St. James Presbyterian Church Bible Study Companion Guide
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time · Year A
July 26, 2026
Scripture Focus: Psalm 105:1–11, 45b · Psalm 128:1–6 · Genesis 29:15–28 · Romans 8:26–39 · Matthew 13:31–33, 44–52
WHY THESE TEXTS FOR THIS SUNDAY
We begin with the psalms as prayer. They gather us into remembrance and blessing before we approach the other readings, so that our study begins in relationship with God rather than with the need to master every text.
Psalm 105 calls the community to give thanks, seek God continually, and remember the covenant. Psalm 128 offers a quieter picture of blessing in daily work, household life, shared provision, and peace across generations. Together, they locate us within a faith carried through communal memory and ordinary life.
From that place of prayer, Genesis 29 brings us into a household where Jacob’s seven years of labor for Rachel are met by Laban’s deception and another seven years required of him. The story does not make every action righteous. It asks us to notice how love, longing, labor, family custom, and unequal power become entangled within covenant life.
Romans 8 then speaks assurance into complicated human lives. When we do not know how to pray, the Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes beyond our words. Paul does not deny hardship, danger, grief, or uncertainty; he declares that none of them can separate us from the love of God in Christ.
Matthew 13 gathers images of mustard seed, yeast, hidden treasure, a pearl of great value, and a net filled with many kinds of fish. God’s reign may begin quietly, work invisibly, surprise us with its worth, and call for patient discernment within the same world in which we labor and pray.
Together, these texts invite us to remember what sustains us, examine how blessing and struggle live beside one another, trust the Spirit within our wordless prayers, and notice where God’s reign may already be growing.
FOR REFLECTION
• What memory of God’s faithfulness helps you seek God again in the present?
• Where do love, labor, expectation, and unequal power become entangled in the Genesis story—and in life around us?
• What changes when prayer is understood not only as words we offer, but also as the Spirit’s work within us?
• Which image in Matthew—seed, yeast, treasure, pearl, or net—most clearly speaks to your life or community now?
A PRACTICE FOR THE WEEK
Each day, carry one line from the readings:
“Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually.”
“You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands.”
“The Spirit helps us in our weakness.”
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed.”
Then ask:
• What am I being asked to remember?
• What ordinary work may already carry blessing?
• What prayer is the Spirit holding when I have no words?
• What small sign of God’s reign needs my attention today?
CLOSING PRAYER
Faithful God, gather us into the memory of your covenant and teach us to recognize blessing in ordinary work, shared life, and the hope of peace. Meet us in the labor, longing, and unfinished places of our lives. When we do not know how to pray, let your Spirit pray within us. Give us eyes to see your reign growing quietly among us, wisdom to recognize what is of lasting worth, and trust that nothing in all creation can separate us from your love in Christ Jesus. Amen.

St. James Presbyterian Church Bible Study Companion Guide
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time · Year A
July 19, 2026
Scripture Focus: Psalm 139:1–12, 23–24 · Genesis 28:10–19a · Romans 8:12–25 · Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43
WHY THESE TEXTS FOR THIS SUNDAY
This week’s readings invite us to trust that God is present, even before we fully recognize it.
Psalm 139 reminds us that God searches us, knows us, and holds us. There is no place beyond God’s presence, and even darkness is not dark to God.
Genesis 28 tells the story of Jacob sleeping in a vulnerable place, with a stone for a pillow, while God meets him in a dream. Jacob wakes and says, “Surely the LORD is in this place — and I did not know it!”
Romans 8 speaks to those who are led by the Spirit. We are not called to fall back into fear, because we have received the Spirit of adoption. Creation groans, we groan, and still we wait in hope for the freedom God has promised.
Matthew 13 gives us the parable of the wheat and the weeds. The servants want to pull up the weeds right away, yet the householder warns that they may uproot the wheat as well. Jesus invites patience, discernment, and trust in God’s harvest.
Together, these texts ask us to consider where God may already be present, what the Spirit is helping us endure, and what good seed God may still be protecting in the field of our lives.
FOR REFLECTION
• Where do you need to remember that God knows you completely and still holds you?
• When have you looked back and said, “Surely the LORD was in this place — and I did not know it”?
• How does Romans 8 help you understand groaning as part of hope rather than the absence of faith?
• Where are you being invited to practice patience before trying to pull up what you cannot yet clearly discern?
A PRACTICE FOR THE WEEK
Each day, pray one line from the readings:
“O LORD, you have searched me and known me.”
“Surely the LORD is in this place — and I did not know it!”
“You have received a spirit of adoption.”
“Let both of them grow together until the harvest.” 
Then ask:
• Where do I need to trust that God knows me and still holds me?
• Where might God be present before I have recognized it?
• What fear is the Spirit helping me move beyond?
• What needs patience, prayer, and discernment before I act?
CLOSING PRAYER
Searching and present God, you know us completely and still hold us in love. Meet us in the places where we feel alone, uncertain, or unaware of your presence. By your Spirit, lead us beyond fear and remind us that we are your children. Hold our groaning inside your hope, and teach us patience in every mixed field. Protect what is good, heal what is wounded, and lead us in the way everlasting. Amen.

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St. James Presbyterian Church Bible Study Companion Guide
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time · Year A
July 12, 2026
Scripture Focus: Psalm 119:105–112 · Genesis 25:19–34 · Romans 8:1–11 · Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23
 
WHY THESE TEXTS FOR THIS SUNDAY
This week’s readings bring us into guidance, inheritance, freedom, Spirit, and the word that takes root.
 
We begin with Psalm 119, where God’s word is a lamp for the feet and a light for the path. The psalmist is afflicted and still asks for life, holding fast to God’s word as a heritage and joy.
 
In Genesis 25, the story of Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, and Jacob opens with prayer, struggle, birth, family preference, hunger, and the selling of a birthright. The passage raises questions about what is entrusted to us and what we may trade away when we are pressured or weary.
 
In Romans 8, Paul announces that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The Spirit of life sets us free, gives life and peace, and dwells in mortal bodies with resurrection power.
 
In Matthew 13, Jesus tells the parable of the sower and later explains how the word of the kingdom may be snatched, scorched, choked, or received in good soil. The seed is generously scattered, and the hearer is invited to listen deeply.
 
Together, these texts ask us to consider how God’s word guides us, how we receive what has been entrusted to us, how the Spirit gives life beyond condemnation, and how the word of the kingdom takes root in us.
 
 
OPENING THOUGHTS FOR THE TEXTS
Psalm 119:105–112
This portion of Psalm 119 speaks of God’s word as both lamp and light. The psalmist does not speak from ease. There is affliction, danger, and opposition, yet there is also praise, memory, joy, and resolve. The word is not only instruction; it becomes a way of walking when the path is difficult.
 
Genesis 25:19–34
This passage begins the story of Jacob and Esau. Isaac prays for Rebekah, Rebekah inquires of the Lord, and the struggle between the twins is named before their birth. As the boys grow, family preference and human appetite shape the story. Esau’s hunger and Jacob’s demand place the birthright at the center of the passage.
 
Romans 8:1–11
Paul moves from condemnation to freedom, from death to life, and from flesh to Spirit. The passage does not deny the reality of struggle, yet it declares a deeper reality: the Spirit of God dwells in those who belong to Christ. The same Spirit who raised Jesus gives life to mortal bodies.
 
Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23
Jesus teaches from a boat while the crowd stands on the beach. The parable begins with a sower who scatters seed across many kinds of ground. In the explanation, the seed is the word of the kingdom, and the different soils show how hearing can be hindered or made fruitful. The call is simple and demanding: “Let anyone with ears listen.”
 
 
 
FOR REFLECTION
• Where do you need God’s word to be a lamp for your feet and a light for your path?
• What does the story of Esau and Jacob teach us about hunger, pressure, inheritance, and choice?
• How does Romans 8 help us hear freedom from condemnation as life in the Spirit?
• What helps the word of the kingdom take root, grow, and bear fruit in your life?
 
A PRACTICE FOR THE WEEK
Each day, pray one line from the readings:
*“Your word is a lamp to my feet.”
*“Give me life, O LORD, according to your word.”
*“Of what use is a birthright to me?”
*“There is therefore now no condemnation.”
*“Let anyone with ears listen.”
 
Then ask:

• Where do I need light for the next step?
• What inheritance of faith, family, or community am I called to honor?
• Where do I need to receive freedom from condemnation?
• What is trying to choke or scorch the word in me?
• What fruit might God be growing through my life?

 
CLOSING PRAYER
Guiding God, let your word be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Teach us to honor what you have entrusted to us. Free us from condemnation through the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Make our hearts good soil, that your word may take root, grow, and bear fruit for your glory. Amen.