United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands

CIRMC Weekly

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Reconnect with the Triune God- by Rev Otto Menko

Wednesday May 31, 2023
 
“Relationships are difficult and challenging. It takes effort to
maintain harmony in relationships, and our relationship with the
Triune God is no different except that any shortcomings are on
our part because God, our Heavenly Father, has already done
His part. He is always there waiting on us. He sent His Son,
Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice for our sins, and we remain
connected with God through the Holy Spirit. That connection
is vital to our spiritual wellbeing, and sometimes we need to
reconnect. To coin the words of the Psalmist, as the deer pants
for the water, so our souls should be longing after the Triune
God.” – (UCJCI Preaching Themes – Sunday, June 4, 2023)
The doctrine of the Trinity, affirming the three-in-one nature of
God, was an integral part of Christian theology from the early
centuries. Eventually, in 1334 became an established feast day
in the Western Church. Its formal inclusion in the liturgical
calendar served as a dedicated day to honor and reflect on the
mystery of the Holy Trinity, providing the people of God a
distinct occasion for worship and spiritual contemplation.

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Reconnect with Power by Rev Otto Menko

Wednesday May 24, 2023
 
“The power that was promised, for which the Disciples
gathered and waited in earnest anticipation, burst forth on the
Day of Pentecost. Peter and the other Disciples spoke with
power and authority by the Holy Spirit. That same power is
available to us as we reconnect with God and are re-ignited by
the Spirit. There is wonder-working power in the blood of
Jesus!” – (UCJCI Preaching Themes – Sunday, May 28, 2023)
Pentecost Sunday marks the end of the liturgical season of
Easter and commemorates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on
the disciples following the ascension of Jesus Christ into
heaven. It is also viewed as the birth of the Church and the
beginning of its mission to the world.
Please read Acts 2:1-21 (The story of Pentecost)
The above Scripture account describes the events that took
place in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost as thousands of
pilgrims gathered from all around the Roman Empire to
celebrate the Jewish holiday known as the Feast of Weeks,
observed 50 days after Easter (Passover).
On that day, the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples of
Jesus, empowering and enabling them to speak in different
languages. This miraculous manifestation of God’s Spirit
attracted the attention of the crowd. Emboldened and
empowered by the Holy Spirit, Peter addressed the crowd and
explained the significance of what was happening, connecting
it to the prophecies found in the Old Testament, and calling
them to faith in Jesus, the promised Messiah (Christ).
According to v.41, “Those who accepted his message were
baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number
that day.”

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Reconnect with Anticipation Rev. Otto Menko

Wednesday May 17, 2023
 
Please read Acts 1:6-11
In Acts 1:6-11, Jesus was about to
ascend to heaven, and the disciples
were gathered with Him. They asked if
He would restore the kingdom to Israel
at that time to which Jesus responded
that it is not for them to know the times
or seasons set by the Father. He then
told them that they would receive
power when the Holy Spirit comes
upon them, and they will be His
witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea,
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. After speaking these
words, Jesus was taken up into heaven before the very eyes of
the disciples.
Based on this passage, let us consider four aspects of the
ascension of Jesus Christ in light of the theme, ‘Reconnecting
with Anticipation’. How can we reconnect to Christ, to the
Church, to our calling and to each other?
1. By trusting in God's plan and timing
The disciples were anxious to know how God’s plan would
unfold and be brought to a successful and victorious conclusion.
Jesus’ response to their question was clear and explicit, “It is
not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his
own authority” (v.7). Simply put, He said, ‘It’s none of your
business’. Jesus’ statement clearly did not deter believers
throughout the ages from to trying to calculate and announce
with full conviction the actual date of His return. Naturally,
none of the predictions made in the past proved to be accurate
and we can say with certainty that they won’t work in the future
either

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Reconnect for Blessings: A Mother’s Love Mrs. Sonia Wallace

Wednesday May 10, 2023
 
Please read 1 King 17
On this Sunday, May 14, 2023, we will celebrate Mothers’ Day
and we thank God for all women who still nurture children with
love and care. We pray that your resilient love for the children
in your care will reflect God’s unconditional love for you.
To those whose memory or experience of mothering may not
be pleasant, we pray that the supernatural arm of our God who
draws us to God’s bosom, will by God’s mothering love, bless
you with resilience and strength to overcome, through our
Saviour Jesus Christ.
Reconnect for blessings and our focus is on Mother’s Love.
I will be highlight two revelations from the Biblical account
of the woman of Zarephath, but first let me explain the
context.
Mention of her story is found in 1 King 17. She was a widow
who lived in Zarephath, in Sidon, the home region of Jezebel,
wife of Ahab. The residents of this region were known for their
worship of the wooden image known as Baal. God’s prophet
Elijah had declared a three- year period of no rain or dew.
Fulfillment of the declared word would show that Elijah’s God
had command over nature and was the true God. As this dry
season took effect, a famine resulted as the people were unable
to grow their crops. Elijah was fed supernaturally at a brook but
was then sent by God to this widow of Zarephath. The widow
was unnamed, so we will call her the Zarephath mom. 

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Time To Pull Up Anchor!

Wednesday May 03, 2023
 
(The Sermon of the Rt. Rev. Gary Harriott, Moderator of the
UCJCI, on the occasion of the Closing Service of the 43rd Synod
of the UCJCI, held at the Elmslie Memorial United Church,
George Town, Grand Cayman)

We gathered as a church over these day in times of inspirational
worship; deep and provocative Bible Studies; we wrestled in
discussion about the state of affairs of our two countries - the
socio-political challenges; the need to give serious attention to
our children, youth and men’s ministry; the need to be more
intentional in our pastoral accompaniment of our schools; the
need to affirm the dignity of those of our sisters and brothers in
our societies who are disabled; we listened to the pain coming
out of our sister nation - Haiti and what must be the response of
CARICOM and the World Church; we were challenged in
lecture; we were inspired by the stories of some who have given
themselves to the work of Christ and the Church; with the motif
or the central theme of the ship we have determined that we
need to address the quality of our worship, our fellowship, our
discipleship, our stewardship and our leadership

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Pastor John Wallace Macmillan 1945-2023

Wednesday Apr 19, 2023
 
With deep sadness, we announce the passing of Pastor John
Macmillan. He transitioned from this life on Monday, April 17,
2023, in Florida, USA, after a period of illness.
Pastor Macmillan was the longest-serving Lay Pastor in the
United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, serving
mainly the Robert Young Memorial Mission Station in the
Cayman Islands Regional Mission Council.
His service in the church was expansive and included, but was
not limited to, being an Elder, a Delegate to Council and Synod,
a member and Chairman of the Cayman United Church
Corporation, a staff member in the Cayman Islands Regional
Mission Council Office and the Administrator for the Elmslie
Memorial Church.
John was a faithful servant of God, whose dedication, diligence
and commitment were gifts to the church.

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Reconnect in Faith by Rev. Dr. Yvette Noble-Bloomfield

Wednesday Apr 12, 2023
 
The call to Reconnect in Faith is the theme for reflection this
week. The scriptural reference is John 20:19-30. This final
pericope in the Gospel of John provides us with the struggles of
Thomas who, when told that Christ was raised from the dead,
simply did not believe. He doubted the credibility of his fellow
Disciples and declared that until he could see, touch and handle
Jesus, he would not believe that He was raised from death.
Following the disaster the Disciples faced on Good Friday,
Thomas’ response could be seen as plausible. After all, Christ
proclaimed the Kingdom of God, He performed many miracles
that proved His divinity, and He was clearly the Messianic
figure they anticipated, yet He had died and was buried. How
then, having been defeated by death, He could rise from the
dead?
Thomas was comfortable and justified in his doubt
concerning the resurrection of Christ and he knew that the
possibility of Christ’s immediate return was remote. Yet,
Jesus interrupted Thomas’s state of disbelief in a powerful
and distinguished way. Whereas Mary was told, “Do not
touch me” – John 20:17, in John 20: 27, Thomas is invited
to place his hand in Jesus’ palms and side. Jesus had to ensure
that Thomas would have a faith-transforming experience that
would enable him to proclaim the power of the resurrection to
those who would believe

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EASTER MESSAGE 2023: THINKING OUTSIDE THE TOMB Philip Vinod Peacock Executive for Justice and Witness WCRC

Wednesday Apr 05, 2023
 
As the world limps out of the COVID pandemic, the ravages of
the pandemic have prised open already existing, deeply
embedded injustices. Globally, we are acutely aware of the deep
inequalities of class, gender, and race that divide humanity and
prevent us from living the abundant life that God calls us into.
As we resist the urge to return to what was “normal,” we instead
try to re-create a world that is founded on justice. It is in this
context of not returning to normal that we are called to think
outside the tomb.

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Palm Sunday

Wednesday Mar 29, 2023
 
With Palm Sunday, the Church begins the annual Holy Week
journey. This journey opens with a joyful celebration, but in a
few short days takes an unexpected turn and leads to a shocking
conclusion.
As we witness the rapidly unfolding drama of the last week of
Jesus’ earthly life, events speak volumes not only about
God’s passionate love for all but also about the sobering reality
of sin that plagues humankind both collectively and
individually.
Jesus became the new Passover Lamb whose blood was shed
for all, so that those who believe in Him may be freed from the
slavery of sin and have Life and have it eternally.
At the heart of the story of Jesus’ passion is the manifestation
of a love unlike any other. The love we confront is so sincere,
selfless, and transforming that it is beyond human
comprehension. In Jesus’ suffering, we witness a love of
unprecedented depths. The Son of God voluntarily enters the
deepest humiliation ever seen to meet us in our fallenness, sin,
and helplessness and raise us to the highest heights imaginable.

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Transforming for Renewal (Stewardship) Mr. Bryan Bothwell

Wednesday Mar 22, 2023
 
“The opposite of love is not hate; it is indifference.” That
simple observation by Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate
Elie Wiesel has stuck with me since I was a young man. I grew
up very much seeing ‘love your neighbor’ in action in numerous
ways in our daily lives. On the other hand, we were
taught not to hate people and not to “hold something against
someone” because of the essentialness of forgiveness. The
Church still teaches this. But for most people, “hate” is an
uncommon emotion. ‘Indifference’ is a more deceptive trap
and, therefore, more widely captures the core of the problem.
How, in practice, can we love like Jesus, given the breadth and
transformative depth of what that would entail.
So “indifference” and that contrast to love came readily to my
mind for today’s theme which is, “Return”. “Return”,
specifically as a strategic direction for the United Church. Of
course, that means also, and foremost, for each of us
who collectively make up that particular body within Christ’s
worldwide Church. For we know Christianity is personal,
though if you want to keep it to yourself, it is not Christianity!

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United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands