If I only had a friend...

Without a friend....

As Solomon writes Ecclesiastes he muses over the vanities of humanity. How we pursue things and goals with little realization of the worthlessness of them. In Chapter 4:7-12 he gets to a common passage...

Ecclesiastes 4:7–12 ESV

Again, I saw vanity under the sun: one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business. Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

When you need help...

Dorothy couldn’t have gotten home with out the others. She needed their strength and commitment to push her to bravery.

When you need to give...

Dorothy argues with the wizard for her friends.

What I saw this weekend...

Ruth needed to ease everyone’s worry about her.   

Dave needed to take confidence in he was doing his daughters will and taking care of his family and hers.

Ben was astonished at the outpouring of support from the church.

The Church needed to show up & serve.  - we needed them to know that Love was bigger than death.  

John 15:12–13 ESV

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

The greater love may very well be the gift the giver receives.  

Philemon 6 ESV

and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.