Today, as our two congregations gather in this annual Cure Day Service and Fellowship, we do so under the theme: “Rejuvenated for Christ.” To be rejuvenated is to be renewed, revived, and strengthened for a greater purpose.  And through today’s Gospel lesson from Luke 15:1 -10, we are reminded of the heart of God - a heart that never gives up, that seeks out the lost, values each person, and rejoices when even one is restored.

Jesus’ parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin teach us that renewal is not just personal, but communal.  The shepherd’s joy was not private; the woman’s celebration was not hidden; both called others to join in rejoicing.  In the same way, to be “Rejuvenated for Christ” is not simply to feel refreshed in our own spirits, but to bring that spirit of renewal into our families, our congregations, our communities, and by extension - our nation.

This is especially relevant for us - two churches serving together in one Cure, and as Jamaicans reflecting in the days following a general election.  Elections can easily divide us - PNP vs. JLP, orange vs. green - but Christ calls us to a higher identity.  As 2 Corinthians 5:17 reminds us, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”. That is rejuvenation! In Christ, we are not defined by party colours or earthly divisions, but by the renewing love of God that makes us one people.

Our joint service today is itself a living witness to that truth.  Though we come from different church families, today we worship as one body, under one Lord.  We are rejuvenated for Christ when we choose reconciliation over rivalry, compassion over criticism, and unity over division.

So let us go forward from this place, not as two congregations, not as competing political colours, but as one people – one Cure, who have been rejuvenated by Christ to seek the lost, restore the broken, and rejoice together in God’s renewing grace.

May our prayer be that our Churches, our Cure, and our beloved nation of Jamaica will experience true rejuvenation in Christ - so that we may celebrate not what divides us, but what unites us in Him.

For as Jesus says in Luke 15:10: “Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents”. May that joy also be ours today, as we rejoice in being Rejuvenated for Christ.



Colin Barnett Rector’s Warden – St. Philip’s