(Image: “Sally Sows”, Elbow, Toe, 1972 Mural, Brooklyn, NY US)
©Order of Worship for Sunday July 12, 2026
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
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Prelude: ……………………………………………………Greg D.
Coming of the Light:………………………………………
Greetings:…………………………………….…Pastor Liz
Announcements:………………………………………Lorri B.
Call to Worship:………………………………….Elizabeth B.
We gather today in the midst of busy lives and hectic schedules that mirror the chaotic pace of the world around us.
We come to set our minds on the guidance of the Spirit.
We gather as people inundated with constant information, fast-moving news cycles, and ever-present alerts vying for our attention.
We come to set our minds on the guidance of the Spirit.
We gather as people seeking to anchor ourselves in the faith as the world around us is blown to and fro by waves of fear, scarcity, and reactivity.
We come to set our minds on the guidance of the Spirit.
Beloved, come. Come to find rest, grounding, and guidance in the Spirit who dwells in you.
We come to set our minds on the Spirit who guides us and draws us together toward life, peace, and flourishing. (Dr. Lisa Hancock)
Opening Prayer: ……………………………Elizabeth B.
God loves us.
God cares for us.
God tends to us.
We are God’s precious fruit and faithful seed.
God hears us.
God helps us.
God trusts us.
God tries us.
Sometimes we are more faulty seed than precious fruit.
But, no matter what, we are God’s. Amen. (Darlene A. Moore)
Opening Hymns:
Suggestions from congregation: (2)
Giving of our tithes and offerings ………………………Pastor Liz
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Offertory: Suggestions from Congregation: (2)
Offertory Response:
“Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow” #95
The United Methodist Hymnal
Words by Thomas Ken, 1674
Music attributed to Louis Bourgeois, 1551
“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. Amen.”
Prayer After Receiving:…………………………….Pastor Liz
Prayers of the People:……………………………….Pastor Liz
The Lord’s Prayer:
Gospel Lesson: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23……….…Lorri B.
The parable of the sower and the seed
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on a path, and the birds came and ate them up. 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. But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. If you have ears, hear!”
“Hear, then, the parable of the sower. 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. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 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. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 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 of Preparation: Suggestions from the congregation: (2)
Sermon:…………………………………………………Pastor Liz
Response to the Word:
Closing Hymn: Greg’s choice
Dismissal with Blessing:…………………………Pastor Liz
Postlude:……………………………………………………Greg D.
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Sunday July 12th Worship Service