The 1st Letter of John was written at the end of the first century to a church which was out of the 'honeymoon' period and into the years of doubts and questions. This quotation comes in a passage describing God's love for us and how we have to apply it in our relationships to one another.

In the New Testament John was one of the four Gospel writers and his is the most difficult to understand. If you are coming to the Bible for the first time his writings can be off-putting.

So why not try Mark ? – just 20 pages in 16 short chapters. It has a good story line and you can read it straight through in a couple of hours.

When you have finished it, if you like, let us know by email to the Parish Office with 'Alan Crawley - Readings' in the Subject line. We would be very interested to hear your reaction.