10.16.23 - 2 Samuel 1:26
Love is all too often equated with romance. Love is shared in many relationships, friendship chief among them. When was the last time you told a friend you loved them? Isn't it about time?
I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; greatly beloved were you to me; your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
The story of David and Jonathan is one of few in Scripture that showcases deep emotional love between men.
For that reason it’s often read at gay weddings, and this passage occasionally at memorials. As a queer Christian, I thirst for this kind of representation.
Their relationship may have been sexual, it may have been romantic. It was obviously loving. But when I hear people argue that they were “just friends” I wonder: “do you even know how salvific the love of a friend is?”
My culture’s obsession with romance often means it displaces other kinds of love, like that between best friends.
The receiving line expects the spouse, kids, siblings, parents perhaps … but not the close friend. Will I get bereavement leave from work to mourn? Will consolation casseroles come?
There are so few supports for this kind of grief.
There are many ways to love and be loved, and what we share as friends is often overlooked in our culture. Who are the friends you love? When was the last time you told them?
--Kate Davoli