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AIDS Day

photo of Greg preachingSermon by Dr. Greg Knox Jones
on Isaiah 1:10-18
given December 1, 2007

We gather this evening to remember; to remember those who have perished due to HIV/AIDS. We gather to remember not only the millions of people worldwide who have died, but especially those individuals who we knew personally who succumbed to this terrible disease. We remember their unique lives and the specific ways they touched us. We remember the times they made us laugh and the times they made us cry. We recall their passions and their dreams; their acts of courage and their acts of kindness. We know what they stood for and what they stood against. And we hold up to God all that was in them that was good and true and compassionate and generous. And we pledge to God to honor their memory by living in ways that brings honor to their lives. We pray that God will grant us the assurance that they are now in God’s eternal care and that one day we will be reunited with them.

One of the chief ways that we can honor the lives of those who have been taken from us by this deadly disease, is to take stock of where we are today in the global fight against AIDS and to recommit ourselves to working for its eradication. The news of this past week has been one of mixed blessings. A government report released grim statistics for our nation’s capital. One out of every 50 people in Washington, DC has AIDS. More shocking, one in 20 is infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. This means that our nation’s capital has the highest HIV infection rate of any city in the country.1

The recent news is especially devastating for African Americans. Eighty percent of those infected in Washington, D.C. are black. And nationwide, HIV rates among black women are 20 times higher than among white women. Cookie Johnson, Magic Johnson’s wife, said this is the news that brought her off the sidelines and into the forefront of her husband’s campaign to reduce HIV/AIDS among blacks.2 And together, their leadership is going to make an impact on infection rates. They convinced the drug firm Abbott, to give $60 million to finance their five year campaign.3

There was very good news from the United Nations AIDS Program this week; news that caught some of us by surprise. There are fewer people living with HIV than previously thought. It appears that the number of people infected with AIDS has actually hit its peak and has begun to come down. In 1998, there were three million new cases of AIDS every year; in 2007, it is estimated to be down to 2.5 million new cases.4

We need to toast the news that half a million fewer people will get AIDS this year. And yet, our celebration must be severely muted. Now, 2.5 million new cases is hardly something to trumpet. AIDS remains one of the world’s leading causes of death, with nearly 6,000 people dying every day of the year.5

Obviously, there is still a very long way to go, but the news that there are fewer cases ought to energize and inspire us. It means that all of the efforts of the past two decades have not been in vain. It means that governments will not be able to excuse themselves from investing in education and drugs, claiming that the disease is out of control and there is nothing that can be done to stop it. The news that the epidemic has peaked and the number of cases is dropping should give us hope that the battle can be won. It should motivate every government to strike even harder at this dark foe because we now see that it can be defeated.

In our scripture reading from the Book of Isaiah, the prophet invokes the Sodom and Gomorrah story from Genesis and makes it clear that the sin of these cities that led to their destruction was not homosexuality. It was injustice. Isaiah declares that God has had it with their empty religious rituals and cannot stand their solemn assemblies. The people are bringing all sorts of offerings meant to win God’s favor, but God says, “Give up! I’ll hide my eyes from you; I’ll close my ears to your prayers.” God will totally ignore them – unless – they change their way of living. God will only pay attention to them if they strive for justice. Specifically, God calls on them to rescue the oppressed, to defend the orphan and plead for the widow.”

In our nation, orphans are something of an earlier era, but worldwide the AIDS epidemic has created more than 10 million orphans. In the face of this generational devastation, if we are going to respond to God’s call to do justice, we must care for these children. We must give our money to world relief organizations that are caring for these parentless children and we must call on the governments of the world to give them adequate support.

In many developing countries around the world, AIDS is leaving wives without their husbands and few prospects for supporting themselves. We must insist that the widows of the world are given what they need to live healthy and whole lives.

For us to strive for justice means that we must become instruments of healing and advocacy for those whose lives are being destroyed by AIDS. We must make sure that the government policy makers and the health authorities of our world keep their promise to be vigilant in the fight against HIV/AIDS and to commit the financial resources that are needed to win the battle against this pandemic that is ravaging our planet. Yet, we not only call on governments to persevere in the fight against AIDS, we also call on families and communities of faith and concerned individuals to provide the needed leadership and resources.

For us to strive for justice means that we must “cast ballots and write letters and tell the stories of the ravages of HIV/AIDS.”6 We must press our government to provide more funding to pay for drugs to treat this disease.

For us to strive for justice means that we must educate ourselves and others about this pandemic; that we talk openly about the importance of fidelity, the necessity of using condoms and the various ways that AIDS is spread.

For us to strive for justice means that we insist on laws that protect the civil liberties of all persons living with AIDS, and that governments enforce these laws.

For us to strive for justice means that we expose intolerance and bigotry so that those affected with AIDS will be granted the respect, support and compassion they deserve. Each person needs to be treated as a fellow child of God.

Tonight, as we remember those who have died from this disease, I pray that we will be faithful to God’s calling to strive for justice, and that we will join hands with one another and pledge ourselves to renewed efforts at eliminating this disease. We are God’s hands and feet in the world and it is through us that the world will be transformed.

NOTES

    1. VOA News at the website: www.voanews.com
    2. The Henry Kaiser Family Foundation at www.kaisernetwork.org
    3. Steve Sternberg, “Magic Johnson’s top cheerleader joins his AIDS fight,” on www.usatoday.com
    4. Donald G. McNeil, “A Time to Rethink AIDS’s Grip,” The New York Times, November 27, 2007.
    5. “Revised HIV data shows need to invest in hardest hit communities,” on the International HIV/AIDS website at www.aidsalliance.org
    6. Barbara Anderson, “That the Blind May See,” on the Covenant Network website.

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