Dionne Warwick’s hit song “That’s What Friends Are For” and Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called To Say I Love You” are but a few of the songs reflecting a big issue in our culture.  The issue is friendship.  Television has popularized friends in all combinations: former buddies on “The A-Team,” high school friends who end up single parents in “Kate and Allie,” the close friendship of Cagney and Lacey and their counterparts on “Miami Vice,”  and the popular show simply entitled “Friends.”  These were among the most popular on TV for a reason.  They were about people who had something Americans want and need -- friendship. 

The increasing need for friendship is closely associated with the increasing divorce rate, says Dr. Walsh of the University of Chicago.  Friendship.  If that’s the need, what are you doing about it?  Do you need a friend?  Who can you be a friend to? 

It’s interesting that Jesus said, “No longer do I call you servants, I call you friends.”