This is my prayer says Paul - And he was a man prayer, praying for those with whom he had come into contact. It was not just a wish list, but an earnest desire to see God at work in their lives. And is this not a model for us, not only the church leaders, but for each of us, you and I, to hold up before God individuals and groups, desiring God to be at work in their lives. Were I to ask you "Whom are you praying for?", then your answer would tell me of your engagement with others and with your urgency for evangelism.

We tend to pray for those who are sick or for the lost in distant lands, but our calling, to evangelism, to reaching out to others for the sake of the Gospel demands us to pray regularly for those outside the church who God brings across our path. In cursillo, there is a motto - speak first to God about people before speaking to people about God. This is not just a catch phrase, but the whole purpose of our being. And our prayer is to be that God will be at work in their lives so much that they will discover him and his love expressed in Jesus.

So what does Paul pray for? That they might have love overflowing into knowledge and insight. Here it is - heart before head, and the sense of the Greek, is not knowledge - facts, but awareness. In other words Paul begins from the love, which when experienced, draws one into awareness and insight. They will know what to do, because of their experience of love, and this overwhelming love of God, should be our guide as well. It is all very well for the bible to pushed, but until we discover the love that it describes in our own individual lives, and in our corporate life we have missed the point. Rather than exposing us to the love of God, all to often scripture is u+sed as a legal document in order to determine who is pure and blameless and more particularly, who is not.

Paul talks of the harvest of righteousness, and this word that he uses is the one for fruit. This links us with his teaching in Galatians chapter 5 about the fruit of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, kindness and self-control. These are fruit that make up the harvest of righteousness, and like the harvest of the fields, they will develop most fully in the right conditions. Paul perceives these as an atmosphere of love developing awareness and insight.

So what about us. Is this not something for us to strive for? Is this not a blueprint for our ministry?

Evangelism and proclamation of the Gospel is not about trying to persuade others to believe what I do, but confronting them with an alternative that they dare not refuse. Christians are called to infiltrate the world and bring God's love wherever we go. As God's people, our lives should be the message that proclaims the meaning of Jesus life, death and resurrection. The powerful testimony of a life changed through an encounter with Jesus will do more than any sermon or other words. We are not about teaching people jargon, or putting them through programmes, but about loving them as individuals as God loves them. I am not to tell them that they should be like me, but to live in such away that they want to be like me, or at least to have what I have. This love leads to the awareness of God and a response to him.

So we start evangelism with our own personal relationship with God. Have we an experience of God's overwhelming love? Are we aware of his presence daily? Is there a harvest of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives?

It is as we begin to ask and answer these questions that we can start to see how much our faith will influence others. Do not get me wrong, there are times in which we need to speak, but more often we need to live. Conversion is not about the head, but about the heart.

So our challenge is to live so that others are challenged. This Christmas season is a good opportunity, because in the midst of all the hype, there is that sense that the child in the manger means something. We have an open opportunity to enter into to issue of faith with others, and we will see many people come through the church doors that would not normally be here. As Anglicans, we have a huge advantage, as we do not insist on anything more than the desire to be recognised as Anglican to belong. All Christians in general and in particular all Anglicans belong, but many do not know that yet. Perhaps we should take time to invite the less regular and ensure that they feel a part of the group. Look around and see who God has given you to invite.

We have in our Parish, 1,419 people whom God wants to hear the message of the Gospel and 564 Anglicans to draw into our fellowship.

This Advent, let you and I take up the sense of urgency that the season implies and not put off sharing God's love with our neighbours. Let us make Paul's vision a blueprint for our parish.