Recently, more email programs and internet providers are now labelling any posts, with hyperlinks, as Spam (suspicious email) and sending them directly to the email recipient’s SPAM (JUNK) folder.
Since all Sunday worship video posts contain several hyperlinks, this misdirect is happening frequently.
You can still view them from the SPAM (JUNK) box. You can also move them to the INBOX, or mark them as NOT SPAM.
It’s cool inside
Today’s attendance -> 21 Last year -> 12
Sermon 🔈 (audio only)
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost July 26, 2026 Emancipation Sunday Emancipation Sunday commemorates the coming into effect of the Slavery Abolition Act on August 1, 1834—Emancipation Day—freeing approximately 800,000 enslaved people in British colonies, including Canada.
For more than 180 years, Black communities across Canada have celebrated Emancipation Day with church services, parades, outdoor festivities, protests, speeches, entertainment and more, taking the opportunity for reflection on the struggle for freedom and justice, past and present. By designating an Emancipation Sunday, the General Synod invites Anglicans (and the ELCIC) in Canada to join in that celebration and to support initiatives that address anti-Black racism within our ecclesial structures and in society at large. (courtesy of the Anglican Church in Canada)
Prayer of the Day (From the Anglican Church of Canada)
God of justice and compassion, you created all people in your image and call us to live in freedom and truth: break every yoke that diminishes human dignity, restore what has been wounded by sin and injustice, and make us ministers of reconciliation in the new creation you bring in Christ and enable us to do the work that pleases you, to repair what has been broken, and to walk in the freedom that no power can take away; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Gospel: Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52
31 [Jesus] put before [the crowds] another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field;32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” 33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and reburied; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls;46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Attendance this date ->15 – last year ->34 (a baptism)
Sermon 🔈 (audio only)
EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER Pentecost July 19, 2026
Prayer of the Day
Faithful God, most merciful judge, you care for your children with firmness and compassion. By your Spirit nurture us who live in your kingdom, that we may be rooted in the way of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen.
Gospel: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
24 [Jesus] put before [the crowds] another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field,25 but while everybody was asleep an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and then went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27 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?’ 28 He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he replied, ‘No, for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30 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.’ ”
36 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.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!”
Some Reflections…. Jesus opposes attempts from the disciples and early church to uproot evil:
– Jesus washes Judas’ feet and then feeds him even when Judas apparently hopes that fomenting violence would hasten Jesus’ confrontation with agents of evil. Many scholars believe Judas betrayed Jesus because he thought he could force Jesus’ hand, compelling him to wield his divine power and obliterate the Romans
—uprooting evil, if you will. Judas tragically becomes the very thing his rabbi and cohorts are resisting.
-Jesus’ rebukes the impulse to violence. When Peter draws a sword to fight off the Roman soldiers dispatched to arrest Jesus, Jesus says, “Drop the weapon; those who live by the sword die by the sword.”
From the cross Jesus prays that God would forgive those who are torturing him to death.
The church and disciples aren’t capable of weeding out evil Father Robert Capon writes in his book Parables of the Kingdom that we unwittingly do the enemy’s work for them when we try to uproot the weeds because for whatever reason, we do violence to the good God has planted. At best, we don’t advance God’s long haul agenda (“salvifically ineffective” to quote Capon ). At worst, we church, compound the evil we’re trying to Think inquisitions, Holy Wars and witch trials.
The faithful response to evil is literal forgiving, renouncing, and praying for God’s deliverance.
-“Let Go, Let God” Father Capon takes the trouble to count up number of times the New Testament uses the Greek word that can mean “let go”:—Out of Some 156 occurrences, 47 uses suggest our word “forgive” and the remaining some form of leaving or letting go.
“Our ‘no’ leads us to living with God’s ‘yes’”: In our baptism, all present renounce evil (three times). The path we’re baptized into is about caring for the world God made, proclaiming Christ in how we live, and working for justice and peace. We pray as Jesus taught—
We pray that God, the architect of creation and of Shalom will deliver us from evil in whatever guise it presents itself. Maybe deliverance also involved Spirit restraining us when we want to yank out the ‘baddies’ by the roots.
It’s cool inside our sanctuary!
Attendance this date -> 13 last year – N/A
Sermon 🔊 (audio only)
SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST July 12, 2026
Prayer of the Day
Almighty God, we thank you for planting in us the seed of your word. By your Holy Spirit help us to receive it with joy, live according to it, and grow in faith and hope and love, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen.
Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on a path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 If you have ears, hear!”
18 “Hear, then, the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet such a person has no root but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
The Sermon
The lead-in to Jesus’ telling the parable of the sower helps us get some of Jesus’ meaning. The lead-in functions like tv programs where scenes from previous episodes are shown to give context to the current episode. So “previously”…..
Jesus is in a house and is told his family is looking for him. Jesus does something nearly unthinkable in his time and culture by redefining his family by saying anybody who does the work of the kingdom is his family. But the work isn’t easy. and the results aren’t always what we hoped. Not even Jesus gets a 100 percent approval rating and the message for the church is that we shouldn’t expect that either. Sometimes our work will be met with polite indifference. Sometimes our work will be systematically undermined. Sometimes, though in unexpected places amazing transforming and life giving things happen.
The nature of our work is to embody what Jesus calls the Kingdom of God. Most of us have lived through kingdoms and regimes that bear little resemblance to God’s realm for a just and peaceable world.
Pastor Daniel Erlander wrote a delightful summary of the Bible titled “Manna and Mercy”—the unfolding story of God’s intention to mend all of creation. Dan drew cartoon illustrations in his book before the graphic novel became “a thing”. One image was a pyramid, like those Pharaoh built. In Dan’s version the people he calls the ‘big deals’ were at the apex…each descending level represented decreasing power, wealth and influence. Nature, and most regular people were underneath the pyramid, being squashed by the more powerful. Meanwhile the gifts of creation and any wealth is quickly channeled upward, making life even more crushing for those at the bottom of the pyramid. The story of Moses and the Exodus and also about the long wilderness experience are about God overturning the pyramid scheme and replacing it with friendship with God, nature, and each other. That there is the kingdom of God in a nutshell.
You can guess that the big deals and those who bask in the power of the big deals aren’t very interested in the pyramid being upended. So there you have the resistance, indifference and adverse conditions Jesus talks about in his parable.
And yet….Jesus speaks about those times when God’s way for the world sneaks in and amazing transformation happens. The hundred and sixty fold yields are really a tall tale. Scholar and theologian Warren Carter says such imaginable growth might remind us of overflowing creation that God pronounces as Good, very good. Such fecundity might also anticipate a point in God’s own good timing where love and life triumph and creation is mended.
Meanwhile, we see little promissory notes of such a glorious reprise. As Luther writes in the Small Catechism, Jesus’ prayer for God’s Kingdom is realized when it takes root in us and shapes how we live. Maybe we see only little bits, or watch in dismay as predators snatch the seed or the weeds choke it out. Yet we pray as Jesus taught…and may the Holy Spirit of the risen Christ empower us to live into that prayer, that we might occupy even a tiny corner of God’s activity to bless and save the world. Amen.
Melvin “Mel” Keith Pragnell passed away peacefully on July 4, 2026, at the Welland Hospital, with his wife, children and son-in-law by his side. He was 76.Born in England to Kenneth and Betty Pragnell. Mel came to Canada at a young age and spent nearly his entire life in Welland, Ontario — a community he knew inside and out. He worked at GDX where he built lasting friendships and earned the opportunity to retire early, something he deeply appreciated.
In 2005 Mel married his beloved wife Tamara and July 26, 2026, they would have celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary together, a milestone marked by years of partnership, humour, and devotion.
Mel was known for his sharp wit, traditional English dry humour, and his gift for storytelling. As a father Mel loved to be a part of his children’s activities and enjoyed watching them play hockey or dance. He also enjoyed a good round of golf, horse racing, and discovering all the best places to eat in Welland. If you needed a good meal, Mel knew exactly where to send you.
Mel will be deeply missed by his wife, Tamara; and his children, Steven (Stefanie) Pragnell and Julie (Scott) Lane. He was a proud grandfather to Dax, Meagan, Jenna and Alyssa. Mel was predeceased by his grandson, Preston. He is also survived by his brothers, Stanley Pragnell (Judith) and Phil Pragnell, as well as all of his nieces and nephews.
A private celebration of Mel’s life will be held with family and friends.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Mel’s honour may be made to a COPD charity, supporting others facing the illness he lived with.
Online condolences available at www.cudneyfuneralhome.com.
Visit H.L. Cudney Funeral Home Inc. to see the obituary, events and guestbook.
JULY 5, 2026 SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Prayer of the Day
You are great, O God, and greatly to be praised. You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. Grant that we may believe in you, call upon you, know you, and serve you, through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen.
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
[Jesus spoke to the crowd saying:] 16 “To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
17 ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ 18 “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; 19 the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
25 At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Transcript of Gospel and Sermon
Click HERE to view entire Worship Guide
**Click on any photo for a slideshow**
St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Welland, Ontario, Canada 
Our 150th Anniversary flowerbed today (July 16-26). The yellowish haze in the sky is from the northern Ontario forest fires'…