Book of Common Prayer

1 The Word of life always was living, even from the beginning. We heard him. We saw him with our own eyes. We looked at him, and we touched him with our own hands. We are writing to you about this Word of life.

² This life came to earth. We saw him, and we know about him. And we tell you about this life that lives for ever. This life was with the Father and came to us.

³ We tell you also what we have seen and heard. We tell you so that you also will belong with us. And we belong with the Father and the Son.

⁴ We write these things to you so that we all will be very happy.

⁵ God is like light and he is not dark at all. That is the message we heard from him. That is the message we are telling you.

⁶ Do we say that we belong with him? And at the same time, do we live in the dark? Then what we say is not true, and what we do is not right.

⁷ Do we live in the light, as God is in the light? Then we belong with others who belong to him. And the blood of the death of Jesus Christ makes us clean from all the wrong things we have done.

14 Jesus said, `Do not let anything trouble your heart. You believe in God and you must believe in me also.

² In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to make a place ready for you.

³ If I go to make a place ready for you, I will come again. I will come to take you so that you may be with me.

⁴ You know where I am going, and you know the way.

⁵ Thomas said to Jesus, `Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?'

⁶ Jesus said to him, `I am the way. I am the truth. I give life. No one can come to my Father unless I take him there.

⁷ If you knew me, you would have known my Father also. But from now on you do know him because you have seen him.'