“Love your neighbour as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Romans 13: 10) These words from Paul’s letter to the Romans were read to us at Morning Prayer last Friday. For me, Morning Prayer often follows an hour or so of the Today Programme on Radio 4 and therefore an hour of reports of people failing to love their neighbours in word and deed. Sometimes reports of brutal violence easily characterised as plain wrong and devoid of love. Sometimes reports prompt a more equivocal response: protests for good causes which hurt others, for instance. In many of these situations, had the people in the story attempted to love their neighbour, a better outcome might have been possible.
It was Jesus who distilled all the law of the Scriptures down into the commandment to love God and to love one another. (Matthew 22: 37-40) Not only is this fundamental for believers, but it is a uniquely attractive aspect of our faith to others. But it’s not the words that are attractive, it’s the practice. So when we pray “Your kingdom come” let’s also pray that we can each day find the way of loving our neighbour. Because the two things are probably the same: when we all love our neighbour all of the time, then God’s kingdom will have come.
So in the words of the St Albans Diocese Living God’s Love prayer:
Living God, draw us deeper into your love;
Jesus our Lord, send us to care and serve;
Holy Spirit, make us heralds of good news.
Stir us, strengthen us, teach and inspire us to live your love
with generosity and joy, imagination and courage;
for the sake of your world and in the name of Jesus,
Amen
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