John 11:11:28-44

At every beginning of the year, I pray to God to help me keep my friendship with the people I love and care for.  It is important to me that I keep genuine friends.  My friends and I have a close relationship.  One of them we have known each other for over 30 years.  Whenever I call them, I do not need to get myself prepared as to how I am going to talk to them.  I do not prepare my conversations with them, we just talk freely. We laugh together, sometimes we cry together.  Martha, Mary and Lazarus had Jesus for a friend. When they needed help, they sent for him because they knew him as a friend who cares for them.  Though he did not come at once, but still he came.  He mourned with them and a miracle took place.  He called out their brother from the grave to life.  In this season of Lent, all Christians are checking themselves to find out who they are with Christ.  Some know him as a friend; others know him as a regular person who was a son of carpenter.  Some people have thousands of friends at their face book, they communicate through daily writings and everyone gets to know what is going on with their friends all over the world.  As we go on making friends, let us not forget the one who will be there for us in the time of need and despair. He rejoices with us and mourn with us.   The one who will cry with us; the one who will calls us by name and set us free from the bondages of this world.  The one who intercedes for us.  We only have to believe the rest is on his shoulders, and his cry will be heard by his heavenly father.