The Christmas Card List

What do you do about your Christmas card list? Does it just get longer? What are the questions you ask yourself when you are editing it each year? is your judgement based on whether they sent you a card last year, whether you've heard from them over the year, or whether you think you can get away with not sending them a card this year? It?s a similar question about who are your friends. Where do you draw the line when you have a party? Who do you invite to the wedding?

Who were Jesus' friends? Where did he draw the line?

We know that he made lots of enemies. Besides making enemies he made lots of friends. We know that many people followed him round, and that thousands hung on his every word. He enjoyed (should that be 'enjoys' - present tense?) friends. He called (calls) people his friends who do his command - which is 'love one another'. (John 15:14). We also know that he was heavily criticised for the friends he made.

Jesus was/is the friend of sinners. To his dying day he was making friends of them. he even made friends with the criminal hung on the next cross to him - "today you will be with me in Paradise" he said. He makes friends with the people that other people condemn, with those who are outcast and dis-graced. This is something awful for us to think about. It means that whenever we condemn someone, whenever we decide someone is disgraceful we had better watch out, because we are more than likely pointing a finger at one of Jesus's friends!

Jesus - 'friend of sinners'. It trips off the tongue too easily doesn't it? In fact, Jesus is friend only to those who are sinners. This means that if we want to be within that friendship circle we need to recognise that we are 'sinners' -  broken and vulnerable, proud, stupid etc etc - and that as we prepare to invite him into our homes this Christmas it is a sinful home we are inviting him to share.

But this is how peace is made. God overcomes the obstacles put in his way by reaching across the division with his long arm of grace and the love of his friendship.

I tell you who aren't his friends! He cannot abide those who are smug and arrogant. He underlined this dislike in a parable of two people who went to pray. One thanked God because he wasn't like everybody else. His prayer went like this. 2God I thank you that I am not like other people - robbers, evildoers, adulterers. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get." Wow! how s/he grated/grates on Jesus (even though he might get a medal for being a model citizen). The other one simply prayed: "God, have mercy on me sinner that I am." S/he's the one who Jesus wants as his friend. (Luke 18:11-14)

It might be worth reviewing your Christmas card list in the light of the story of the baby who became known as the friend of sinners. Who are your friends? How safe is your circle? I hope your choice of friends raises eyebrows and I hope you are the sort of person Jesus loves to make friends with.

David Herbert