Allendale United Methodist Church issued the following announcement on Dec. 1.
A prayer by Rev. Gregory Gross on World AIDS Day, for persons living with and affected by HIV/AIDS:
God of grace and mercy, healing and hope,
There are times when our stuff gets in the way of your calling. Many times we know how you’d like us to react but our own discomforts and uneasiness cloud your vision for us. We know you to be a welcoming God perfectly exemplified in the person of Jesus, the one we call Christ. One who extends grace to all people, even in crossing societal norms; yet, we find yours a difficult example to follow.
O God, too often this is the case when we talk about HIV and AIDS. We’d rather not think about how it was contracted, but at the same time that is all we can think about. Too often we get caught up in a spirit of retributive justice, a “you got what’s coming to you” mentality, rather than responding out of the grace that was first extended to us.
Help us, Gracious One, to truly follow the ways of the One who healed without question, even on the Sabbath, instead of perpetuating a culture of “unclean” lepers. And challenge us to accept that our passing judgment against segments of our society contribute to new HIV infections rather than reducing them. Open our eyes—give us 20/20 vision—so that we may see that racism, homophobia, bi-phobia, and trans-phobia, in addition to a general reluctance to talk about sex in the church, are all complicit in the continuing rise of HIV-infection rates among young gay men and transgender women of color.
May your Holy Spirit comfort those who are hurting and dis-comfort those of us who are complicit in their dis-ease. In your healing and mercy, Amen.
Read the entire 40 DAYS OF PRAYER FOR PERSONS LIVING WITH AND AFFECTED BY HIV and AIDS: http://alturl.com/kjuun
Rev. Gregory D Gross is an ordained United Methodist deacon lives and serves in Chicago, IL.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Allendale United Methodist Church
Alerts Sign-up