Ode To A Friend

May 4, 2021

"Jesus wept."....(for a friend.)

- St. John, John 11:35

"A friend doesn't have to be a best friend to mark your heart or comfort your soul. It's enough that they pray for you and wish you well."

- Anonymous

I have often been moved by Jesus' compassion for His friends. When you think about it, most of what Jesus said and did in the four Gospels was in response to… or in the presence of… or in spite of… His friends. Friendship was the context in which the Story of Jesus was written. His friends were always on His mind and heart. I guess that's why I wanted to tell you about one of mine today.

Mike was not a best friend, or even a close friend… he was just someone who said, "Hello," to me every morning for the last two years at work. We did not hang out together… we did not go "get a beer together"... we didn't even take in a ballgame together… but Since Mike did not have a lot of family or friends, he would, on occasion, come over to my toolbox and open up a very personal part of his life and heart to me. As a result, we formed a friendship. Following his untimely death two weeks ago, I wrote to his daughter about my friendship with her father. I don't know why… but I just wanted you to know him like I knew him...

To Mike's Daughter,

We have never met, but I knew your father, and I just wanted you to know that I enjoyed Mike as a friend and co-worker. My name is Harry Kuehl, but the guys at work… and Mike… call me "Father Harry" because I have been a Christian pastor for 40 years and just recently retired from full-time ministry and am now working part-time at Hawthorne Cat. On more than one occasion Mike came up to me and shared the ups and downs of his life. He told me that a lot of his problems he knew he had brought on himself… (I know that's true in my life as well)... but that he was still trying to work through them and fix them. Unfortunately, one thing after another fell apart… and Mike, like any of us in that situation, found it tough to cope. I told Mike that God loved him and that God was with him even when he felt alone. God knew what Mike was going through, and I believe Jesus was there and took Mike to Heaven at his last breath. By his own admission, Mike was not always easy to love, but your decision to have a celebration of life service for him is one of the strongest gifts of love that a daughter can give to a father who knows he's far from perfect.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend Mike's service, but I wanted to tell you how much I learned from Mike. I am a true rookie when it comes to mechanical knowledge. Mike was a brilliant mechanic. We worked a full day and a half together as he taught me how to put a reverse fan in a Skid Steer. He could've finished it in half the time, but he had to go over everything at least twice so I could learn. In the process, I also learned some colorful language that was not in my vocabulary… haha! After the job was completed, Mike gave me one of the greatest compliments I ever received. He looked at me and said, "When Pablo, (a lead supervisor), told me I was going to work with "Father Harry" on this job," I said, "Oh sh*#!... not a religious guy!" "But"... he said with a smile… "pastors who have grease under their fingernails aren't half bad." And we laughed. I will miss Mike! I will be praying that you and your family all experience God's comfort and peace on Sunday at Mike's service.

Ode To A Friend

Tell someone in your world today that Jesus loves them!