What Would you Do for a Friend?

Short Talk (SHT059) What would you do for a friend? (Remembrance Sunday) © Jane Hulme 2016 SHORT TALK: “WHAT WOULD YOU DO FOR A FRIEND?” Aim of Short talk: Main themes: Biblical references: Props: To inspire people to grow in sacrificial loving of others. Remembrance, love, sacrifice, discipleship John 15:13, Romans 5:8 Bag of “skittles” sweets, nine 50p pieces (to give away), laminated picture of the two kidneys in the human body (see Appendix 1) ........................................................................................................................ How many of you have got a good friend?  Some of you may be with a good friend this morning.  If that is you, please could you come forward now as I need your help.....I need three pairs of friends. (You need three pairs of friends standing in their pairs at the front of church facing the congregation) I wonder what you would be willing to do for your friend?  Would you all put your hands out in front of you as I have some sweets I want to give you? I am feeling very generous today! (Go along the line and give one person in each friendship partnership a handful of “skittles” sweets without saying anything to the other person. Make sure that you use up all your sweets)  Oh dear, I only have enough sweets for three of you.  Would you be willing to share your sweets with your friend? (PAUSE and see if people share their sweets with their friend)  Who was willing to share their sweets? That wasn’t too difficult was it? Most of us would be happy to share our sweets with our friends wouldn’t we? Something a bit harder to share with our friend might be our money. Put your hands out again. (Go along the line and give one person in each friendship partnership three 50p coins.)  I have given one friend three 50p coins.  If you are the friend who has been given the money, I wonder what you will do with it, knowing that your friend hasn’t been given any.  Will you share that money with your friend or will you keep it for yourself?  How are you going to split it? PAUSE (Go along the line and find out how each friendship has split the money)  So although it is a bit harder, some of us would be willing to share our money with our friends if we had some and they didn’t have any. Let’s try something even harder. How many of you know what this is a picture of? (Show picture of two kidneys)  That’s right ....it is a picture of the two kidneys that most of us have in our bodies.  Sometimes people’s kidneys stop working and they need to be given a kidney from someone else’s body......  We can all live with one kidney, but we cannot live if both of our kidneys don’t work. I want you to imagine for a moment that your friend is very sick.....and that both of their kidneys have stopped working. In order to be able to live, they need a new kidney.  Now you have two healthy kidneys and it is possible that one of them might work as a tissue match because you and your friend have the same blood group.  In order to give one of your kidneys to your friend, you would have to go through the pain and risk of an operation. © Jane Hulme 2016 2 Who of you would be willing to give one of their kidneys to their friend?  Wow....that is real love isn’t it to be willing to sacrifice one of your body parts so that your friend might be given new life. If we think about it there are all sorts of ways that we can show love for our friends.  but there is one thing we can do that most of us will never be asked to do. Jesus said this: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.” (John 15:13)  Jesus says that the biggest thing of all that you can give up for your friends isn’t sweets or money or even one of your kidneys but your very life. Few of us will be called to give up our lives for our friends.....but Jesus gave up his life for you and me when he hung on the cross two thousand years ago.  Jesus did that to make it possible for us to enjoy a relationship with our Heavenly Father.....so that we can know life in all of its fullness.  That’s love isn’t it? That’s the greatest love that you can show a friend. Today on this Remembrance Sunday we remember those people who have laid down their lives for the freedom of this nation.  No right minded person thinks that war is a good thing, but today we honour those who paid the ultimate price as they died defending our nation. As we think of their sacrifice as well as the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, let me ask you this: “I wonder what you would be willing to do for a friend?” (Move into an act of Remembrance if appropriate) © Jane Hulme 2016 3 Appendix 1 – Picture of human kidneys 4 © Jane Hulme 2016