on the glass window ..
who ? at this time of night ..
taptaptap ..
i know that girl ..
" got anything to eat ? "
.. . . .
no gear .. no gear
nothing ..
i scramble up some stuff
i found a small blanket, a sweater, a sweat shirt and a beanie
don't have any sleeping bags !
you can't sleep here
have to come back at 4.00 a.m. when we open the Hangout ..
at 3.30 i walk the street nearby
miss her the first time
second time i see her
almost missed her again ..
almost invisible
in the dark
on the sidewalk next to the store wall ..she's here now
eating donuts oatmeal boiled egg and drinking coffee
she's from south carolina
says her stuff gets stolen all the time
no gear
. . . . . .
why ? ? ?
can't ?
we ?
solve ?
this ?
she shouldn't be sleeping on the sidewalk
she should have a safe place to sleep ... .. .. .
she should have a bag to sleep in
she should not have her gear ripped-off
she should not be abused
or played
.. . . .
i have an idea ..
if everyone who names the name of Jesus was to help
one person at a time
as they run across them in their homeplace
it would lessen the hurt
lighten the load of suffering these people carry around in their backpacks
.. don't you think ?
isn't that what we're called to do ? ??
Jesus ..
Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat;
I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink;
I was a stranger and you took Me in;
I was naked and you clothed Me;
I was sick and you took care of Me;
I was in prison and you visited Me.’
Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or without clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and visit You?’
And the King will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’
to
one
of the
least ..
.. you did it
for
me ..
' called to do ' ?? ?
we have to be ' called ' to be human to our human brothers and sisters ??
but.. that's part-and-parcel of being human ..
isn't it ?
we'll stop for a wounded bird, sometimes nursing it back to health
or for a stray dog
but we walk right pass a homeless person . ... . .... .
what's with that ?
we parade and demonstrate over adopting animals to prevent their death
and leave the homeless to do their slowdeath
death one day at a time .. . ?
what's with that ?
Jesus' words then are a slam in the face of our humaness ..
we aren't even getting to square 1 ..
and those of us that are ' christians ' are all the more accountable for our unwillingness to be human
to be Jesus-followers
demonstrated in a big way by showing mercy
shame on us !
shame ..
My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.
Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but you say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet” - have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Hasn't God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?
But you have dishonored the poor.
Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Aren't they the ones who are dragging you into court? Aren't they the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?..
judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.
Mercy triumphs over judgment.
mercy
triumphs
over judgement
every time
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds with their faith? Can such faith save them?
Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
actioned faith
faith moving
towards my neighbour
love played out through mercy
love the Lord with all you are
and love your neighbour like you love yourself
all
all the law and the prophets
are contained in these 2
we are failing dreadfully at being ' christian '
and that at the most basic level
we fail from the ground up
and everything else is spitting in a strong wind
useless really
fail
Jesus ..
I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another.
By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you love for one another.
in living that love we love others
everyother
we show that by helping them
we show that by embracing them
we show that by accepting them
listening to them
hearing them
allowing them to cry out their soul
'cause noone's listening
.....
this dude says he's been sleeping in wet sleeping bags since the last rain
3 days ..
sleeping at 40 degrees, outdoors, in wet bags
his clothes are damp
his bones are cold
3 days
and nights
tailending on years of sleeping in the streets ..
how much longer can his system handle it .. ? ?
mercy
mercy triumphs over judgment
go
and do likewise
shalom
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