Teresa’s Note: December 1, 2023

Teresa's Note

Dec 1

*|MC:SUBJECT|*

Dear friends and members of University UMC:

Today is World AIDS Day. Every year around this time, I think of Mark. Mark died while living with AIDS many years ago. He was one of my second cousins. When I was in high school, I remember my parents sharing with me that Mark was moving back home from Houston to live with his parents, my dear great-aunt Margaret and great-uncle Warren, so they could care for him. I remember his beautiful spirit and kind smile. I remember seeing him lose weight. I remember his funeral and the great number of friends who gathered at the graveside. I remember his mother welcoming and comforting his friends. It was this experience that led me to volunteer at a non-profit early in my ministry, at the time called Interfaith Care Alliance. ICA recruited volunteers, training and equipping us to be caregivers for persons living with HIV/AIDS. During my time there, I would attend several more funerals.

This year’s theme for World AIDS Day is “Remember and Commit.” As it says on the hiv.gov website, “This annual event serves as a reminder of the global struggle to end HIV-related stigma, an opportunity to honor those we have lost, and a rallying cry to commit to working toward a day when HIV is no longer a public health threat.” While there have been advancements in the treatment for persons living with HIV/AIDS, there is still more work to be done.

As we remember those we know who have died, and/or are living with HIV/AIDS, may we commit to doing what we can to be visible and active signs of hope and healing. If you are interested in learning more, you can visit the hiv.gov website. I also recommend one of my favorite reads from a few summers ago–The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. The novel is set in 1980s Chicago and centers on the impact of the AIDS epidemic on a group of friends. While the book is fiction, the author did extensive research making the book informative, heartbreaking, and hopeful.

I leave you below with a prayer for World AIDS Day and a touching piece by the amazing writer and United Church of Christ pastor, Maren Tirabassi. Last Sunday in worship, we lit a candle for hope; this coming Sunday, we light a candle for peace. We pray for hope and peace for all people, for all creatures, and for all of creation.

What a joy to be your pastor!

Teresa

Do what you can to show you care about other people, and you will make our world a better place.

– Rosalynn Carter

A Prayer for World AIDS Day from The United Church of Canada

God, open our eyes to the systems around us that oppress, hold down, and disadvantage the most vulnerable in our society, so that we may increase and abound in our love for one another and for all people.

God, open our ears to the myths, stereotypes, and lies that keep these systems going, so that we may increase and abound in our love for one another and for all people.

God, open our mouths to challenging conversations about race, sex, and differences, so that we may increase and abound in our love for one another and for all people.

God, open our hearts to the understanding that we are all affected by HIV/AIDS, so that we may increase and abound in our love for one another and for all people. Amen.

World AIDS Day

Improv on Psalm 137:1-6

By the rivers of Boston -

Mystic and Charles -

Every year I sit down and cry,

remembering so many

theatre friends

from the seventies in New York.

And on this day

I write a playbill of their names

and their favorite parts.

I sing rainbow