Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of John (1: 35-42) in which, after hearing John the Baptist call Jesus ‘the Lamb of God’, some of John’s followers went and spent time with Jesus. Fr Paul notes this story of the call of the first disciples takes place in the Jordan valley, where John was baptising. The first two to be called are disciples of John, so they had originally joined John’s group of those who were waiting for the Messiah. So, they were ready when John pointed Jesus out. Fr Paul says it is striking that when Jesus calls them to be with him, they remain with him for the rest of the day. It is only after spending time with Jesus that they then go off and bring others to join in the benefits they have received by spending time with Jesus.In our call to follow Christ, prayer must come first. Taking time to get to know Christ and then, and only then, can we actively work for Christ and bring others to share his joy. Today’s Gospel Lesson is, says Fr Paul, to take the time to sit with God before we get into the doing of things.