thought for the week

The Prime Minister hasn’t had a good week!  Indeed, looking back at whole Brexit process despite Mrs May’s resilience things have not ended well.  From a misjudged general election to the ‘Checkers’ deal which initially indicated some sort of unanimity within days there came the first resignations and defections indicating the deep divisions that have become more apparent as time has gone on. Three failed attempts to get her withdrawal bill through Parliament and with an almost inevitable defeat looming for a fourth it’s not looking good. Along the way there have been even more defections and now with Boris waiting on the side-lines to grasp the crown, Michael Heseltine intending to vote Liberal Democrat, Mr Farriage’s Brexit party likely to sweep the board on Thursday’s election Mrs May’s circle of friends seem to be diminishing by the hour! Can it get any worse? – we’ll just have to wait and see!

Friendship is, of course one of the most precious gifts of life. A true friend is someone who does not fall into the ‘fair weather’ category, but who stays the course of being there for us both in good times and in bad. True friendship is also something which is essentially practical because we have to work at it. It means that we do not call it a day when we have differences or when something was needed to be said which no one else would say.   It means that we build bridges for the sake of such friendships and not allow them to fade. Good times and difficult times are enriched by true friendship, that’s why true friends are so very special.

Jesus valued the friendship of his disciples. He enjoyed the company of the family at Bethany and his first miracle was at a wedding reception, turning the water into wine, saving the host the awful embarrassment of letting down his friends at such an important occasion. Those Jesus called to be disciples soon became friends, and others who thought themselves worthless and rejected found in Jesus a friend who enabled them to find a new self-worth. ‘What a friend we have in Jesus,’ is not just the opening line of a much-loved hymn but the true experiences of all who know that He is the friend who will never let us down. Jesus the ‘friend’ of publicans and sinners – whose love is constant and everlasting, and whose kindness and compassion know no limits!