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SUNDAY 12th July 2026 11.00 a.m.
MORNING WORSHIP
(SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST)
Welcome
Call to Worship
Hymn 44 Praise waits for thee in Zion, Lord (Psalm 65) (St Stephen (Abridge))
1 Praise waits for thee in Zion, Lord:
to thee vows paid shall be.
O thou that hearer art of prayer,
all flesh shall come to thee.
2 Iniquities, I must confess,
prevail against me do:
but as for our transgressions all,
them purge away shalt thou
3 How blest are they whom thou dost choose,
whom thou dost call to thee,
that they within thy courts, O Lord,
may always dwellers be:
4 We surely shall be satisfied
with thy abundant grace,
and with the goodness of thy house,
even of thy holy place.
Call to Prayer
Prayers of Approach and the Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power and the glory for ever,
Amen.
Theme for the day
Hymn 641 Seek ye first the kingdom of God (Seek ye first)
1 Seek ye first the kingdom of God
and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you;
allelu, alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
2 Ask, and it shall be given unto you,
seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and the door shall be opened unto you;
allelu, alleluia.
3 You shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord;
allelu, alleluia.
The verses may be sung in canon with the refrain.
Old Testament Reading: Genesis 25: 19-34
The Birth and Youth of Esau and Jacob
19 These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham was the father of Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean. 21 Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her; and she said, ‘If it is to be this way, why do I live?’[a] So she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said to her,
‘Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples born of you shall be divided;
one shall be stronger than the other,
the elder shall serve the younger.’
24 When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau.
26 Afterwards his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob.[b] Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skilful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau, because he was fond of game; but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Esau Sells His Birthright
29 Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. 30 Esau said to Jacob, ‘Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!’ (Therefore he was called Edom.[c]) 31 Jacob said, ‘First sell me your birthright.’ 32 Esau said, ‘I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?’ 33 Jacob said, ‘Swear to me first.’[d] So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Epistle Reading: Romans 8: 1-11
Life in the Spirit
8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit[a] of life in Christ Jesus has set you[b] free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin,[c] he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.[d] 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit[e] set their minds on the things of the Spirit.[f] 6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit[g] is life and peace. 7 For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit,[h] since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit[i] is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ[j] from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through[k] his Spirit that dwells in you.
Anthem: Beati quorum via, Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924)
Beati quorum via integra est: qui ambulant in lege Domini.
Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 13: 1-9, 18-23
The Parable of the Sower
13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. 2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 Let anyone with ears[a] listen!’
The Parable of the Sower Explained
18 ‘Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.[a] 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.’
Hymn 200 Christ is made the sure foundation (Westminster Abbey)
1 Christ is made the sure foundation,
Christ the head and corner-stone,
chosen of the Lord and precious,
binding all the Church in one,
holy Zion’s help for ever,
and her confidence alone.
2 To this temple, where we call you,
come, O Lord of Hosts, today:
with your constant loving-kindness,
hear your servants as they pray,
and your fullest benediction
shed within its walls alway.
3 Here bestow on all your servants
what they ask of you to gain,
what they gain from you for ever
with the blessèd to retain,
and hereafter in your glory
evermore with you to reign.
4 Praise and honour to the Father,
praise and honour to the Son,
praise and honour to the Spirit,
ever Three and ever One,
One in might and One in glory
while unending ages run.
Sermon
Anthem: View me, Lord, Richard Lloyd (1933-2021)
View me, Lord, a work of Thine:
Shall I then lie drown’d in night?
Might Thy grace in me but shine,
I should seem made all of light.
Cleanse me, Lord, that I may kneel
At Thine altar pure and white:
They that once Thy mercies feel,
Gaze no more on earth’s delight.
Worldly joys, like shadows, fade
When the heav’nly light appears,
But the cov’nants Thou hast made,
Endless, know nor days nor years.
In Thy Word, Lord, is my trust,
To Thy mercies fast I fly;
Though I am but clay and dust,
Yet Thy grace can lift me high.
Dedication of our Offerings
{If able, please stand as the offering is brought forward and the congregation sings}
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise him, all creatures here below;
praise him above, ye heavenly host;
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. (CH4 807, Old 100th)
Prayer of Dedication:
Minister: Father, Son, and Spirit Holy,
we give you thanks and praise:
Congregation: We dedicate to you
our thoughts, our words,
our gifts, our deeds,
the working of our hands,
the thinking of our minds,
the loving of our hearts. Amen.
Prayers of Thanksgiving & Intercession
Intimations
Hymn 225 Summer suns are glowing (Ruth)
1 Summer suns are glowing
over land and sea;
happy light is flowing,
bountiful and free.
Everything rejoices
in the mellow rays;
all earth’s thousand voices
swell the psalm of praise.
2 See God’s mercy streaming
over all the world,
and his banner gleaming,
everywhere unfurled.
Broad and deep and glorious,
as the heaven above,
shines in might victorious
his eternal love.
3 Lord, upon our blindness
your pure radiance pour;
for your loving-kindness
make us love you more.
And, when clouds are drifting
dark across the sky,
then, the veil uplifting,
Father, still be nigh.
4 We will never doubt you,
though you veil your light;
life is dark without you;
death with you is bright.
Light of light, shine o’er us
on our pilgrim way;
still go on before us,
to the endless day.
Benediction & Choral Amen
Organ Postlude: Now thank we all our God, Karg-Elert (1877-1933)
Retiring Offering
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