Every day is World AIDS Day!
Every Dec. 1st the whole world remembers the challenges of people living with HIV/AIDS on “World AIDS Day”.
But do we really? When you hear the word “AIDS” what comes to your mind? Are you afraid? Puzzled? Appalled?
Remember one important thing – every person who has HIV has been made by God and is very precious to Him. And remember another thing – Jesus tells us to love our neighbours as ourselves. That means that we must love people with HIV.
And not only one day a year. Not just by lighting candles and wearing red ribbons. God wants our love to be like His love for us. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3.16-18)
Here in Mumbai God is using His children in the church to love people with HIV. Does our church have people with HIV? We should. We need to be telling everyone about Jesus and seeing people come to the Lord. We should be welcoming people who are sick and in need.
People with HIV do not just have needs one day of the year. Every day is World AIDS Day. People who have HIV need to be loved – by us! God loves us and we need to love each other.
How can we do this? We can start by telling the world that Jesus loves people with HIV – and that we as children of God want to love people to too! We can have our churches pray for people with HIV. We can visit people in their homes. We can pray. We can listen. We can take people to the doctor and to hospitals. We can help people get tested for HIV. We can spend time with their children – we can play with them and coach them. We can help out in many, many, many ways.
Would you like to learn more? Please join us for a special Mumbai AIDS Sunday Praise and Prayer Meeting which will be held on Sunday 5th December from 6.30-9 PM at the Marthoma Church, Mulund (opp. Fortis Hospital).
