In the gospel reading, St John recalls Jesus at prayer: praying that the world may believe that God had sent him, that this showed God’s love for each one of us, and that we must share God’s love with the people around us, just as Jesus had shared God’s love with the people around him.

Prayer is a great activity as we wait for God’s to lead us between faith in the risen Christ and the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

As with the prayer of Jesus so our prayer is driven by the on-going drama of our life -family life, politics, the threats of a European War and the need for peace, struggles with our health and with the health of others.

Sharing in Prayer takes us forward to share in Holy Communion, where in Christ our sins are forgiven and where we are saved from despair by living in the hope of ever closer relationship with God.

Prayer gives us concern for the people around us who are yet to come to faith but who will one day find what they are looking for. So we pray that we and they may be one with us in faith.

Prayer gives us a concern for the people of faith that we may give respect for those who hold their faith differently to us.

We pray that we can remain together in celebration of the risen Christ without the rancour of disunity. For Jesus and God the Father are one; intimately united in mutual honour, belonging, and love.

We need to work in faith to share God’s love with all people of faith and of none.

The Revd Malcolm France