Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A

For July 12, 2026:

• The Fertile Soil of the Heart by Tom Willadsen based on Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23.
• Second Thoughts: Two People Born of You Shall be Divided by Mary Austin based on Genesis 25:19-34.
• Sermon illustrations by Dean Feldmeyer, Katy Stenta, and Chris Keating.
• Worship resources by Katy Stenta.

Call to Worship:
Jesus said that some seed fell on good soil and brought forth a great harvest. As we worship today let us ask God to make sure that we are good soil and to help us to bring forth a great harvest.

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, as soil is prepared, prepare me to receive the seed of your word.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, remove the thistles and nettles, weeds and briars from the soil of my life.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, plough me, hoe me and weed me to make me ready to receive you.

Contents
What's Up This Week
"Turning Dirt!" by Bryan Meadows
"The Snares of the Wicked" by John Sumwalt
"Taxicab Confessions" by Keith Hewitt


What's Up This Week

Contents
"Restoring the Birthright" by Frank Ramirez
"Product" by C. David McKirachan


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Restoring the Birthright
by Frank Ramirez
Genesis 25:19-34; Romans 8:1-11

Esau said to Jacob, "Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!" (Therefore he was called Edom.) Jacob said, "First sell me your birthright."
-- Genesis 25:30-31

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
-- Romans 8:5

Linda Willis Harper

I was 27 years old and very active in our United Methodist Church. I had taught Sunday school, been on the administrative board, was president of the United Methodist Women, and sang in the choir -- maybe not all at the same time, but I spent enough time at church to feel it was a second home.

Sometimes the best way to start reading your Bible is with the footnotes. Sometimes even in English the Bible seems like it's still written in a foreign language. In a way it is. Not just in Hebrew and Greek with a smattering of Aramaic, but even in English it is still in a "language" 2,000 years or more removed from you and me. The language of the Bible reflects the life of the Bible's people and we don't live there. So we need help if we're going to go there in our mind's eye and hear clearly what was being said when it was being said.

BRIEF COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS

Lesson 1: Genesis 25:19--34 (C)
Once again, God seems to linger in fulfilling his promise to make a great nation of Abraham's progeny. Isaac is 40 by the time he married Rebekah. Another 20 years expire before his wife gives birth to the twins, Esau and Jacob. Perhaps the Lord wants to demonstrate that this business of nation building is his doing, not a human accomplishment. Esau, being firstborn, earns the birthright, but foolishly sells it to his scheming brother for a pot of stew.

Do you remember the movie 1988 movie, Twins? It was comedy that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito as, of all things, twin brothers. Even if you know nothing about the plot of the movie, the mental picture of those two actors standing side-by-side as twins is itself pretty funny.

One autumn, a young man aiming for the seminary left home to complete his college degree. When he returned in the spring, his parents had gone into the chicken-for-eggs business. To that point, he knew little about chickens, except for the fact that they made an excellent dinner. He learned quickly, however, that to call a person a chicken, though perhaps appropriate, is not an act of admiration. For the novice, nothing is more nauseating than a chicken house full of chickens. He decided, nevertheless, to learn about chickens.

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation ..." (v. 1 NIV). No condemnation! No condemnation? Can you think how it would be to live without the fear of condemnation? All too well we know just the opposite! All too well we know the fear of condemnation - the dread that the axe might fall, that the gavel might sound.

Today, we are going to talk about conflict. How do you feel about conflict? I suspect that most of us don't like it. Yet, conflict is a nearly constant part of life as most of us experience it. It surrounds us in many ways in every aspect of our living. People who believe in God know that they must live through every interaction with life as an interaction with God. One of the big questions that people of faith must answer is: "How can we live through the conflict situations of our lives as interactions with the God who loves us all and who requires us to love each other?"

We vacationed recently on Hilton Head Island. It was a way to spend time with our daughter who is a student at the Savannah College of Art and Design nearby. One of the things that impressed us about Hilton Head Island is that if you don't live there, you don't know where things are or how to get to them. Traffic is tightly controlled, especially in residential areas. Most of the housing developments are "gated communities," with access only by way of a single entrance barred by security devices to all but the privileged owners, their guests, and those who serve their needs.

Anthony Flew was born in England, the son of a Methodist preacher. He was raised in a Christian home and attended a Christian school. As an adult, he abandoned the faith he was raised with claming to be an atheist. Over the course of his distinguished career as a professor, he wrote over thirty books on the subject of philosophy. With such a reputation Dr. Flew became known as the world's preeminent defender of atheism for over fifty years.

I recall a few weeks in elementary school when it was the height of hilarity to take someone aside and say, with contrived horror, "You know your epidermis is showing!" For any youngster unfamiliar with the word, it was a trepidant moment. They panicked in the double embarrassment of both this personal thing that was evidently visible and the not knowing precisely what it was. After a few weeks, of course, the fancy term for skin had worked its way into everyone's vocabulary, and so the value of the stunt was lost.

(Hand out the ears of corn to each child as he or she arrives.) Jesus said, "Let anyone with ears listen!" You each have an ear of corn, so I want you to listen ... Wait a minute. Do you think that is what Jesus had in mind? (Let them answer.) I don't think so! What do you suppose Jesus did have in mind? (Let them answer.) I think you are right. I think that Jesus meant that anyone with the kinds of ears that we hear with should listen to what he says.

The Point: Jesus wants to tell others about his love that saves.