WHEN Jesus was asked what the most important rules in life were he replied: “To love God and to love your neighbour as yourself ”.

He even went as far as to say that all the laws hang on these two things and when he was challenged to explain what he meant by ‘neighbour’ he responded by telling the story of the Good Samaritan; someone who reaches out to a complete stranger, someone who was even perceived to be from a different religion and gives them aid, both physical and financially.

Christians believe, naturally enough, that in Jesus we have a role model to follow so it is a Christian imperative to help those who are in need.

I grew up in a relatively poor family.

We often went without electricity because there was not enough money to feed the slot meter, for example (50p pieces as I remember).

Years later I found out that my mother had frequently gone without food in order to see that the family were fed.

We were not alone by any means, there were many families in our position back then.

But I believed, rather naïvely, that progress would mean that those were things of the past.

We may have become wealthier as a nation but the gap between the wealthiest and the poorest is growing ever wider.

Our area is a relatively wealthy one and yet there are many who struggle to get by, many who have no home to call their own and some who even need to live out on the streets.

If we are to take the ‘golden rules’ of Jesus seriously then we need to help them when help is needed.

Love God, love your neighbour as yourself – it’s not rocket science after all.

JAMES TAYLOR

Minister of Cirencester Ashcroft Church