Sunday Service from Hillside Circuit for July 5th 2026:
Lectionary Theme: Surrender your challenges unto Jesus Christ
Theme for Hillside Society: The Lord of harvest
Occasion: 6th Sunday after Pentecost
Lectionary readings:
Psalm 145: 8-14
Zechariah 9: 9-12
Romans 7: 15-25a
Matthew 11: 25-30
Alternative readings for Hillside Society:
Psalm 65: 9-13
1 Kings 8: 33-36
Matthew 9: 37-38
[Click or tap on a Bible reference above to jump down the page to the Bible reading to read it for yourself (and/or to listen to it) and then click or tap on Back to top to come back here.]
Songs:
Here are the songs for Sunday morning service. Click or tap on a song to open it in YouTube.
Praise, O praise.
Hoyo mushandiri.
Wazidal’ izinto.
This is my desire.
For the fruits of His creation.
Take my life.
As your family Lord.
Sikuyo indlela.
Jesu ndisededzei.
Makwenziw’ indumiso.
Prayers:
You can listen and join in with prayers from the English Methodist Service Book. They can be found at the Prayers for worship webpage.
Children’s Address:
Sermon:
Bible readings:
Psalm 145
8 You are merciful, LORD!
You are kind and patient and always loving.
9 You are good to everyone,
and you take care of all your creation.
10 All creation will thank you,
and your loyal people will praise you.
11 They will tell about
your marvelous kingdom and your power.
12 Then everyone will know about
the mighty things you do and your glorious kingdom.
13 Your kingdom will never end, and you will rule forever.
Our LORD, you keep your word
and do everything you say.
14 When someone stumbles or falls,
you give a helping hand.
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Zechariah 9
9 Everyone in Jerusalem, celebrate and shout!
Your king has won a victory, and he is coming to you.
He is humble and rides on a donkey;
he comes on the colt of a donkey.
10 I, the LORD, will take away war chariots and horses
from Israel and Jerusalem.
Bows that were made for battle will be broken.
I will bring peace to nations,
and your king will rule from sea to sea.
His kingdom will reach from the Euphrates River
across the earth.
11 When I made a sacred agreement with you, my people,
we sealed it with blood.
Now some of you are captives in waterless pits,
but I will come to your rescue 12 and offer you hope.
Return to your fortress,
because today I will reward you
with twice what you had.
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Romans 7
15 In fact, I don’t understand why I act the way I do. I don’t do what I know is right. I do the things I hate. 16 Although I don’t do what I know is right, I agree that the Law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing these evil things. The sin that lives in me is what does them.
18 I know that my selfish desires won’t let me do anything that is good. Even when I want to do right, I cannot. 19 Instead of doing what I know is right, I do wrong. 20 And so, if I don’t do what I know is right, I am no longer the one doing these evil things. The sin that lives in me is what does them.
21 The Law has shown me that something in me keeps me from doing what I know is right. 22 With my whole heart I agree with the Law of God. 23 But in every part of me I discover something fighting against my mind, and it makes me a prisoner of sin that controls everything I do. 24 What a miserable person I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is doomed to die? 25 Thank God! Jesus Christ will rescue me.
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Matthew 11
25 At that moment Jesus said:
My Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I am grateful that you hid all this from wise and educated people and showed it to ordinary people. 26 Yes, Father, that is what pleased you.
27 My Father has given me everything, and he is the only one who knows the Son. The only one who truly knows the Father is the Son. But the Son wants to tell others about the Father, so that they can know him too.
28 If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. 29 Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. 30 This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.
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Psalm 65
9 You take care of the earth and send rain
to help the soil grow all kinds of crops.
Your rivers never run dry,
and you prepare the earth to produce much grain.
10 You water all of its fields and level the lumpy ground.
You send showers of rain to soften the soil
and help the plants sprout.
11 Wherever your footsteps touch the earth,
a rich harvest is gathered.
12 Desert pastures blossom, and mountains celebrate.
13 Meadows are filled with sheep and goats;
valleys overflow with grain
and echo with joyful songs.
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1 Kings 8
33 Suppose your people Israel sin against you, and then an enemy defeats them. If they come to this temple and beg for forgiveness, 34 listen from your home in heaven. Forgive them and bring them back to the land you gave their ancestors.
35 Suppose your people sin against you, and you punish them by holding back the rain. If they turn toward this temple and pray in your name and stop sinning, 36 listen from your home in heaven and forgive them. The people of Israel are your servants, so teach them to live right. And please send rain on the land you promised them forever.
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Matthew 9
37 He said to his disciples, “A large crop is in the fields, but there are only a few workers. 38 Ask the Lord in charge of the harvest to send out workers to bring it in.”
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[Did you miss June 21st’s Sunday Service? It can now be found at Worship Archive – June 21st 2026.]
Methodist Church: Hillside Circuit 
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