19 July 2026
Bible readings for today
Liturgical Colour: GREEN Today is also Bible Sunday in the church calendar |
CollectGod of all power and might,
the author and giver of all good things, graft in our hearts the love of your name, increase in us all goodness, and of your great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. E te Atua o te kaha me te ngoi, nāu ngā mea papai katoa, whakatōngia ki roto i ō mātou ngākau te aroha mō tōu ingoa, whakatupua te pai ki roto i a mātou, ā, tohungia mātou kia ū tonu ai mātou i roto i tōu aroha noa. Ko Īhu Karaiti tō mātou Ariki. Āmine. |
Parable of the Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43)
Input for leadersDo you ever get confused as to which seed or planting parable Jesus is talking about? This parable, spoken to the disciples (rather than a wider crowd of listeners), comes in a chapter full of growth parables, and it can be helpful to locate where this story falls:
Matthew 13 1-9 The Parable of the Sower 10-17 Jesus explains His use of parables 18-23 Jesus explains the Parable of the Sower 24-30 The Parable of the Weeds 31-32 The Parable of the Mustard Seed 33 The Parable of the Yeast 34-35 Matthew talks about Jesus' use of parables. 36-43 Jesus explains the Parable of the Weeds |
Gospel Conversations 2023 Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 (Diocese of Dunedin)
Even Jesus' disciples found his parables puzzling, so Matthew's parable of the wheat and the weeds provides a challenge to this week's conversationalists! Worship and sermon ideas
The Church of Scotland have some great thoughts around this parable, and you find them here. |
Intergenerational Worship
Children's TalkParable of the weeds (Sunday School Network) - This parable may need some sensitivity and thought in sharing with children. This talk has a creative way of explaining what weeds symbolise, using green crepe paper strips to act out the story.
Wheat and weeds (Gary Neal Hansen) - paraphrased retelling with wondering questions. Parable of the weeds (RFour) - a story of surprises! Parable of the wheat and tares (Ministry to Children) - full lesson with crafts and activities. Games and Activities(Ministry to Children)
Activity Sheet (Mennonite Church Canada) Various craft ideas (Sunday School Works) Outdoor activityWinter is the perfect time for a bit of weeding in NZ. Bring some gardening tools, like a shovel, hoe, etc. and head outdoors to a flowerbed that needs a spot of weeding. Explain what it means to put a seed
in the ground and how it grows. Remind them that in the story today we hear about a farmer growing wheat. Show them what wheat looks like, using printed pictures, and what the weeds in that field look like. Let them find the differences in their appearance. Point out what the weeds look like in the flower bed, and how we can remove them carefully. Show them what needs to stay! (bulbs, flowers, etc). Talk about how God knows the difference between people who are following him faithfully with loving hearts, and those who are choosing to be God of their own life. We want to be like the healthy, growing plants, bearing fruit and bringing joy to the world. Plant some seeds in the flower bed and remind them to check back and see if how they are growing over the coming weeks. |
Pray it!Fill a shallow tray with oats, rice, or bark mulch. Hide yellow pipe cleaners or yarn ("wheat") and green pipe cleaners or yarn ("weeds"). Add scoops, cups, tweezers, or tongs.
Let kids run their hands through the tray. Pray: "Dear God, thank you for making me a part of your family. Thank you for filling the world with good things, love, and kindness. Help me to grow strong and healthy in your love like good wheat. Amen." Have the kids gently wrap a green "weed" around a strand of "wheat". Pray: "God, sometimes things happen that make me sad, or people are mean. It can be hard to understand. Please give me patience. Help me to show love and kindness to everyone, even to people who act like prickly weeds. Amen." Get kids to use tweezers or tongs to carefully sort the wheat into one pile or cup, and the weeds into another. Pray: "Lord, I trust your plan. I know you see everything and keep me safe. I place my worries in your hands and trust you to take care of the world. Amen." 
Preschool PlayTell the Story
Use a tray of soil, some seeds or pretend plants, and a farmer figure. A farmer planted good seeds in a field. The seeds began to grow— up, up, up! But other plants grew there too. “Shall we pull them out?” the farmer’s helpers asked. The farmer said, “Not yet. The plants are all tangled together. We might pull up the good plants too. Let them grow until it is time for the harvest.” God sees and understands everything, even when life feels muddled. We can trust God to take care of what is growing. Growing Together Fill a tray or large container with soil, shredded paper, or another sensory material. Add toy plants, artificial flowers, grass, weeds, sticks, and gardening tools. Let the children plant, dig, arrange, and explore. Chat about: What is growing in our field? Can you see where the roots might be tangled together? I wonder why the farmer decided to wait? Tangled Roots Provide lengths of wool, ribbon, or fabric strips in a basket. Children can twist and tangle them together, then gently try to separate them. You could also wrap wool loosely around blocks, toy plants, or cardboard tubes. Chat about: Is it easy or hard to untangle these? What happens when we pull too quickly? Sometimes it is good to slow down and wait. Garden Sorting Provide a collection of leaves, flowers, seed pods, stones, twigs, toy vegetables, and gardening items. Add baskets or pots for children to sort and arrange them however they choose. Chat about: What do you notice? Which things look the same? Which look different? I wonder how the farmer knew what each plant was? If you wish add some playdough for extra creativity! Children can make fields, gardens, plants, or anything else they imagine. Chat about: What is growing in your garden? I wonder what is happening underneath the ground? I wonder what the farmer might be waiting for? Be Patient, Little Seed Invite the children to curl up tightly like tiny seeds. Slowly say: The seed is hiding in the ground. It waits... The rain comes... The sun shines... A tiny root grows down... A tiny shoot grows up.... Up, up, up! Let the children slowly stand, stretch, and grow into tall plants. Repeat, sometimes growing slowly and sometimes quickly. Chat about: Does growing happen all at once? What are some things you are still learning to do? Who helps you while you grow? Get outside and do some planting or weeding in the church garden! 
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Jacob's Dream (Genesis 28:10-19)
God's promise for JacobIt's interesting to notice when Jacob had this dream, promising him of his descendants and his land. After his father, Isaac, had blessed Jacob, he left his home and set off walking to the family of his mother, in the hope that he would find a wife from the daughters of Laban. Jacob did yet not have a wife, a family, or security. This promise from God of a future came when Jacob has nothing, apart from his blessing from his father.
Seeking God everyday“Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” Exodus 28:17. Even Jacob, the patriarch of our faith, seems to miss seeing where God was at work. This verse is an encouragement to seek God each day, and join in with what he is already doing in our communities.
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BethelBethel means "the house of God"
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Psalm 139
God knows everything about us, and He loves us
Fearfully and wonderfully madeWe're not quite sure why the reading today would leave out some of the verses of Psalm 139, particularly verses 13 and 14, so you might like to include them in your activity.
"You are the one who put me together inside my mother’s body, and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt." Decorating mirrorsGive the children a small mirror and some coloured permanent markers, which you can often find at discount shops.
Get the children to decorate the mirror and write their favourite line from the psalm on it, or 'fearfully and wonderfully made'. Encourage them to think about how much God loves them as they look at themselves in the mirror this week. |
Hide and seekPsalm 139 says that there is no where we can flee from God -- there is nowhere to far away from his love. If we climbed to the top of the highest mountain, he would find us. If we swum to the depths of the sea, we would find God there too.
Play a round of hide and seek, ensuring that everyone is found by the end of the game! You could also play a round of blindman bluff, using blindfolds if you didn't have enough spaces for kids to hide. SnowflakesThere is a great snowflake activity at Flame Creative Blog, highlighting how we are all unique and different.
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