July 19, 2026
Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43
Sermon Theme: Growing Together in God’s Time
Jesus tells the parable about the wheat and the weeds during a time when people expected God’s kingdom to arrive suddenly and perfectly. Many wondered why evil still existed if God was truly in charge. So, Jesus uses a farming story, something everyone understood – to teach that God’s kingdom grows quietly, patiently, and often right alongside things that challenge us.
Jesus gives us a picture today that every gardener, every farmer, and every child who has ever planted a seed can understand. A farmer plants good wheat, but during the night an enemy sneaks in and scatters weeds among the crop. When the wheat begins to grow, the weeds grow too – tangled and stubborn.
The workers want to fix it immediately. “Should we pull the weeds?” they ask. But the farmer says, “No. Let them grow together until the harvest.”
This is Jesus’ gentle way of teaching us something important as human beings: God is patient with the world, and God is also patient with us. We live in a world where good and bad grow side by side – in our communities, in our families, and sometimes even in our own hearts. We all have wheat moments: kindness, generosity, prayer, compassion. And we all have weed moments: impatience, fear, anger, or choices we regret.
But Jesus says God does not rush to tear us apart or throw us away. God waits. God nurtures. God sees the good that is growing in us even when we cannot see it ourselves. And God promises that the final sorting-the ultimate healing- belongs to God alone.
For the children among us, this means: God sees the good in you even when you make mistakes. For the teens: Your struggles do not cancel your gifts. For the adults: God is not finished with your story. For our elders: Your faithfulness continues to bear fruit.
The parable reminds us that God’s kingdom grows quietly, sometimes in messy places, sometimes in imperfect people- but always with hope. Our job is not to judge who is wheat and who is weed. Our job as Christians is to grow faithfully, love generously, and trust God’s timing.
And the good news about God’s patience is that God’s patience is not weakness – it is unconditional love. God waits because God wants every seed of goodness in us to flourish.
My dear friends, this morning I am inviting us to use these three letters this week to guide our spiritual direction. The abbreviation: G.P.S.
G – Grow
Choose one small way to grow in faith this week: a prayer, a kindness, a moment of gratitude.
P -Practice Patience
Be patient with yourself and others. Remember: wheat and weeds grow together.
S – Sow Goodness
May we plant the seeds of goodness wherever we go -a smile, a helping hand, a gentle word.
If we hide in the rock of ages-Jesus Christ, we will be to grow together in God’s time.