Why we need to Just Love?

The winter season is truly upon us, which means that the festive season is here and people are either running around talking about ‘how bloody commercialised Christmas is’ or dusting off their Michael Bubble Christmas album. In my humble opinion, I think Christmas is class. For me there’s nothing better than watching ‘The Holiday’ whilst drowning in mulled wine. Ladies; Jude Law, am I right?

Whilst Christmas is, for most, a fantastic time, it can be a very difficult period for a number of others. Just before we get into the swing of Christmas, with the champagne popping and endless trips to the supermarket, I would love to mention a cause that can help you extend this joyful Christmas period to someone less fortunate.

The last few years has seen the numbers of those sleeping rough in the UK rise substantially. The charity Shelter has identified that more than 250,000 are homeless in England in 2016. Whilst, statistics are difficult to quote in terms of homelessness due to differing definitions and the nomadic nature of it, examples aren’t hard to find. Just walk through your local city centre on any given night. Homelessness is everywhere and that’s something that Just Love want to take an active stand against.

So what approach should we take towards the homeless? Does the bible give us any examples that can be related to supporting those less fortunate? Luckily, the bible does, it gives us tons in fact, and I particularly wanted to focus on this passage to illustrate why Exeter needs us to ‘Just Love’.

Bible Passage Luke 18:35-43: “35 As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” 43 And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.”

What I love about this passage is it perfectly illustrates Jesus’ approach to supporting those afflicted by society. The passage portrays Jesus encountering a beggar on his travels and provides a blue print for how we should support those struggling around us, in this case a homeless beggar. What I find fascinating about this passage is Jesus’ lack of self-consideration. Jesus ignores his schedule, ignores society’s perceptions of the beggar, and ignores his own agenda. Jesus ignores all of his own needs and asks for the beggar to be brought to him.

What I also love, is that when Jesus meets the beggar, he doesn’t delve into the realms of theology, or spirituality. Jesus doesn’t even explain what belief is. Jesus meets the beggar where he is, he asks him what he needs and heals him. Jesus just loves. Even after the healing, Jesus doesn’t pull the beggar back and start talking about the ways in which he should share his faith, Jesus just continues and the beggar follows him ‘glorifying God.’ No spoken conversion, no condemnation, no mentioning of the past, just the future and just love.

So, how can you Just Loving this Christmas?

Alongside running our free breakfast, thanks to Crosslines, we are launching a shoe box appeal with the YMCA Society to bless the homeless community in Exeter this Christmas. So we are asking people to fill a shoe box with presents for a homeless person. Things that could go in the shoebox include: hat, scarf, gloves, socks, toothbrush, toothpaste, tissues, wipes, flannel, soap, deodorant, hand cream, torch, sweet treats, or a Christmas card.

Once you have made your shoebox please bring it to our event at Boston Tea Party on the 8th of December from 7pm. We will be hosting an evening, with live music, coffee and cake and a Christmas quiz. At the event we will collect all of the shoeboxes and contribute to a wider distribution for the homeless in Exeter, and across the South West.

If you would like to get involved, then please join our Facebook event, by clicking this link:

https://www.facebook.com/events/311367782590290/. Or just join us on the 8th December at Boston Tea Party at 7pm, with a full shoebox.