Talking to a friend of mine who spent some time on the streets when he was a teenager - we were chatting about homelessness and I said that Jesus was homeless for the last three years of His life so He can identify. Although of course He didnt have to deal with snow. And then I thought - hang on a minute.... I have no idea what the weather is like in Jerusalem and the surrounding area. So I Googled it.
Jerusalem: Annual Weather Averages. July is the hottest month in Jerusalem with an average temperature of 23°C (73°F) and the coldest is January at 8°C (46°F) with the most daily sunshine hours at 13 in July. The wettest month is January with an average of 90mm of rain.I was somewhat surprised at that! I don't know about you but Id always pictured Jesus as being in permanent warm sunshine and sleeping outside under the stars in balmy weather. But from the above it looks as though Jerusalem's weather isnt that much better than Belfasts!! Eight degrees is pretty chilly! It has even been known to snow there! All of a sudden being a wandering homeless preacher is looking much less attractive than it used to. Isnt it amazing what we just sort of assume because we haven't quite understood all the facts?
I did a sleepout for a homeless charity once in Edinburgh. I joined a whole crowd of people who had opted to sleep out at the West End for one night. I took my sleeping bag and was dressed as warmly as I could, but even so I didnt get a wink of sleep. The pavement was rock hard. The street lights were dazzlingly bright and it was perishingly, freezingly,bone-numbingly cold. I have to confess that it was also just a bit scary. Even though I was with a group of people who were all doing the some thing for charity - they were all strangers. And I was a youngish single woman ..... I felt vulnerable. It wasnt nice.
At this time of year we are all so focused on the shopping and the office parties and the Christmas dinners etc. But for many on the streets Christmas Day will just be another day of cold, damp, hungry, struggle for survival. Yes, there are shelters and Salvation Army hostels and projects to help - and yes, many people on the streets have serious mental health problems and drink and take drugs in order to ' cope'. But let's not forget that Jesus started His life sleeping in a shed and ended His life with no home, no possessions and with nowhere to lay His head. I suspect He opted for this lifestyle because He identifies strongly with the marginalised and dispossessed. He was not only showing us that He dwells with the poor and broken and homeless - but also that His priorities are very different from ours. His was not a life of material riches, striving to keep up with the neighbours, worry about debt or how to afford the next luxury holiday. His was a simple life lived by faith in God, within a community of friends, placing huge value on kindness, generosity and giving.
This Christmas let's not lose sight of that.
Smile at a homeless person today. Or.... why not buy an extra Christmas present, wrap it up and then go for a walk with Jesus and see who you come across to give it to!!
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