Thoughts on Red Ribbons

Tomorrow, the first of December is World AIDS day. What will I be thinking about when I wear my red ribbon tomorrow...?

...the 11% of Malawi's population who are HIV positive?

...the 90,000 HIV positive children?

...the 1 million orphans?

...or about Tisungane, Kelvin, Chisomo, Save, Mphatso, and the many more I have known who have died because of AIDS.

On Sunday in church we stood in silence to remember them. There were large red ribbons on the columns in St Micheal's in Blantyre that framed the stained glass image of Christ on the cross. We read the story of the Widow of Nain (Luke 7:7-17) and prayed "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven"

So much has been done, so much more to be done...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbOD9fbRnX0&feature=related

Prosperity Ringtones

"You will be blessed in your body! You will be blessed in your finances!"

It's annoying when your registrar's phone goes off in the middle of clinic, but I was intrigued by his ringtone. It was a snippit of a sermon by Nigerian 'apostle', a well-known proponent of prosperity gospel theology. The basic idea is that if you come to Jesus, you will be blessed - materially as well as spiritually. God wants to bless you - you should expect wealth, happiness, health as part of the normal Christian experience. Of course, you should then share that wealth with the one who preached to you...

This sort of teaching is pervasive in Malawi; I've heard the 'You will be blessed' ringtone on lots of other people's phones! It creeps into the teaching of many denominations - Catholic, Pentecostal, Presbyterian.

Even a passing glance at the teaching of Jesus (Luke 9:22-24) or the lives of his followers (2 Cor 11: 24-29) reveals the lie within prosperity teaching. But in a poor country, it is very attractive. It promises an instant end to the drudgery of poverty.

But at it's heart is an evil lie that robs Christians of their assurance, confuses them when they experience suffering and leads many to give their scanty resources to charlatans. And worse, it leads people to worship the gifts, not the giver. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTc_FoELt8s

Pray for ministers and preachers in Malawi that they will not 'distort the word of God' but 'On the contrary set forth the truth plainly' (2 Cor 4:2)

Seeing and Hearing

"You are the God who sees me" Gen 16:13

We don't know how they did it. There never seemed to be much in the way of organisation, but somehow it did happen. On Saturday 10th, 40 students descended on our house for a leaving do / party for the final years organised by CMDF. The chairs and brai turned up. An army of cooks took over the kitchen, and a college vehicle was commandeered to get everyone to Smythe Rd. The food was good - as the photo shows, food is always a good draw for students! Events included an interview panel with 7 of the finalists. This was in turns embarrassing (previous relationships, unrequited love etc!), funny (tales of strange goings on in the back of lecture theatres) and poignant (friendships forged, support from CMF).

I found out an hour before the event I was to speak at it (I suppose there was some organisation). We looked together at the great verbs used to describe the Lord in Genesis and Exodus - how he hears and sees those who are in trouble; in particular, how he hears and sees the most unexpected or 'unimportant' people - Hagar, Ishmael, Leah, Rachel, the Israelites in Egypt e.g. Gen 21:17. Likewise he sees us in our work, hears our cries for our patients, hears their cries for healing and comfort, sees the poorest when the wealthy and powerful ignore them. It's great to know that our seeing and hearing God goes with us each day onto the wards!

New doctors

The class of 2004-2009 take their final exams in a few weeks - if they pass they'll be doctors by Christmas! On Saturday 10th, the Christian Medical Fellowship is hosting a lunch for all final years at our house. Many of the Christian students struggle to make the transition to the world of work with their faith intact.Please pray for students like Roderick (pictured here with one of the kids on the oncology ward) - entering a time of real change in his life.

Which is Witch?

“Pregnant woman gives birth to a stone. ‘Bewitched’ claims husband”

“Man resurrected by witch doctor six months after his funeral”

Newspapers are rarely dull in Malawi! These are just a few of the headlines that have appeared in the national newspapers in the last month. Speaking to people about these incidents has been very revealing. A few brave souls go against their cultural grain and say the stories are nonsense. Most people are troubled or even frightened by them – citing them as evidence of the pervasive, ongoing power of witchcraft. The stories provoked a debate in the national press. Is witchcraft real? It’s an interesting one for the church. On the one hand, the Bible is clear on the existence of supernatural malevolent power, and tells us not to get involved in occult activity. On the other, the fear of witchcraft has a tremendous grip on the lives of many people – a fear that is often stoked up by fire-brand preachers who peddle deliverance from its power. As a result we meet Christian people who pray fervently that their child will not start ‘flying at night’ (the trademark of witches) and live daily in fear. I can’t recall the exact quotation, but CS Lewis said there were two errors we could make about the devil. We can ignore him or pretend he doesn’t exist – the error of most Western secularists. Or we can pay too much attention to him, and live in terror of his power. Perhaps this is what we see in Malawi. Please pray for church leaders in Malawi that they will provide balanced, truthful Biblical teaching that sets people free.