Happy World AIDS Day!

I hope that doesn't sound like too much of a contradiction in terms. Who can be happy about a day in which we're supposed to remember that millions of people are dying from an incurable disease way before their time? Is there some way in which I can grasp at joy in a situation like this? Or do I even care?

To me, AIDS is such an invisible disease, even in South Africa, which is one of the countries worst affected by the disease. AIDS is a disease for 'other people', the poor and black. And even when you speak to them, few are open about being HIV-positive. The virus hides behind the countless symptoms and infections that are the surface causes of people's suffering. I had a jolt the other day when a well-off white friend told me she had been for a battery of blood tests and was afraid that the results would come back saying she was HIV-positive. Praise God, when they came back it turned out she was negative!

But what does God have to say to us about AIDS? We Christians often trumpet the fact that we have the ultimate way to prevent AIDS: sexual abstinence before marriage. And that's wonderful! It truly is something to celebrate, proving once again the wisdom of God's laws against sexual immorality. The NIRSA Declaration of Intent reads:

"We resolve to hold faithfulness in marriage and sexual abstinence before marriage as the only effective way to stop the HIV and AIDS genocide of the human race and to terminate sexual violence. We note further that the Bible holds men primarily responsible for upholding these virtues."

The Church has put together some great abstinence-based and abstinence-plus AIDS awareness campaigns teaching these truths and bringing clarity, while the teachings of secular organisations such as LoveLife seem to have confused people about how to prevent HIV from spreading. But so many people do not seem to be sticking to their pledges of abstinence, and far more are stuck with the virus through no fault of their own, due to mother-to-child transmission, rape and unfaithful marriage partners. And even where people have contracted HIV as a consequence of their own sin, God calls us to love them as we've been loved. So what should we be doing for these people?

I'm reminded of Jesus' words about the final judgment: "I was sick and you cared for me... I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!" (Matthew 26:36;40, NLT). Whether or not we cared for sick people will be one of the things that separates us from unbelievers on Judgment Day! They're that important to God.

Obviously, the first thing these people need to know is that they can know the forgiveness and love of Jesus, and that even though their mortal lives may be cut short, they can have eternal life if they believe in him. It's vital that they come to know this before they die. The second thing we should do (even if it scares us and stretches our faith) is pray for their healing. God is powerful, and he may be looking for people like us to do great miracles in his name. But whether or not he chooses to heal people, he wants them to be loved. So what is the Church doing?

It may not look like we are doing a lot. When World AIDS Day rolls around, secular advocacy groups seem to dominate the scene entirely. But if you take a closer look, you'll probably find the Body of Christ quietly at work both within those organisations (in the form of dedicated staff members and volunteers) and in smaller, lower-profile faith-based organisations. I decided to test this out on Google.co.za and found 107 000 pages from South Africa turned up when I searched for '(church OR Christ*) (HIV OR AIDS)'. Many of them are statements from various churches about HIV/AIDS or church ministries dealing with the disease. Try it for yourself! And then let's not forget all the faithful and faith-filled health professionals working in trying conditions every day to fight the disease.

The NIRSA Declaration of Intent says "We resolve to support current and new initiatives out of the church in tackling and eliminating the HIV/Aids pandemic." Let's do that! I must admit that I have done very little to show love to HIV/AIDS-sufferers. But I want to be willing to improve. And the best way I know to start doing this is by praying.

So will you join me in spending a while in prayer about the HIV/AIDS situation in our country and offering yourself to be used by God in some small way to love those caught in it? Maybe if we do, he'll awaken us to his compassion for the sick that can make even this World AIDS Day a happy day.