Notable Feast Days this Week:

July 6 - Seaxburh, Ely, 699
July 7 - Palladius of Rome, 1st Bishop of Ireland
July 7 - Ethelburh, Faremoutier, 664
July 8 - Aquila and Prisca, Acts 18:2 (Roman Catholic)
July 8 - Sunniva, Norway, 10th c.
July 9 - Second Ecumenical Council Concluded
July 10 - Rufina and Secunda, Rome, 257
July 11 - Benedict of Nursia, 550 (Western)
July 11 - Olga of Kiev, 969
July 12 - John the Iberian, 1002

Revised Common Lectionary

Genesis 25:19-34
Isaiah 55:10-13
Psalm 119:105-112
Psalm 65:1-13
Romans 8:1-11
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Daily Readings (RCL)
Abbreviated Daily Readings
Liturgical Color - Green
----- Sixth Sunday after Pentecost ----- July 12, 2020

Planted in Good Soil

Unrestrained appetites can cause God's people to turn away from the things that are most important (Genesis 25:19-34). Those who are in Christ Jesus have been set free from the law of sin and death and called to walk, not according to the flesh, but according to the desires of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1-11). God's Word illumines a righteous path (Psalm 119:105-112) and waters a seed of everlasting hope (Isaiah 55:10-13). We must acknowledge our need for His forgiveness and blessing (Psalm 65:1-13), for a seed planted in fertile soil produces good fruit (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23).
Psalms
Scripture Readings

Psalm 65:1-13
Praise awaits you, our God
 

Psalm 119:105-112
Your word is a lamp for my feet


Commentary on Psalm 65
Augustine, Calvin, Spurgeon, 
John Paul II

Commentary on Psalm 119
Augustine, Calvin, Spurgeon, 
John Paul II

Audio
Genesis 25, Isaiah 55, Romans 8
Matthew 13, Psalm 65, Psalm 119

Spotify Playlist
Psalm 65 and Psalm 119

Genesis 25:19-34
Esau sells his birthright to Jacob

Isaiah 55:10-13
The growth of God's Word

Romans 8:1-11
Living according to the Spirit

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
The parable of the sower

Daily Readings
Revised Common Lectionary

Daily Readings
Book of Common Prayer

Bible in a Year
Chronological
"Holy God your ways are just and your commandments are true. Help us to understand your law, and when understanding fails, inspire us to follow you in joyful obedience, so that we may faithfully serve you, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." -from Psalms for All Seasons
Lectionary Resources
"Now though sinful desires exert their power on the hearts of men, before the word of the Lord springs up into the blade, yet, at first, their influence is not perceived, and it is only when the corn has grown up and given promise of fruit, that they gradually make their appearance. Each of us ought to endeavor to tear the thorns out of his heart, if we do not choose that the word of God should be choked; for there is not one of us whose heart is not filled with a vast quantity, and, as I may say, a thick forest, of thorns...The deceitfulness of riches. Christ employs this phrase to denote covetousness He expressly says, that riches are imposing or deceitful, in order that men may be more desirous to guard against falling into their snares. Let us remember that the affections of our flesh, the number, and variety of which are incalculable, are so many injurious influences to corrupt the seed of life." 
- John Calvin
Good Ground

I love your simple story of the sower,
With all its close attention to the soil,
Its movement from the knowledge to the knower,
Its take on the tenacity of toil.

I feel the fall of seed a sower scatters,
So equally available to all,
Your story takes me straight to all that matters,
Yet understands the reasons why I fall.

Oh deepen me where I am thin and shallow,
Uproot in me the thistle and the thorn,
Keep far from me that swiftly snatching shadow,
That seizes on your seed to mock and scorn.

O break me open, Jesus, set me free,
Then find and keep your own good ground in me.

-Malcolm Guite
Collect for The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. - The Book of Common Prayer
Psalms and Hymns
Hymn Suggestions for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost from Hymnary.org 

Hymns related to Psalm 65 and Psalm 119 from Hymnary.com

Now Thank We All Our God | Lyrics by Martin Rinkart, tr. Catherine Winkworth / Tune by Johann Crüger, arr. Jody Killingsworth and Philip Moyer | Leadsheets

You Crown the Year (Psalm 65:11) | by Reuben Morgan and Brooke Ligertwood | Leadsheet | Chord Chart and Lyrics

Speak O Lord | by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty

Thy Word | By Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant | Leadsheet

We Are Listening | by Sojourn Music | Chord Chart 

Let All Things Now Living | Traditional Welsh melody / Text by Katherine Davis, 1939| Leadsheet 

Psalm 65 Refrain | from The Emergent Psalter | Leadsheet

Psalm 65 | Metrical Options 

Psalm 119 | Metrical Options 
Music for Listening
The Parable Song by Seeds 
Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit by McCoy Tyner
Almost Threw It All Away by Charlie Peacock
Good Ground: A Sonnet on the Parable of the Sower by Malcolm Guite, music by Wendell Glick, sung by Shenandoah Christian Music Camp (Anabaptist)
Thematic Art 
Enjoying this newsletter? Become a patron of the Liturgy Letter on Patreon; an on-going crowd funding service where you can commit to as little as $1 a month or set a maximum limit. Anything helps!

Thank you for your support.