12 July - Seventh Sunday after Pentecost – Year A

The Faith Action Programme would like to thank Rev Andrew Kimmitt, Facilitating Chaplain, HMP Glenochil, for his thoughts on the seventh Sunday after Pentecost.

Introduction

As we approach this week's lectionary readings, there are some themes that begin to emerge across the passages, though not in a way that feels overly neat or easily tied together. In both the psalm and the reading from Isaiah there is a strong sense of creation's rhythms, and in particular the place of water within those rhythms: rain falling, the watering of the earth, growth and flourishing, and then the sense of return, of cycles continuing. It is an image that sits quite naturally alongside the Parable of the Sower in Matthew's Gospel, where questions of growth – what it looks like, what sustains it, and what prevents it – are at the fore.

Writing this in April in anticipation of mid-July, I cannot know whether the summer is proving a washout with rain a persistent and overly familiar presence, or whether a beautiful summer of sun is causing hosepipe bans. Perhaps that uncertainty is not unhelpful. These readings open up something of an opportunity to reflect on water as both gift and vulnerability. In different parts of the world, and increasingly in our own, the balance of that cycle is not something to be taken for granted. Flood and drought are not abstract ideas, but lived realities. Our siblings in the Global South are those who live with the fiercest and most destructive effects of climate change – and whether flood or drought, we lament with them in the pain of what it looks like when the water cycle is out of kilter. In addition to what follows this may be a good week to incorporate insights from those who work at the sharp edge of climate justice, especially resources from Christian Aid.

Alongside these more creation-focused themes, the reading from Romans brings us into rather different territory – that of judgement and freedom, condemnation and life in the Spirit. For me, having recently begun ministry within a prison context, those themes land with a certain immediacy. Questions of judgement are not abstract; nor is the experience of being defined by past actions. And yet, it is also in that setting that I have seen, sometimes quite unexpectedly, the beginnings of something like new life – fragile perhaps, not always easily named, but nonetheless real. That sits, in an interesting sort of way, alongside Isaiah's claim that God's word does not return empty, but accomplishes what it is sent to do. There is perhaps something here about a God who speaks a word that does something. This is the power of the Word of God who addresses us and (to borrow Karl Barth's language) speaks the ‘Yes' of God's graceful mercy over and above the ‘No' of judgement, even wholly righteous judgement. We are all the recipients of Christ's calling to our fallen and broken humanity and those who are called to new life, life in all fulness, life that, as in the parable, may even show the abundance of God's fruitful blessing, thirtyfold, sixtyfold, a hundredfold.

These are not tightly held threads, and they need not be. Those leading worship may find one or other strand to follow more closely, or may allow them to sit together without too much resolution. In preparing this material, I have found myself reading the passages, leaving them aside, returning to them again, and allowing different aspects to come into focus at different times. That may be no bad approach for others too.

Isaiah 55:10–13

Fittingly enough when read alongside the parable of Matthew, there is something almost parable-like about these verses from Isaiah: a key understanding of God (specifically God's Word) is drawn out by analogy. Here the image is simple enough – rain and snow falling from the heavens, watering the earth, enabling growth, and not returning until that work is done. From that, the comparison is made with God's word: it goes out, and it accomplishes what it is sent to do.

Placed within the wider context of what is often referred to as ‘Second Isaiah', these are words spoken into a community that has known disruption, displacement, and uncertainty. They are words of assurance, though perhaps not in a way that removes all questions. It is one thing to say that God's purposes will be fulfilled; it is another to hold that together with the experience of things that seem unresolved, or even deeply broken.

Alongside the apparent optimistic outlook of Isaiah, it would be natural for the first audience of these words to ask questions that might remain today. Taking up the metaphor, to ask, what happens in times of drought, or when water comes in destructive ways? Or to wonder what it means for those situations that do not appear to have been ‘nourished' in the way the image suggests? These are the questions of theodicy, and of the struggle of real life's circumstances within the promise of abundant blessing. Those questions are not necessarily answered here, and it may be that they are not meant to be.

And yet, there remains this claim: that God's word does something. It is not inert or purely descriptive. It is active, and it has an effect. The movement of the passage is towards joy and peace – mountains and hills breaking into song, trees clapping their hands – which might be read as an eschatological vision, but perhaps too, as something that is also available in the present reality of God's promise with us now.

Psalm 65: (1-8), 9-13

Psalm 65 is rich in imagery drawn from the natural world. It is, in many ways, a psalm of praise that recognises God's activity within creation – stilling the roaring of the seas, providing water, preparing the land, blessing its growth.

There is a movement within the psalm from the wider, almost cosmic, to the more particular and local – from the ends of the earth to the fields and pastures. The language becomes increasingly tangible: watered furrows, softened ground, grain, flocks, valleys. It is a picture of abundance, though one that is grounded in the processes of cultivation and care.

One small detail that may catch the attention is the line about the "wagon tracks overflowing with richness" (v.11). It is an image that suggests even the places worn down by use, marked by passage, are not excluded from the abundance described. That may or may not become a point of focus for those leading worship, but it sits there, quietly.

The psalm does not necessarily offer a developed theology of creation, nor does it address the complexities of environmental change as we might frame them today. It is, more simply, a song of recognition – of what is seen, and perhaps of what is trusted, in the ongoing relationship between God and the world.

Romans 8:1-11

Paul's writing here moves quite quickly, and there is a density to the language that can make it tempting to rely on familiar interpretations rather than working through what is actually being said.

The opening declaration: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" sets the tone. From there, Paul develops a series of contrasts: law of sin and death / law of the Spirit of life; flesh / Spirit; death / life. These are not always straightforward categories, and it is worth being cautious about importing meanings that may not be present in Paul's own use of these terms.

In particular, the language of "flesh" has often been taken in directions that focus narrowly on certain kinds of behaviour, sometimes with a degree of intensity that is not obviously reflective of Paul's emphasis here. What seems to be at stake in this passage is less a catalogue of what counts as ‘fleshly' behaviour, and more a broader orientation of life – whether it is directed towards self and separation from God, or towards the life-giving presence of the Spirit.

Paul is not setting out a theoretical framework so much as trying to make sense of something already known within the community: that life in the Spirit is possible, and indeed is being experienced. The reference to Christ taking on the likeness of sinful flesh is part of that attempt to articulate how such a shift might be possible – not as something we achieve, but as something that has already been made possible.

The language of freedom from condemnation may be heard differently in different contexts, but it is perhaps worth allowing it to be as expansive as Paul seems to intend, without narrowing it too quickly.

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

The Parable of the Sower is one that many may be familiar with, and it lends itself quite readily to different forms of engagement within worship, including all-age contexts.

One small detail that is easy to overlook is the setting: Jesus is speaking to crowds gathered by the lakeside, while the explanation of the parable is given later to the disciples alone. There is already, within the telling itself, a sense of different levels of hearing or understanding.

It is also perhaps worth noting that the imagery Jesus uses is not necessarily drawn from the immediate experience of all His hearers. Many of the disciples, and likely many in the crowd, would have been more familiar with fishing than with sowing. That does not make the image ineffective, but it does raise questions about what is gained by speaking in a way that is slightly removed from direct experience.

The behaviour of the sower is itself, at the very least, open to comment. Seed is scattered broadly, without apparent concern for where it lands – on the path, on rocky ground, among thorns, and on good soil. It is not, by most practical standards, an efficient approach. One might expect a more careful distribution of a valuable resource.

That raises the possibility that the parable is saying something about the nature of what is given – that the seed is offered widely, not only where success is likely. At the same time, the parable does not ignore the reality that growth is uneven. Some seed does not take root, or is choked, or fails to reach maturity.

The variation in yield – thirty-, sixty-, a hundredfold – also leaves room for reflection. It is not presented as a uniform outcome, and it may be that the differences are not intended to be a cause for comparison so much as an acknowledgement of diversity in fruitfulness.

Sermon ideas

Any of these passages could be taken largely alone in any of the directions mentioned above. However, there are a number of ways these passages might be drawn together.

One possible direction is to begin with the sense of God's giving – the rain that falls, the seed that is scattered – and to hold that alongside the reality that what is given is not always received or sustained in the same way. The sower does not appear to discriminate in where the seed falls, and Isaiah speaks of a word that goes out with purpose. There is something here about generosity, a true abundance behind the way God ‘sows.'

There is also space to recognise the conditions in which growth does or does not take place. The parable names those conditions without necessarily moralising them too heavily. In some contexts, including my own experience of ministry within a prison, it is striking how often the beginnings of faith or renewed engagement with faith appear in circumstances that might not be described as ‘good soil' in any straightforward sense. And yet there is growth. As encouragement to those Sunday School teachers, youth work leaders or teachers of RE classes, I find myself daily in the privileged position of meeting with those whose lives have gone off-kilter, and who also find themselves now going back to seeds long-ago planted about this idea of a God in whom there is a possibility of a new start and a way of living that is about authentic life. That does not negate the challenges or past pains – caused and experienced – but is for some, the beginning of a fragile and courageous thing called hope.

This is to say, in line with Jesus' parable, that whatever challenges stand against the possibility of God's kingdom breaking forth, the seeds broadly sown can and do come to growth in ways that are far from predictable.

There may also be a place, handled carefully, to acknowledge that the ‘birds' and ‘thorns' described in the parable are not always external. It is sometimes the case that people's experiences within church communities have made it more difficult, rather than easier, for those early signs of faith to take root. The casualties of this phenomenon are those whom the Church hears little about and even less from – precisely because of less-than-positive experiences in the past. These are people who pick up a sense of judgement in word, in action, in unspoken cultural cues or even a simple lack of welcome. Sometimes the judgement isn't there or is not intended, but if a person feels so vulnerable or lacking in confidence in exploring this thing, this germinating seed of faith, then anything less than the generous and gracious ‘watering' of a caring and nurturing friend alongside will be enough to prevent roots being put down. This need not be overstated, but in a Church which proclaims on the cover of its hymnbook supplement ‘God Welcomes All' – it is a challenge from which we must not shrink.

Rather than drawing these strands to a single conclusion, it may be enough to invite reflection: what does it look like to receive what is given? What does it mean to tend to it, or to create space for it to grow? And how might we recognise both the generosity of what is offered and the variability of what emerges?

Alternative approaches might include inviting people to identify which aspects of the parable resonate with their own experience at this time, or to consider where they have seen unexpected growth.

Prayers

In preparing these prayers, it may be helpful to allow the imagery of seed, growth, and water to sit in the background, without becoming overwrought. There is also scope to be attentive to current events, particularly where issues of environmental change, food security, or water access are present in the news. The prayers below are written in a way that allows sections to be adapted, expanded or omitted as needed.

Gathering Prayer / Call to Worship
God of creation,
of rain and soil,
of seed and growth,

we gather in Your presence,
from different places,
with different expectations,

some ready to receive,
some unsure,
some simply present.

Meet us here, we pray,
and speak Your word among us.

Confession / Repentance
God of grace,
we acknowledge that we do not always receive what You give.
We are distracted,
or guarded,
or uncertain.

We recognise the ways in which we have closed ourselves off,
and the ways in which we may have made it harder for others
to find space to grow.

In silence, we bring before You
what we would name,
and what we cannot yet name.

[Hold a time of silence]

Have mercy on us,
renew us by Your Spirit,
and lead us into life.

Thanksgiving / Gratitude
God of abundance,
we give thanks for the gifts that sustain us –
for water and food,
for growth and renewal,
for the quiet work of Your Spirit in our lives.

We give thanks for signs of hope,
for unexpected beginnings,
for moments of change and possibility.

Receive our thanks,
and deepen our awareness
of Your presence among us.

Prayer for Others / Intercession
God who cares for all creation,
we pray for places where the balance of the natural world is fragile –
where there is too little water,
or too much,
and where lives are affected as a result.

We pray for communities facing uncertainty,
for those whose lives are marked by judgement or exclusion,
and for those seeking a new beginning.

We pray for Your Church,
that it may be a place where growth is nurtured,
and where all are welcomed with care.

In the quiet, we name those known to us
who need Your presence today.

[Hold a time of silence]

God of compassion,
hear our prayers.

Blessing / Closing Prayer
May the Creator God,
who has planted the seeds of all that is,
be with you.

May the Word that goes out
and does not return empty,
but brings growth in its own time and way,
be at work within you.

And may the Spirit,
who brings new life,
guide and sustain you.

And the blessing of God,
Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer,
be with you
now and always.
Amen.

Musical suggestions

God Welcomes All (GWA) is the new supplement to Church Hymnary Fourth Edition. This exciting new collection features over 200 hymns and songs in a wide range of styles by writers from Scotland and around the world.

The full music and words-only versions are now available; and digital resources, including the expansion of the existing Church of Scotland music website, will be published in due course, with streaming functions and further information on each song; backing tracks; and lyric videos. God Welcomes All is available to order from https://chbookshop.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9781786225573/god-welcomes-all

Our online music resource is on the Church of Scotland website; you can listen to samples of every song in the Church Hymnary 4th edition (CH4) and download a selection of recordings for use in worship. You will also find playlists for this week and liturgical seasons and themes on the Weekly Worship and Inspire Me tabs.

You can find further musical suggestions for this week in a range of styles on the Songs for Sunday blog from Trinity College Glasgow.

• GWA 34 – "Sun, soil and seeds"
• GWA 40 – "Through the city flows the stream"
• GWA 42 – "God Welcomes All" – this and 43 are gathering songs that reflect the theme of God's generous welcome
• GWA 43 – "Come One, Come All"
• GWA 208 – "Where the River Flows" – celebrates the flourishing that flows from God's word
• CH4 153 – "Great is your faithfulness" – can be heard alongside Isaiah's assurance of God's purposes being worked out over time.
• CH4 181 – "For the beauty of the earth" – resonates with Psalm 65's sense of creation's abundance and God's provision within it.
• CH4 192 – "All my hope on God is founded" – connects with the trust in God's ongoing work, even where circumstances shift or feel uncertain.
• CH4 231 – "For the fruits of all creation" – arguably slightly more harvest-time themes, but still a good fit for the parable, and lays out our responsibility to global neighbour too.
• CH4 241 – "Isaiah the prophet has written of old" – holds together various themes of Isaiah, including some of those found in today's reading.
• CH4 349 – "In our lives plant seeds of hope" – directly echoes the parable of the sower and themes of growth and nurture, and can function almost as a sung response to the readings.
• CH4 525 – "Have you heard the raindrops" – a very natural fit with the imagery of rain, growth, and the life that follows – accessible and works well in a range of settings, including all-age.
• CH4 530 – "One more step along the world I go" – reflects the gradual, uneven nature of growth and journey in faith.
• CH4 543 – "Longing for light, we wait in darkness" (Christ, be our light) – speaks into contexts where growth and hope are not straightforward, and where light is something awaited as much as experienced.
• CH4 804 – "You shall go out with joy" – an upbeat (and obvious) choice in line with the words of the Isaiah reading.

Reflecting on our worship practice

Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, the way we worship has changed and we need to reflect on the changing or newly established patterns that emerged and continue to emerge as a result of the disruption.

We can facilitate worship for all by exploring imaginative approaches to inclusion, participation and our use of technologies in ways that suit our contexts. This is not an exhaustive list, but some things we could consider are:

• Framing various parts of the worship service in accessible language to help worshippers understand the character and purpose of each part. This is essential for creating worship for all (intergenerational worship) that reflects your community of faith.
• Holding spaces for reflection and encouraging prayer to be articulated in verbal and non-verbal ways, individually and in online breakout rooms.
• In online formats the effective use of the chat function and microphone settings encourages active participation in prayer, e.g. saying the Lord's Prayer together unmuted, in a moment of ‘holy chaos'.
• While singing in our congregations is still restricted, we can worship corporately by using antiphonal psalm readings, creeds and participative prayers.
• Using music and the arts as part of the worship encourages the use of imagination in place of sung or spoken words.
• Use of silence, sensory and kinaesthetic practices allow for experience and expression beyond regular audio and visual mediums.

The following questions might help you develop a habit of reflecting on how we create and deliver content and its effectiveness and impact, and then applying what we learn to develop our practice.

• How inclusive was the worship?
  Could the worship delivery and content be described as worship for all/ intergenerational?
  Was it sensitive to different "Spiritual Styles"?
• How was the balance between passive and active participation?
• How were people empowered to connect with or encounter God?
  What helped this?
  What hindered this?
• How cohesive was the worship?
  Did it function well as a whole?
  How effective was each of the individual elements in fulfilling its purpose?
• How balanced was the worship?
  What themes/topics/doctrines/areas of Christian life were included?
• How did the worship connect with your context/contemporary issues?
  Was it relevant in the everyday lives of those attending and in the wider parish/ community?
  How well did the worship connect with local and national issues?
  How well did the worship connect with world events/issues?
• What have I learned that can help me next time I plan and deliver worship?

Useful links

You can listen to samples of every song in the Church Hymnary 4th edition (CH4) and download a selection of recordings for use in worship in our online hymnary.

You are free to download, project, print and circulate multiple copies of any of this material for use in worship services, bible studies, parish magazines, etc., but reproduction for commercial purposes is not permitted.

Please note that the views expressed in these materials are those of the individual writer and not necessarily the official view of the Church of Scotland, which can be laid down only by the General Assembly.