Do We Have “B.F.F.s” or “K.O.F’s”?

Do We Have “B.F.F.s” or “K.O.F’s”?

This weekend, we are going to be continuing our “One Month to Live” sermon series and will be speaking to our relationships.  Most of us, if we really had 30 days to live, would want to spend more time with family and close friends.  When push comes to shove, people are what really matter.

            But in our time, this is also a challenge.  According to a recent article in the New York Times, our circle of close friends is getting smaller. Over the past twenty years, the number of people we can discuss "matters important to us" dropped nearly a third. The number of people who said they had no one to talk to about important matters more than doubled, to nearly 25 percent.

The Times article added that this scarcity of close friends has especially impacted mid-lifers:

 “In your 30s and 40s, plenty of new people enter your life, through work, children's play dates and, of course, Facebook. But actual close friends—the kind you make in college, the kind you call in a crisis—those are in shorter supply. As people approach midlife, the days of youthful exploration, when life felt like one big blind date, are fading. Schedules compress, priorities change and people often become pickier in what they want in their friends. No matter how many friends you make, a sense of fatalism can creep in: the period for making B.F.F.'s [best friends forever], the way you did in your teens or early 20s, is pretty much over. It's time to resign yourself to situational friends: K.O.F.'s (kind of friends)—for now.” (Alex Williams, "Friends of a Certain Age," The New York Times, 7-13-12)

            The article says this is just the way it is.  As we get older, we simply are going to have fewer close friends and relationships.  But in contrast, this weekend, we are going to look at the beautiful story of Ruth.  She tells us that it doesn’t have to be this way.  She found strength, hope and power in God and in the people around her.  As all of us strive to “love completely” Ruth can show all of us, including mid-lifers the way.  Come and join us.  You can even bring your “K.O.F”!

See you in worship,

Pastor Pete