another and they want to spend their time together. So it's

...