5 July 2026

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Bible readings for today

• Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
• Psalm 45: 10-17
• Song of Solomon 2:8-13
• Romans 7:15-25
• Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Liturgical Colour: GREEN

​This Sunday is marked as Refugee Sunday in the Church calendar, and we also have ideas for Matariki on Friday. 

School holiday resources

Refugee Sunday resources

Matariki resources

Collect

Holy and eternal God, 
give us such trust in your sure purpose, 
that we measure our lives 
not by what we have done or failed to do, 
but by our faithfulness to you. 
Hear this prayer for your love’s sake. 
Amen.

E te Atua tino tapu, ora tonu,
whakaūngia tō mātou whakapono ki tāu huarahi i whakatakoto ai,
kia kore ai e whakaritea te āhua o ō mātou mauri ki ngā mahi kua oti i a mātou,
i ngā mahi rānei kāore i tutuki, engari ki te kaha o tā mātou piri ki tāu e pai ai.
Whakarongo ki tēnei īnoi i runga i tōu aroha. Āmine. 

My yoke is easy (Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30)

Input for Leaders

Visio Lectio
A beautiful free downloadable image by Sarah Lea West. All Rights Reserved, shared and distributed with permission.
Terms of use 
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Gospel Conversations 2023 Matt 11:16-19, 25-30 (Diocese of Dunedin) 
This week's gospel contains both a mini-parable and one of Jesus' best-loved promises: the promise of rest that comes with taking on His yoke. Join us as we explore God's mercy and love for the "little ones" and the challenges to those of us who forget our own littleness.

​Seven Minute Sermon
Jesus’ words are good news for those who feel alone, those who aren’t sure if God’s interested in them, and those who are weary. A Seven minute sermon from Rev. George Penk, a deacon in the Auckland diocese. 

Intergenerational Worship

Yr A Pentecost 6, 2023:  (Intergen Australia)
A collection of resources and ideas written and compiled by Rev Amanda Nicholas. Bible references: Matthew

​Intergenerational call to worship (inspired by Matthew 11:28-30)
Brothers and sisters, boys and girls--
come and worship!
Even if you’re tired and worn out--
come and worship!
Lay down the heavy things you are carrying--
come and worship!
Listen to what Jesus wants to tell you--
come and worship!
See if you can discover how Jesus wants to use you--
come and worship!
For Jesus is humble and gentle,
and he will give us everything we need to follow him.
- Christine Longhurst, re:Worship

Talks

Help with a heavy load (Sermons 4 Kids) - simple but effective object lesson using heavy items.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened (Ministry to Children) - full lesson plan with games.

​Do you know what a yoke is?

Do you know what a yoke is? (pause for answers)
Kids may be more familiar with the term 'yolk', the yellow part of an egg! 

​Well, a yoke is the crossbar with two U-shaped pieces that encircle the necks of a pair of oxen or other draft animals working together, it looks like a big letter M. It helps the animals to be able to work together, and make the most of their shared strength. It is also a word for something that connects or joins together; a bond or tie. In today’s story, Jesus tells the people to take the yoke that he gives us. What do you think he means by this? (pause) Well, I think Jesus is telling us to get to know Jesus and to learn from him. And by doing this, Jesus can help us through our lives, particularly when hard times come along. 

Do you know why a priest wears a stole? It’s that scarf-like thing around their necks? (pause) Well, it’s because a priest is called by God to be a priest. The stole is to represent the priest’s half of a yoke that is also worn by Jesus. When the priest wears a stole, it reminds them and us that what they do as a priest, they do with Jesus. But as we learned from the reading today, priests are not the only ones that Jesus is offering his yoke to, we are also able to have Jesus’ help, we just have to say yes!
​
If you have more than one priest in your parish, why not invite one of them to come and bring their stoles with them. They could show the children and explain what the symbols on them mean, who made them for them, etc.

Questions

• I wonder what things make you feel tired or weighed down.
• I wonder what helps you when something feels too heavy to carry by yourself.
• I wonder what Jesus means when he says, "Come to me."
• I wonder what it feels like to learn from someone who is gentle and kind.
• I wonder what little children might see about God that grown-ups sometimes miss.
• I wonder what "rest for your soul" might feel like.

Pray it!

You'll need: A backpack filled with a few books.
Invite children to try lifting or wearing the backpack.
Talk briefly about things that can feel "heavy" inside us.
Pass the backpack around. When a child receives it, they can quietly name something they want Jesus to help them with (or simply say "Jesus, help me").
After everyone has had a turn, remove the books and let a child lift the now-light backpack.
Pray:
"Thank you, Jesus, for helping us carry heavy things."

Games & Activities

Make a stole
You will need: lots of green material, and scraps of other material, material glue, stuff to decorate, card about stoles & yokes

• Cut a long strip of material that is about 15cm wide, and long enough to wear around your neck like a stole.
• Using beads, material and other things, create symbols to go on the stole. Eg a cross, Jesus holding the hand of a child, creation, etc.
• You might like to tell the vicar about today’s lesson ahead of time, and see if they will wear one of the stoles that the children make during the last part of the service. ​

Colouring Page (Mary Dean Draws)

Relay races
​You will need: pairs of children, items to carry e.g. cricket bat, large ball, bucket. (nothing small)

• Divide children into pairs and then into teams of pairs — two teams if you have a smaller group, or multiple if larger - each with the same number of pairs. 
  
• Line all the children up on one side of the room. Have them take turns racing to the other side of the room as a pair, carrying different objects to the opposite side and back. They will have to work together to share the load and carry it together.  ​
  
• Items could include a large ball, a bucket, cricket bat. Do not use small items that might lead to unnecessary physical contact. 
  
• You could repeat these races without using their hands as help! You could also get them to rearrange the pairs to see whether it was easier with similar sized children (ie. eliminate height disadvantages, so the burden is equally spread)

Yoked Races (Three legged races)
You will need: strips of material for tying partners together. Chairs and other obstacles

• Prepare two parallel relay courses that go from one end of the room to the other.
  
• Get the children to find a partner. Then split the pairs into two teams. Give each pair a strip of material to tie their inside legs together. Line them up at the start of the relay, and start them off. The first team to have all their pairs get through the relay is the winner.​
  
• Extra: After the game, you might want to talk about whether it was easier or harder to go through the relay with a partner. What would have made it easier?

Preschool Play

Here are some ways you can invite your preschoolers to play their way into the Bible story and spend time with God. 

Key idea: Jesus invites us to come to him when we are tired, worried, or carrying heavy things. Jesus is gentle, and he gives us rest.

Tell the Story:

• Try a very simple retelling: Jesus saw people who were grumpy and cross. Some people did not want to listen. They said, “We don’t like this!” And then they said, “We don’t like that either!” But Jesus said, “God shows his love to little ones.” Jesus said, “Come to me when you are tired. Come to me when things feel heavy. I am gentle. I will help you rest.”  You could use a soft blanket, a teddy, a heavy bag, and a small Jesus figure as you tell the story.

Heavy and Light Bags
Provide a few bags or baskets. Put soft but “heavy-looking” things in some of them — cushions, fabric, blocks, or beanbags. Leave others empty or filled with feathers, scarves, or pompoms. Let children carry the bags, sort them, fill them, empty them, and ask for help.
Talk about: What feels heavy? What feels light? Who helps you when something is too heavy? Jesus says, “Come to me. I will help you.”

Resting Place
Create a cosy rest space with blankets, cushions, soft toys, children’s Bibles, and quiet books. Children can curl up, tuck in a teddy, or sit with a trusted adult.
Talk about: When do you feel tired? What helps you rest? I wonder what it means that Jesus is gentle?

Grumpy / Happy Faces
Provide paper plates, mirrors, emotion cards, or felt faces. Children can make grumpy, sad, tired, surprised, and happy faces.
Talk about: What makes you feel grumpy? What helps you feel better?
Who loves you when you are grumpy? You could say: “Some people in the story were grumpy with John. Then they were grumpy with Jesus too! But Jesus still loved them.”

Music: Fast, Slow, Stop, Rest
Play music and invite children to dance, clap, march, or jump. Then stop the music and invite everyone to rest on the floor, under a scarf, or curled up like a sleeping animal. Repeat a few times.
Talk about: What does your body feel like when you move fast? What does your body feel like when you rest? God made our bodies to move and to rest.

Little Ones Discovery Basket
Create a basket with simple objects from the story theme: a small blanket, toy baby, heart, feather, stone, small Bible, soft toy, and a little bag. Let children explore freely.
Talk about: Jesus said God shows special things to little ones. I wonder what God wants to show you? I wonder how God helps you know you are loved?

Media

Here is a great video from PursueGOD Kids that explores the story of Jesus talking about the Oxen and the yoke.

Here is another video resource of a man with two oxen and a yoke which can be used as great visual aid to go along with teaching.

​A song written and performed by Malcolm Gordon, for the Anglican Schools of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. This would be a great song to play before the Eucharist meal, or as part of a prayer reflection.