St Cuthbert’s Notes – Pentecost 8 – 19 July 2026
Today, we welcome Steven McLeish, representing The Leprosy Mission in Scotland.
Music:
Introit Hymn 57 – Awake, my soul, and with the sun (verses 1-4 and verse 8)
Gradual Hymn 34 – Amazing grace!
Offertory Hymn 687 – Take my life, and let it be
Communion 580 – O thou who camest from above
Post-Communion Hymn 623 – Praise, my soul, the King of heaven
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Collect
Almighty God, your Son has 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.
First Reading: Isaiah 44.6-8
Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Who is like me? Let them proclaim it, let them declare and set it forth before me. Who has announced from of old the things to come? Let them tell us what is yet to be. Do not fear, or be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? You are my witnesses! Is there any god besides me? There is no other rock; I know not one.
Second Reading: Romans 8.12-25
So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for 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. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Gospel: Matthew 13.24-30, 36-43
He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?” He answered, “An enemy has done this.” The slaves said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” But he replied, “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.’ He answered, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!
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EGM – Changes to the Constitution:
The next EGM will be on Sunday August 2nd,
after the 10.30am service in church.
Introducing the Gospels – A Series of Talks by Bishop Donald Allister:
The third in the series of 4 talks takes place on Tuesday 21st July at 2pm here in St Cuthbert’s Church. All welcome.
Forget-Me-Notes:
The Forget-Me-Notes sessions continue through the summer – the next dates are 20th July, 3rd August and 17th August. 2pm-4pm. Join us for an hour of music and memories. Bring a friend or come and meet new ones. Followed by refreshments. All Welcome.
St Cuthbert’s Evensong:
Our next Evensong service is on Sunday 26th July at 5pm. All welcome.
Phoenix Group – Croquet at the Meadows Croquet Club:
CROQUET at the MEADOWS CROQUET CLUB on THURSDAY 30 JULY – 2pm to 4.30 pm. Jean Wood has kindly agreed to host us again at the Meadows Croquet Club, Tollcross. Jean has booked 2 rinks from 2pm on Thursday 30 July and we will assemble at 1.45 pm. We will have tea, scones, savouries and cake in the clubhouse after we have played. Jean Wood will provide tea and some refreshments but all contributions will be most welcome. Visitors pay just £5 each. Please wear or bring flat shoes, as they must be worn to protect the lawns. Each rink will take up to 8 people. Jean will be hosting the event and will guide us all, especially those of us who have not played before. If you are interested in coming along, please let Jean Myers, Margaret Temple or myself know. Margaret Kieran
Thursday Afternoon Service:
Our next Thursday afternoon service is on 6th August at 2.30pm. The theme is ‘The Humanity of the Disciples’. Everyone is welcome and we hope to see you there. Refreshments will be served after the service.
Weekly Prayer:
Dear Lord, as children of God, may we do our best to be led by your commandments. This may not always be easy, but if we try to live by the Holy Spirit and the fruits of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) we will be on our way to responding to your will in our daily lives. Amen.
Scottish Charity Number: SC007578
www.stcuthbertscolinton.org.uk
Facebook: @stcuthbertscolinton
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