Sundays at All Hallows (July 19, 2026)
Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.
This Sunday is the Seventh Sunday after Trinity. The Gospel reading appointed for this Sunday is the Parable of the Weeds.
You may have sung hymns containing reference to corn and cornfields at a service of harvest thanksgiving. In the United Kingdom wheat is called corn and wheatfields cornfields. What is called corn in the United States is called maize. In other parts of the world maize is given a different name, for example, mealies in Southern Africa.
In this Sunday’s message we unpack the Parable of the Weeds and what it means for us.
GATHERING IN GOD’S NAME
Open this link in a new tab to hear Joshua Messick’s arrangement of the Scottish traditional melody, ARRAN BOAT SONG, for hammered dulcimer.
Surely God is my help;
the Lord is the one who sustains me. Psalm 54: 4
[Let us worship God.]
Open this link in a new tab to hear Timothy Dudley Smith’s “Praise the Lord of Heaven” (Psalm 148).
1 Praise the Lord of heaven,
praise him in the height;
praise him, all his angels,
praise him, hosts of light.
Sun and moon together,
shining stars aflame,
planets in their courses,
magnify his Name!
2 Earth and ocean praise him;
mountains, hills and trees;
fire and hail and tempest,
wind and storm and seas.
Praise him, fields and forests,
birds on flashing wings,
praise him, beasts and cattle,
all created things.
3 Now by prince and people
let his praise be told;
praise him, men and maidens,
praise him, young and old.
He, the Lord of glory!
We his praise proclaim!
High above all heavens
magnify his Name!
[Let us confess our sins to God our Father]
Silence
Heavenly Father,
we have sinned against you and against our neighbour
in thought and word and deed,
negligence, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault;
by what we have done
and by what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ who died for us,
forgive us all that is past;
and grant that we may serve you in newness of life
to the glory of your name. Amen.
Merciful Lord,
grant to your faithful people pardon and peace,
that we may be cleansed from all our sins,
and serve you with a quiet mind;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Paul Inwood’s “Holy Is God, Holy and Strong.”
Holy is God, holy and strong!
God everliving, alleluia.
Holy is God, holy and strong!
God everliving, alleluia.
1 Sing the Lord’s praise, ev’ry nation,
Give him all honor and glory.
Strong is his love for his people,
His faithfulness is eternal.
Holy is God, holy and strong!
God everliving, alleluia.
(Holy is God, holy and strong!
God everliving, alleluia.)
2 Praise to the Father almighty,
Praise to his Son, Christ the Lord;
Praise to the life giving Spirit;
Both now and forever, Amen
(Praise to the Father almighty,
Praise to his son, Christ the Lord;
Praise to the life giving Spirit;
Both now and forever, Amen)
Holy is God, holy and strong!
God everliving, alleluia.
(Holy is God, holy and strong!
God everliving, alleluia.)
Holy is God, holy and strong!
God everliving, alleluia.
(Holy is God, holy and strong!
God everliving, alleluia.)
[Let us pray.]
Silence
Lord 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 true religion,
nourish us with all goodness,
and of your great mercy keep us in the same;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the Book of Genesis.
Genesis 28: 10-19a
Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: ‘I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’
When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.’ He was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.’
Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.
[May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.]
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to Bernadette Farrell’s “O God, You Search Me” (Psalm 139).
1 O God, you search me and you know me
All my thoughts lie open to your gaze
When I walk or lie down you are before me
Ever the maker and keeper of my days
2 You know my resting and my rising
You discern my purpose from afar
And with love everlasting you besiege me
In every moment of life or death, you are
3 Before a word is on my tongue, Lord
You have known its meaning through and through
You are with me beyond my understanding
God of my present, my past, and future, too
4 Although your Spirit is upon me
Still I search for shelter from your light
There is nowhere on earth I can escape you
Even the darkness is radiant in your sight
5 For you created me and shaped me
Gave me life within my mother’s womb
For the wonder of who I am, I praise you
Safe in your hands, all creation is made new
A reading from Paul’s Letter to the Romans.
Romans 8: 12-25
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation – but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
[May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.]
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Margaret V. Old’s “Spirit of God, Unseen as the Wind.”
Spirit of God, unseen as the wind,
gentle as is the dove;
teach us the truth and help us believe,
show us the Saviour's love!
1 You spoke to us long, long ago,
gave us the written word;
we read it still, needing its truth
through it God's voice is heard.
Spirit of God, unseen as the wind,
gentle as is the dove;
teach us the truth and help us believe,
show us the Saviour's love!
2 Without your help we fail our Lord,
we cannot live His way;
we need Your power, we need Your strength,
following Christ each day.
Spirit of God, unseen as the wind,
gentle as is the dove;
teach us the truth and help us believe,
show us the Saviour's love,
show us the Saviour's love!
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew.
Matthew 13: 24-30, 36-43
Jesus told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed ears, then the weeds also appeared.
‘The owner’s servants came to him and said, “Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?”
‘“An enemy did this,” he replied.
‘The servants asked him, “Do you want us to go and pull them up?”
‘“No,” he answered, “because while you are pulling up the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: first collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.”’
Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.’
He answered, ‘The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
‘As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.
[May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory.]
Silence
A Lesson from the Cockle in a Cornfield
In his parables Jesus provides just enough details to make a point or to convey a particular truth or principle, to encourage us to give thought to what he is saying, and to apply it not only to others but also ourselves. In the Parable of the Weeds, we learn that what is recognizably a weed has been deliberately sown in the farmer’s cornfield. Whoever sowed the weeds was no friend of the farmer. Pulling up the weeds would harm the wheat the farmer planted. The farmer chooses to wait until harvest time and then to instruct the harvesters to gather the weeds and burn them before harvesting the wheat.
The most likely candidate for the weeds is cockle, Lolium temulentum, a poisonous weed, which mimics wheat. It is indistinguishable from wheat until the ear appears. The grain is purple and turns black when ripe. Cockle has plagued farmers since ancient times. The grain contains a toxic fungus and if consumed in contaminated flour or ale in large quantities or over a long period of time can be deadly. Until modern sorting machinery was developed, separating the cockle from the wheat was a labor-intensive, time-consuming process.
What makes cockle the most likely candidate for the weeds is its ability to grow in a cornfield undetected for a long period of time. Since the weeds of the parable were recognizably weeds, if they were cockle, they were near maturity.
Whatever the weeds were, they were not what the farmer had sown. He had sown good seed.
In his explanation of the parable Jesus identifies the wheat with the children of God and the weeds with the children of the devil.
You may have heard a preacher in a sermon or a Sunday school teacher in a presentation assert that all of humanity is God’s children. What they are saying is that since God created humanity and Jesus taught his disciples to address God as Father in their prayers, we can consider ourselves as God’s children. This is not what Jesus is talking about in his explanation of the parable. To understand what he is talking about, we must consider what he says elsewhere in Matthew’s Gospel and John’s Gospel.
In Matthew 5:43-48 Jesus equates displaying the same kind of mercifulness as God displays with being children of God. In Matthew 12: 46-50 Jesus identifies whoever does God’s will as his brother and sister and mother. In these two passages Jesus ties being a child of God to imitating God’s character and doing God’s will.
In John 8:31-48 Jesus identifies those who oppose him as children of the devil, pointing out that they share the same qualities of character as the devil as well as his evil intentions. They are not biologically the devil’s progeny, but they are his progeny in their rebelliousness, malice, ill-will, and hatred.
What divides the children of God from the children of the devil at its core is their attitude toward God. God’s children love God and obey God. They honor God not only with their lips but also their lives. The devil’s children feel no love for God and refuse to obey God. They make an idol of Self and bow before that idol.
The Parable of the Weeds contains a cautionary message: In our overzealousness to have a field free from what in our eyes are weeds, we may do harm to the wheat, uprooting it with what we believe are weeds. We may even mistake the wheat for weeds. God is in a far better position than we are to know what is growing in his field and will deal with the weeds sown in the field in his time.
What appears at first to be a weed may prove to be a good seed. And yes, what at first appeared to be wheat may prove to be a cockle, a weed! Rather than being quick to judge, Jesus would have us wait to see what kind of fruit it will bear.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Eric Routley’s “New Songs of Celebration Render” (Psalm 98).
1 New songs of celebration render
to God who has great wonders done;
love sits enthroned in ageless splendor;
come and adore the Mighty One.
God has made known the great salvation
which all the saints with joy confess.
God has revealed to every nation
truth and unending righteousness.
2 Joyfully, heartily resounding,
let every instrument and voice
peal out the praise of grace abounding,
calling the whole world to rejoice.
Trumpets and organs, set in motion
such sounds as make the heavens ring;
all things that live in earth and ocean,
sound forth the song, your praises bring.
3 Rivers and seas and torrents roaring,
honor the Lord with wild acclaim;
mountains and stones, look up adoring,
and find a voice to praise God's name.
Righteous, commanding, ever glorious,
praises be sung that never cease:
just is our God, whose truth victorious
establishes the world in peace.
[Let us affirm our faith in the words of the Apostles’ Creed.]
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father
almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
[Let us pray for the Church and the world.]
Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name may
be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal
your glory in the world.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Guide the people of this land, and of all the nations, in the
ways of justice and peace; that we may honor one another
and serve the common good.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation,
that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others
and to your honor and glory.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, and grant
that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he
loves us.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or
spirit; give them courage and hope in their troubles, and
bring them the joy of your salvation.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
We commend to your mercy all who have died, that your will
for them may be fulfilled; and we pray that we may share
with all your saints in your eternal kingdom.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Faithful God,
you have promised to hear the prayers
of all who ask in Jesus’ name.
In your mercy, accept our prayers.
Give us what we have asked in faith,
according to your will:
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
[Let us give thanks to God for his goodness.]
Almighty God mercies,
we give you hearty thanks
for all your goodness and loving kindness to us
and to all people.
We bless you for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace; and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such a sense of all your mercies,
that our hearts may be truly thankful
and that we may praise you
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
serving you in holiness and righteousness all our days,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory,
now and for ever. Amen.
Saving God,
in Jesus Christ you opened for us
a new and living way into your presence:
give us pure hearts and constant wills
to worship you in spirit and in truth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
[And now as our Saviour taught us, we pray]
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Jack Winslow’s “Lord Of All Power.”
1 Lord of all power I give you my will,
In joyful obedience your tasks to fulfil.
Your bondage is freedom your service is song
And held in your keeping my weakness is strong.
2 Lord of all wisdom, I give you my mind,
Rich truth that surpasses our knowledge to find,
What eye has not seen and what ear has not heard
Is taught by your spirit and shines from your word.
3 Lord of all bounty, I give you my heart;
I praise and adore you for all you impart:
Your love to inspire me, your counsel to guide,
Your presence to cheer me, whatever betide.
4 Lord of all being, I give you my all;
For if I disown you I stumble and fall;
But, sworn in glad service your word to obey,
I walk in your freedom to the end of the way.
GOING OUT AS GOD’S PEOPLE
Eternal God and Father, by whose power we are created and
by whose love we are redeemed: guide and strengthen us by
your Spirit, that we may give ourselves to your service, and
live every day in love to one another and to you; through Jesus
Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Lee Fisher’s “Go in Peace, Go in Love.”
Go in peace, go in love,
May the Lord be at your side.
Go in peace, go in love,
May he ever be your guide.
May his grace overflow
And his blessing be upon you.
Go in peace, go in love,
Now and evermore,
Go in peace, go in love,
May the Lord be at your side.
Go in peace, go in love,
May he ever be your guide.
May his grace overflow
And his blessing be upon you.
Go in peace, go in love,
Now and evermore,
Amen
Amen
Amen
In Matthew 5:43-48 Jesus equates displaying the same kind of mercifulness as God displays with being children of God. In Matthew 12: 46-50 Jesus identifies whoever does God’s will as his brother and sister and mother. In these two passages Jesus ties being a child of God to imitating God’s character and doing God’s will.
In John 8:31-48 Jesus identifies those who oppose him as children of the devil, pointing out that they share the same qualities of character as the devil as well as his evil intentions. They are not biologically the devil’s progeny, but they are his progeny in their rebelliousness, malice, ill-will, and hatred.
What divides the children of God from the children of the devil at its core is their attitude toward God. God’s children love God and obey God. They honor God not only with their lips but also their lives. The devil’s children feel no love for God and refuse to obey God. They make an idol of Self and bow before that idol.
The Parable of the Weeds contains a cautionary message: In our overzealousness to have a field free from what in our eyes are weeds, we may do harm to the wheat, uprooting it with what we believe are weeds. We may even mistake the wheat for weeds. God is in a far better position than we are to know what is growing in his field and will deal with the weeds sown in the field in his time.
What appears at first to be a weed may prove to be a good seed. And yes, what at first appeared to be wheat may prove to be a cockle, a weed! Rather than being quick to judge, Jesus would have us wait to see what kind of fruit it will bear.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Eric Routley’s “New Songs of Celebration Render” (Psalm 98).
1 New songs of celebration render
to God who has great wonders done;
love sits enthroned in ageless splendor;
come and adore the Mighty One.
God has made known the great salvation
which all the saints with joy confess.
God has revealed to every nation
truth and unending righteousness.
2 Joyfully, heartily resounding,
let every instrument and voice
peal out the praise of grace abounding,
calling the whole world to rejoice.
Trumpets and organs, set in motion
such sounds as make the heavens ring;
all things that live in earth and ocean,
sound forth the song, your praises bring.
3 Rivers and seas and torrents roaring,
honor the Lord with wild acclaim;
mountains and stones, look up adoring,
and find a voice to praise God's name.
Righteous, commanding, ever glorious,
praises be sung that never cease:
just is our God, whose truth victorious
establishes the world in peace.
[Let us affirm our faith in the words of the Apostles’ Creed.]
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father
almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
[Let us pray for the Church and the world.]
Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name may
be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal
your glory in the world.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Guide the people of this land, and of all the nations, in the
ways of justice and peace; that we may honor one another
and serve the common good.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation,
that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others
and to your honor and glory.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, and grant
that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he
loves us.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or
spirit; give them courage and hope in their troubles, and
bring them the joy of your salvation.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
We commend to your mercy all who have died, that your will
for them may be fulfilled; and we pray that we may share
with all your saints in your eternal kingdom.
Silence
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Faithful God,
you have promised to hear the prayers
of all who ask in Jesus’ name.
In your mercy, accept our prayers.
Give us what we have asked in faith,
according to your will:
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
[Let us give thanks to God for his goodness.]
Almighty God mercies,
we give you hearty thanks
for all your goodness and loving kindness to us
and to all people.
We bless you for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace; and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such a sense of all your mercies,
that our hearts may be truly thankful
and that we may praise you
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
serving you in holiness and righteousness all our days,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory,
now and for ever. Amen.
Saving God,
in Jesus Christ you opened for us
a new and living way into your presence:
give us pure hearts and constant wills
to worship you in spirit and in truth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
[And now as our Saviour taught us, we pray]
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Jack Winslow’s “Lord Of All Power.”
1 Lord of all power I give you my will,
In joyful obedience your tasks to fulfil.
Your bondage is freedom your service is song
And held in your keeping my weakness is strong.
2 Lord of all wisdom, I give you my mind,
Rich truth that surpasses our knowledge to find,
What eye has not seen and what ear has not heard
Is taught by your spirit and shines from your word.
3 Lord of all bounty, I give you my heart;
I praise and adore you for all you impart:
Your love to inspire me, your counsel to guide,
Your presence to cheer me, whatever betide.
4 Lord of all being, I give you my all;
For if I disown you I stumble and fall;
But, sworn in glad service your word to obey,
I walk in your freedom to the end of the way.
GOING OUT AS GOD’S PEOPLE
Eternal God and Father, by whose power we are created and
by whose love we are redeemed: guide and strengthen us by
your Spirit, that we may give ourselves to your service, and
live every day in love to one another and to you; through Jesus
Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Lee Fisher’s “Go in Peace, Go in Love.”
Go in peace, go in love,
May the Lord be at your side.
Go in peace, go in love,
May he ever be your guide.
May his grace overflow
And his blessing be upon you.
Go in peace, go in love,
Now and evermore,
Go in peace, go in love,
May the Lord be at your side.
Go in peace, go in love,
May he ever be your guide.
May his grace overflow
And his blessing be upon you.
Go in peace, go in love,
Now and evermore,
Amen
Amen
Amen
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