June 2026

A Contemplative Exercise for June 2026

The following is a possible framework for the Witnessing of the Word. It can be personalised or altered: its purpose is to serve as an example of how this Saying might be used primarily in the context of a Prayer Group, but it may be used by individuals too. It is not intended to be definitive.  In the context of a group: the periods of silence should be appropriate for your group - probably not less than 5 minutes, or more than 15 minutes.

Saying for the month: ‘No longer do I call you servants ... but friends’ John 15.15 (RSV).

To begin the exercise, first spend a short while in relaxation and preparing to be still; you may want to relax your way through your muscles or you may find it helpful to become aware of the sounds around you and then put them aside as you offer this time of prayer to God.

Say this introductory invitation to prayer, then keep a further minute or two of silence:  ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest’ (Matthew 11.28).

Introduction to the first silence - a preparation for listening with the mind:

‘No longer do I call you servants ... but friends’.

It was not given to many to know Jesus as closely as John did. He is the presumed writer of John’s Gospel and had initially been nicknamed by Jesus as a son of thunder along with his brother James. Eventually, with Peter, they became leaders of the twelve disciples and the Jerusalem church. As one of the inner circle surrounding Jesus, their friendship deepened over the three years of living and working so closely together. At the end, as John stood at the cross, Jesus committed his own mother into John’s care. A precious relationship.

John’s Gospel was probably the last of the gospels to be written, in around AD 90. The life and ministry of Jesus is set out within it clearly, demonstrating to readers that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God. Its key themes include light and darkness, life and death. The gospel is written, we are told, ‘that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name’ (John 20.31).

John chapters 13 to 17 comprise 1/5 of the whole gospel story and the timescale is only 24 hours!  We get a deeper understanding of the intimate relationship between Jesus and his Father. In these chapters, Jesus prepares his disciples for distressing times ahead. He foretells his betrayal but promises (in chapter 16.22) that they will see him again, and then their hearts will rejoice. Jesus explains in chapter 16 verse 33 that he is doing his best to prepare them for life without his physical presence, and that in him, they may still have peace. Yes, persecution lies ahead but how precious then for the disciples to hear his words of love and commitment. Between verses 9 and 17 come many mentions of love and friendship.  Here are some of those which seem most striking:

At verse 9, Jesus says: ‘as the father has loved me so I have loved you’. At verse 10, he continues: ‘If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love’. Verse 12 sees him say ‘love one another as I have loved you’, whilst at verse 14 he says ‘you are my friends if you do what I command you’. Verse 15 sees Jesus declare that ‘you are no longer servants but friends’. At verses 16-17, Christ says ‘I chose you. I appointed you to bear fruit and love one another’. This is friendship at its best. This is what Jesus offers his disciples and it is a new relationship with him and his Father and with His followers where ever they may be found. Love, done like this, will eventually impact this tiny community of faith in a hostile world and from there, such love will change that world, permanently and for all generations. It has been said that love is a heart, mind and will relationship banishing ignorance. For us in the Fellowship of Contemplative Prayer, we can receive the words of Jesus in each section of our prayer, mind, heart, and will.

We take this Saying into our minds, allowing the saying to speak to us: ‘No longer do I call you servants ... but friends’.

A time is now kept for silence of the mind – perhaps between 5 and 15 minutes.  The silence concludes with a short thanksgiving, and/or feel free to repeat the Saying.

The first silence ends with the words: Father, we thank you for the gift of your Word.

Introduction to the second silence - a preparation for listening with the heart:

‘No longer do I call you servants ... but friends’.

Recently I enjoyed a book by Joanna Trollope, entitled City of Friends and subtitled  ‘They’ll keep you together when  life falls apart!’ Whether that’s entirely true is debatable, but certainly deep long-standing friendship is a precious thing. Obviously Jesus knew this as he was keen to emphasise the twelve’s value to him as friends not simply as disciples.

Examples of friendship with God are also found in the Old Testament. In 2 Chronicles 20.7, Abraham is referred to as God’s friend and again in Isaiah 41.8 where God himself calls him ‘my friend’. In Exodus 33.11 we read ‘the Lord used to speak to Moses face-to-face as one speaks to a friend’. It is extraordinary to think that this holy relationship with the patriarchs is extended to us in Jesus. What a privilege to be a friend of God, to experience something so much better than our earthly friends can offer, however dear they may be.

Father John Woolley in his book I am with you, has this to say on John 15.15 (he writes as if God is speaking directly to us): ‘It means much to me that you share my life and can reach into and bring joy to my own heart’. Close as our friends may be to us, friendship as Jesus extends it to his disciples is on a deeper level altogether. It may be a relationship we struggle to imagine. I have friends who I love deeply. I try to be there for them. I try to listen and care. I try to pray for them. They matter to me. I wish them well. I will put myself out for them, do anything for them that I can, but at some point I (ME) will get in the way. I do not offer faithful ongoing love for ever. I will fail to understand. I will want to make my own point of view known. I will find it hard to listen without planning a helpful response …

The friendship I offer is the best I can, but realistically it is never going to be at the same level as the friendship offered to us by Jesus. That utter commitment of our Saviour to each of us is, as John 15.17 suggests, so  that we may love each other. Can we begin to imagine a world filled with love? To know day by day that we are passionately loved by Jesus must transform our attitudes, our actions and our whole manner of living. This is the way of the cross. This is our privilege and our calling.  

We companions of Jesus are loved, chosen, appointed to bear fruit and commanded to love one another. What joy!

‘No longer do I call you servants ... but friends’.

Now we take this word into our hearts, as we allow Jesus’ words to speak in us, to let it touch us and let it work more deeply upon our lives.

A time is now kept for silence of the heart – perhaps between 5 and 15 minutes.

The second silence ends with the words: Father, we thank you that your Word is alive and within us.

Introduction to the time of intercession – taking God’s word outwards into the world.

‘No longer do I call you servants ... but friends’.

Suppose you felt utterly friendless. Suppose there was nowhere to turn for support. How would you feel?

Let’s pray for those who struggle to maintain friendships and those whose friends have deserted them.

Let’s pray for the homeless, the sofa surfers, the hostel dwellers, and the evicted.

We can pray for people on their own in a new country, all support systems left behind.

We can pray for the lonely, and bereaved, the youngsters excluded from school.

We won’t have far to look to find people who need the friendship of Jesus to enrich their lives.

Let’s pray that churches may get better at spotting and then supporting those seeking friends, maybe unaware that the best friend they could ever find would be Jesus.

Through our prayers and our friendship with Jesus, may more people be led to say these words from a hymn by B. and S. Haworth: ‘What kind of man is this who laid aside his throne that I may know the love of God? What kind of man is this?’

We can trust that lives will be transformed as we pray that people find Jesus, the friend they need.

Say the name of a person or a group of people, and after a short pause, repeat the saying. For example:

‘Alison and your family, God says to you “No longer do I call you servants ... but friends”’ or ‘Alison and your family, God says to you “I call you ... friends”’.

As we allow the word to speak through us we might direct Jesus’ word towards those people and situations where there is suffering, hurt and an absence of joy and where abiding in Christ would bring comfort.  Conclude this time of intercession with words of thanksgiving: Father, we thank you that your Word has gone out through us to those for whom we pray.

The Conclusion

Feel free to use the Fellowship Prayer (below) or another closing prayer to conclude your time of contemplative prayer:

Loving Heavenly Father, we thank you for all your unsearchable riches which pour forth from you as light from the sun, in boundless profusion and generosity, whether received, ignored or rejected. And now we offer to you, in so far as we are able, as an emptiness to be filled with your divine fullness, ourselves, our souls and bodies; all that we are, all that we have and all that we do. Amen

You may wish to say the Grace together before departing.