John 15: 9-17
Japan is covered in Shinto shrines the way our country is covered by postboxes.
A Shinto shrine is a place where you can go and say a prayer. The procedure is simple. You approach the wooden structure where the spirit is assumed to reside. You throw a coin into a wooden box in front of this structure. The coin makes a noise that is said to attract the attention of the spirit. You clap your hands to further attract the spirit’s attention. And then you pray for what you need.
In some shrines you can write your prayer up on a piece of wood and hang it up on a tree near the shrine.
Shrines are often beautiful places and peaceful places.
All over the world, in every culture, human beings feel a need to pray.
When I pray here my eyes often turn to the image behind the altar. It is the image of Jesus sharing the bread and blood to explain how he will share his body and his blood.
‘No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends’.
Jesus called us his friends. He wanted us to know how much he loves us and how much God loves us.
People all over the world want to pray for the things that they need. But they don’t all know that they are loved by God. Even we, who sort of know we are loved by God, often forget it. We go too long focusing on what God wants us to do, or what is wrong with the world, or what is wrong with us. We must never forget that God loves us.
Tomorrow our Bishop will lead us on a prayer walk. The walk will pass through Alderley Edge at about 11am. We will try and get to the Village café by 11.15am. We will pray for this community and we will say some prayers that this community has asked us to pray.
But above all we will tell this community it is loved by God. And to say that convincingly we have to truly believe that God loves us.