the good news is here
Today I saw this headline at data.org AIDS toll may reach 100 million in Africa (click here to read the article). My heart sank, and tears filled my eyes. I hate this disease, I hate that this is happening. I hate even more that it could be stopped.
What served to break my heart even more is that I read in a separate but related article, “Although their ranks remain small, increasing numbers of American evangelicals are willing to donate money for AIDS education and prevention in Africa, according to recent polls.” Why are our ranks remaining small? If we really believed that Africans were our equals, then we would not allow this to be happening. I am convinced that we do not.
We have misguided values. In the church we want to know more … more Bible, more Jesus, more songs (the ones we like), more groups, etc. We do not want to serve more. Serving is hard, it is messy, and it doesn’t always make sense. What sense does it make for a people who are a part of the Church in Maputo, the capitol of Mozambique, to go and clean the house of a man dying of AIDS? This man contracted AIDS from a prostitute, infected his wife who died as a result, infected his daughter and impregnated her, she gave birth to an infected child who died, and she was beginning to show early signs of the disease. This is the guy they were serving … why? Because those men and women say:
“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives … For I, the LORD, love justice.”
They believe that the man dying of AIDS, who is responsible for the deaths his wife and grandchild, the one who raped his daughter, and cheated on his wife, that man is the image of God. The pastor of that church made one comment to me as we walked in the slums of Maputo, “The King will say to you, ‘whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
This is not just about Africa ... it is about those of us who follow Jesus serving others. It is about us doing for others what we would want done for us. There are people in our towns, cities, country and world who need to be served. May the Church in America, which holds 80% of the Worldwide Church's resources not squander the great responsibility we have. We have been given much ... much is expected.
The good news is here ... we have it ... let's live it ... let's share it.