In the Gospel passage for this week (John 17:20-26) Jesus prays that the intimacy he had with his father might be reflected in the closeness of the relationships he has with his disciples – just as he and the Father were one so also might he be with the disciples. This is a good passage for us to read in the week that we see formed the first coalition government since the Second World War. The unity offered in Christ has now become enshrined as a key political principle. Working in concert with each other has become the new task for Liberals and Conservatives: how something is done will be as important as what is achieved. We are entering a new ‘post-ideological’ age with a chill wind of economic austerity in the offing. There will be a responsibility on Christians to be aware of the effect that this may have on those who are the weakest and most vulnerable and to keep recognizing that we and they are bound together as members of the same society.

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