Ministries:
Adult | Teens | Children

Pastor's Pen's:
2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001

Sermon Series:
Following Jesus
Earthly Cross
His Name Is
Apostles Creed
Dealing with Feelings
Jonah
Get Real
Promised Land Living

Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

(262) 763-3021

Email:
Pastor Scott Carson

Secretary Patti Hall

PASTOR'S PENS 2003

Grace Church of Burlington November 2, 2003 Someone with a very lonely heart wrote: Loneliness is like a piano without keys,       Like a violin without strings.    Like a sanctuary without a congregation       Or a choir where no one sings.    Loneliness is like a blade of grass       Growing through a crack of cement.    Loneliness is like a camp ground       Without a single tent.    Loneliness is like a mocking bird       That cannot sing a song.    Loneliness is a feeling       That one does not belong.    Like a pansy in a corn field       Hidden where no one can see.    I know all there is to know about loneliness       Because it lives inside of me. Loneliness is of epidemic proportions in today’s world. Considering the changes that are happening everywhere in society, and with the breakdown of community and the movement away from the extended family, we find that people experience loneliness as never before. To truly be someone’s friend or to truly have friends is both a great privilege and honor. Someone has suggested that you are very fortunate if you have five real friends in your lifetime. They’re probably right. A good friend is sometimes very hard to find.             We’re so glad that you’ve joined us today for Friend Day. You’ve always got friends at Grace Church. We all need a friend because when you analyze the human condition, you find that we are all very much alone. We come into this world alone, and we go out of this world alone. During the time we spend here, we can still be very much alone. People can be alone even in the most crowded city because loneliness has very little to do with whether people are around you. Loneliness has to do with the isolation we feel when we have no meaningful relationships with people. And then, there are no perfect friends – except one...Jesus Christ.             Whether you know it or not, Jesus truly wants to be your best friend. Perhaps you have never thought of Him in that way. We think of Him as our Savior, our Lord, the eternal God who came to this earth and was made a man. He is the Son of God who offered Himself as a sacrifice on Calvary for our sins. But can this awesome God-man be our friend?  The Bible says that He not only can be, but that He is our friend. Jesus Himself tells us that He is our friend. In John 15:15 He said, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”             Jesus wants to relate to us as friends. A friend shares with his friend on a deeper level than do others. We may be polite to acquaintances, but we’re not overly transparent with them. A real friend is different. With that person we can let our hair down and really open our hearts. We can share our joys and defeats, our frustrations and failures, as well as our successes and good fortune. Our communication is more than a superficial level. Jesus Christ wants to know us and for us to know Him on a deep and intimate level. But it’s not enough to know about Jesus, we must know Him. He wants to share Himself with us, to be our friend. And if there was ever someone who qualified to be a friend, it is Jesus. All of the characteristics of a good friend, He possesses. He knows us and loves us just the way that we are.             How much does He love us? Let me share His own words from John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." Jesus loved us enough to give Himself as a sacrifice on the Cross for our sins. He gave His life for us. Jesus just didn’t talk about His love; He proved it.             Do you have a friend like that? If Jesus Christ is not your friend, why not ask Him to be today? He knows all about you...and still loves you. He cares about your spiritual welfare and wants you to be free from sin and the penalty of sin. He wants to be your friend. That is why He gave His life for you. What a friend! Is He your friend? Is Jesus your friend, a friend who will never quit... Have you asked Him to be your Lord and Savior? If not, why not – today?