Biblical Bromance

June 23, 2009
 
Dear St. Paul’s Family,
 
Much ink has been spilled chronicling the growing pop culture phenomenon known as “bromances:”  deep friendships between two heterosexual men marked by emotional connection, free-spirited fun, and physical expression.  Just take a look at some recent box-office hits for the latest bromance near you:  I Love You Man, Year One, and The Hangover, just to name a few. They’re all examples of a new kind of open, expressive masculinity grounded in deep, solid friendships.
 
There are a lot of theories to explain this trend.  Some see this as an emerging kind of masculinity:  sensitive, emotionally open, and vulnerable.  Others relate this to more and more men waiting later in life to get married, turning instead to male friendships for camaraderie and companionship.  Personally, I think the reason is simpler still.  
 
Plainly put, we’re craving real friendships.
 
In 2006, a Duke University study concluded that Americans on average now have a smaller circle of friends than they did in 1985 – in some cases, as much as a third fewer friends.  The “General Social Survey” asked a simple question:  “Who have you discussed important matters with?”  The result:  the number of “close confidants” people turned to has decreased, while the number who would name spouses has increased since 1985.  (“Americans Have Fewer Friends, Researchers Say,”  ABC News, June 23, 2006)
 
What this means is that we are developing fewer close, trustful friendships with people outside our families.  And it’s not just Americans; similar findings have been released throughout the world, including the Netherlands and Hungary.  

This decrease in social interaction not only produces heightened loneliness and isolation.  It also means we are more susceptible to high blood pressure, heart disease, and depression.  And add to this how modern technology (e-mail, cell phones, Facebook, Twitter) is actually desensitizing our neurological abilities to have real, face-to-face, personal interactions.  (“Meet Your iBrain,” Scientific American Mind, October 2008)
 
No wonder there’s such a renewed interested in real friendships.  
 
Over and against this cultural landslide, and before the days of Felix and Oscar, Starsky and Hutch, and the Lone Ranger and Tonto, we get this story, about the first biblical bromance:

When  David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul….Then Jonathan made a  covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. Jonathan stripped  himself of the robe that he was wearing, and gave it to David, and his armour,  and even his sword and his bow and his belt. (1 Samuel  18:1-4)
 
Isn’t it bromantic?

How about you?  Have you discovered the treasure of a true friendship?   Are you craving the kind of intimacy and trust we all need in order to deal with life’s daily burdens?  Perhaps you have yet to find what Aristotle described:   It is those who desire the good of their friends for the friends' sake that are most truly friends, because each loves the other for what he is, and not for any incidental quality."
 
If that’s the case, then join us for worship this Sunday, as we continue our sermon series on the life of David with a sermon called, “The Treasure of True Friendships.”  Come hear how God desires companionship for each of us along life’s journeys, and calls us to live in loving community with one another.
 
Love, indeed,
 
Magrey   

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA  51012
Ph:  712-225-3955
http://www.cherokeespumc.org




VOLUNTEER MOWERS NEEDED
Mowers, start your engines!  It’s time again for us to solicit volunteers to assist in cutting the church’s lawn every weekend.  A sign-up sheet is available at the church or by calling the church office.  Contact Al Henn with questions.  


CHURCH-WIDE POOL PARTY
Back by popular demand, we will be having our annual summertime pool party at the Bacon Aquatic Center on Sunday, July 12, from 8:00-9:30pm.  Individuals and families of all ages are invited, and best of all, the cost is free!