Seventh Sunday after Pentecost	July 12, 2026
Prayer of the Day
Richly inspire us, O Lord, to consider and accomplish what you see is good. For we know that we cannot live without you, but that with you, we shall prevail. And so, we pray through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
First Reading: Isaiah 55:10-13 
10“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. 12For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the Lord, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
Psalm 65:[1-8] 9-14*
[1You are to be praised, O | God, in Zion;*
	to you shall vows be performed | in Jerusalem.
2To you that hear prayer shall | all flesh come,*
	because of | their transgressions.
3Our sins are strong- | er than we are,*
	but you will | blot them out.
4Happy are they whom you choose and draw to your | courts to dwell there!*
	they will be satisfied by the beauty of your house, by the holiness | of your temple.
5Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness, O God of | our salvation,*
	O Hope of all the ends of the earth and of the seas that are | far away.
6You make fast the mountains | by your power;*
	they are girded a- | bout with might.
7You still the roaring | of the seas,*
	the roaring of their waves, and the clamor | of the peoples.
8Those who dwell at the ends of the earth will tremble at your | marvelous signs;*
	you make the dawn and the dusk to | sing for joy.]
9You visit the earth and water it abundantly; you make it | very plenteous;*
	the river of God is | full of water.
10You pre- | pare the grain,*
	for so you provide | for the earth.
11You drench the furrows and smooth | out the ridges;*
	with heavy rain you soften the ground and | bless its increase.
12You crown the year | with your goodness,*
	and your paths over- | flow with plenty.
13May the fields of the wilderness be | rich for grazing,*
	and the hills be | clothed with joy.
14May the meadows cover themselves with flocks, 
and the valleys cloak them- | selves with grain;*
	let them shout for | joy and sing.
Psalm 65:[1-8] 9-13 (ESV)
[1Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion, and to you shall vows be performed.
2O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come.
3When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions.
4Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!
5By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas;
6the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might;
7who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples,
8so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.]
9You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it.
10You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.
11You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.
12The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy,
13the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.
Second Reading: Romans 8:12-17 
12So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9He who has ears, let him hear.” 
18{Jesus said to the disciples,} “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
Next Week’s Readings:
Isaiah 44:6-8; Psalm 119:57-64; Romans 8:18-27; Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
* The Book of Common Prayer verse numbers for this psalm are different from the numbering in the ESV.