PDF Sermon Manuscript: Proverbs - Everyday Wisdom - Friendship
“Loneliness won’t end when the pandemic ends.” That was the title of a recent news article that I came across the other day. For a number of years before the pandemic, experts have been arguing that we have an epidemic of loneliness. In 2018, nearly half of Americans reported sometimes or always feeling alone. Recent findings suggest that during the pandemic, over one in three Americans face “serious loneliness.” Over in Britain, loneliness is so pervasive that three years ago the Prime Minister appointed a cabinet officer called the “minister of loneliness.”
We live in a culture that possesses the ability to communicate like no other in the history of the world. While our communication might be characterized as easy, efficient, and rapid, we could add another adjective to that list—superficial. Think about it. You may have an abundance of friends on Facebook, but what does that really mean?
Robert Putnam, a professor of Public Policy at Harvard, wrote a groundbreaking piece entitled, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. In his work he “warns that our stock of social capital – the very fabric of our connections with each other, has plummeted, impoverishing our lives and communities.” He argues that loneliness, isolation, and rugged individualism has exponentially increased in the United States over the last 25 years or so. He demonstrates through statistical research how there is a growing disconnect between people at deeper and more meaningful levels. Interestingly, he notes that the amount of people who bowl is up 10%, while the number of people who are involved in bowling leagues is down 40%, hence the title Bowling Alone.
The Bible tells us, however, that this shouldn’t be the case. Our being created in the image of God tells us that we were made for an incredible capacity for relationships. Our biggest problem is that sin distorts those relationships. As we inch closer to the end of our series in the book of Proverbs, we've come to a prevalent theme in the book: friendship.