Ordinary 17

26 July 2026

Bible readings for today

Genesis 29:15-28
Psalm 105:1-11,45
Psalm 128:1-6
Romans 8:26-39
Matthew 13:31-33,44-52

Liturgical Colour: GREEN

Collect

God of mercy,
you have blessed us beyond our dreams;
you have set before us promises and perils
beyond our understanding;
help us to struggle and pray
that the perils may be averted
and your promises fulfilled.
Hear this prayer for your love’s sake.
Amen.

E te Atua atawhai, kua manaakitia mātou e koe i tua atu i ō mātou moemoeā; kua whakatakotohia mai e koe ngā oati me ngā mate i tua atu i ō mātou mōhiotanga; āwhinatia mai mātou ki te whawhai me te īnoi hoki kia parea atu ngā mate kia tutuki ai ō oati. Whakarongo ki tēnei īnoi i runga i tōu aroha.
Āmine.

The Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 13:31-33,44-52)

What is the Kingdom of Heaven like? In today's reading, Jesus gives four stories of what the Kingdom of God is like:

a mustard seed
yeast
treasure in a field, and
a net full of fish.

Gospel Conversations 2023 Matthew 13:31-33,44-52 (Diocese of Dunedin)
The Kingdom of God: How do we understand Jesus when he talks about it, especially when he does so through stories which may be open to so many interpretations? Bishop Kelvin (former bishop of Dunedin Diocese), Rev Peg Riley and Jonathan join Rev Michael Godfrey, and they have a few surprises for us as they approach some familiar parables in perhaps unfamiliar ways!

And some wonderful 'Gospel Conversations extra!" A bonus 3 minutes that bring some reflections of mustard, yeast and the kingdom of God. This week, for example, Bishop Kelvin gives us a wonderful way of understanding the yeast in the dough towards the end of the 3 minutes, so if that interests you, have a listen!

Visio Lectio
A beautiful free downloadable image by Sarah Lea West. All Rights Reserved, shared and distributed with permission.
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What is the Kingdom of Heaven?

When you hear the word kingdom, what do you think of? Maybe you imagine a king or queen, a castle, knights, and a beautiful land. That's what most kingdoms are like—they're places.

But when Jesus talked about the Kingdom of Heaven (sometimes called the Kingdom of God), He meant something even bigger than a place. The Kingdom of Heaven is wherever Jesus is King.

Think about a king. A king doesn't stop being king just because his people travel somewhere else. He is still their ruler wherever they go. Jesus wants to be the King of our lives. When we choose to love Him and follow Him, His Kingdom begins in our hearts. That means we belong to God's family, and we try to live the way Jesus teaches us.

Jesus once told people that they wouldn't find God's Kingdom by pointing to a place and saying, "Here it is!" Instead, He said God's Kingdom was already among them because Jesus Himself was there, and wherever people follow Him, His Kingdom is there too.

So the Kingdom of Heaven isn't just somewhere we will go one day. It's something we can be part of right now. Every time we show God's love, forgive someone, help a person in need, tell the truth, or choose kindness, we are showing what God's Kingdom is like.

As we read Jesus' parables, we'll discover what life in God's Kingdom looks like and how Jesus wants His people to live.

Intergenerational Worship

Yr A Pentecost 9, 2026: (Intergen Australia)
A collection of resources and ideas written and compiled by Rev Beth Nicholls. Bible references: Matthew

Talks

The Kingdom of Heaven parables (Rfour) - great talk that covers all of the parables in a way kids can understand.

The power of little things (Sermon Writer) - a short and simple talk with a bit of science thrown in.

Kingdom of Heaven parables (Bible Fun for kids) - discussion ideas, visual aids and printable worksheets.

The parable of the net (Trueway Kids) - Full lessons plans & activities for a variety of ages.

The parable of the mustard seed (Trueway Kids) - Full lessons plans & activities for a variety of ages.

The parable of the yeast (Gary Neal Hansen) - paraphrased retelling with wondering questions.

Questions

I wonder why Jesus told so many little stories about God's kingdom?
I wonder which of these little stories you like best, and why?
Can you think of anything else that starts small but grows into something wonderful?
Is there a treasure so special that you would give everything to have it?
I wonder where God's kingdom is growing today?

Preschool Play

The parable of the mustard seed (Trueway Kids) - full lesson plan for babies and toddlers.

The parable of the net (Trueway Kids) - full lesson plan for babies and toddlers.

Games & Activities

Bread in a bag (Busy Toddler)
You will need disposable loaf tins, ingredients, take home instructions.
Try this fabulous fun exercise to see the power of yeast. If you don't want to use plastic bags, kids can mix in bowls. At step 6 - cover with a paper towel and rubber band (or similar) and send home with kids to be baked at home.

Doodle and draw (Doodle through the Bible)
You can download both a full colour version or a colouring page version.

Treasure Battleships
Play this game just like Battleships—but instead of sinking ships, you're searching for hidden treasure! The smallest treasure, the mustard seed, is the hardest to find. You can play one-on-one, in teams, or create two giant grids on the floor for a whole-group game.
How to play:

Print one game sheet for each child, pair or team.
Secretly place each treasure on your grid. Treasures may be placed horizontally or vertically but must not overlap.
Take turns calling out a grid coordinate (e.g. A1 or D4).
Mark each guess on your own grid so you don't repeat coordinates.
The first player or team to find all of their opponent's treasure wins.

If the game is taking too long, set a time limit and the player or team who has found the most treasure wins. Never played Battleships before? Search online for "How to Play Battleships" or watch a quick tutorial before you begin.

Treasure chest race

A treasure chest (a decorated cardboard box, tub, or bin works well). Or make this easy foldable template (Tim's printables) or this pirate chest (Party with Unicorns)
Treasure items (use enough that each child has several turns):
- Mustard Seeds: large plastic or ball-pit balls
- Pearls: large white balls
- Yeast: bread rolls or pieces of bread, or cardboard bread pics.
- Fish: tins of tuna or cardboard fish
- Treasure: gold coins or other pirate treasure

How to play

Place the treasure in the chest at one end of the room. Divide the children into teams. One at a time, children race to the chest, collect one treasure item, and bring it back to their team. Continue until all the treasure has been collected.
You can also hide the treasure around the room for a treasure hunt instead of a relay.

Pray it!

Draw or paint a picture of a large tree with lots of branches.
Every person draw and cut out either a picture of a bird or a picture of a leaf.
Write prayers on the birds or leaves and glue to the tree as a collective prayer offering.

Dear Lord God
we thank you for mustard seed
and for the wonders of yeast
and for how these things teach us about your love.

Lord, plant your seed into our lives,
help us work your yeast into our hearts
that wonderful things may happen.
We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

~ written by Rev. Richard J. Fairchild, and posted on Kir-shalom.

Media

Jacob and Rachel (Genesis 29:15-28)

The Old Testament reading today is about how Jacob is looking for a wife, and falls in love with Rachel. While her father, Laban, is compliant with this request, he makes Jacob work for 7 years for her hand in marriage. On the night of the wedding, Laban tricks Jacob and sends Leah to sleep with him. All we know about Leah is she older and has 'weak eyes' - don't we all, Leah. Jacob is outraged, but honours his marital week with Leah and then also gets to marry Rachel after another 7 years of work.

Sharing hard stories

Sharing hard stories like this one can feel like a minefield in children's ministry! Where do you start! It can be tempting to look at the bible characters in this story and connect this to some moral outcome or behaviour modification, but a bigger question would be where is God in this story?

Leaving out difficult content to make it age appropriate is not diluting the story, it's being careful and considerate of the children you have in your care. We also need to not glamourise and make people 'heroes' when they actually weren't. "Laban was just fulfilling God's promises and it all worked out ok" vs Laban deceived Jacob, and God used the situation regardless of the lies and manipulation he held over Jacob.

God keeps his promises

This story focusses on the broader topic of 'keeping your promise', and brings into light the idea of integrity and staying true to your word.

Jacob loved Rachel so much that he worked humbly and diligently for another 7 years for Laban, although he realised that he could no longer trust his father in law - the only thing that Jacob could trust in was God.