Taking Faith Home July 19th

JULY 19, 2026 EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST Christians are people of hope. DAILY BIBLE READINGS These passages are related to the Lectionary texts for this Sunday. Sunday Monday Tuesday Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 Parable of the weeds Isaiah 44:6-8 Romans 8:12-25 Wednesday Genesis 28:10-22 Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Psalm 139:1-24 1 Peter 1:3-9 Psalm 86:11-17 Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 Parables of the kingdom SCRIPTURE VERSE FOR THIS WEEK For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Romans 8:24-25 (NRSV) PRAYERS AND BLESSING A Prayer for the Week: Dear God, may the hope you have given us take away our fear and strengthen us for each new day through Christ our Lord. Amen. Mealtime Prayer: Lord God, we thank you for your goodness and for the good seed that falls into the soil to give us bread. Amen. A Blessing to Give: May the Lord be gracious to you. © 2025 Milestones Ministry, LLC. All rights reserved. HYMN OF THE WEEK Goodness Is Stronger than Evil WEEKLY MILESTONES Take a moment to tell or think about a recent mountain high and/or valley low in your life. CARING CONVERSATIONS Discuss in your home, small group, or use for personal reflections:  Where do you find hope when you read or hear something bad in the news?  How does the power of the Holy Spirit in your life give you hope? The Lord’s promise to Israel Future glory for God’s people Jacob’s dream at Bethel The inescapable God A living hope Save me, Lord DEVOTIONS Read: Romans 8:12-25. The Apostle Paul speaks about our death “by the Spirit” that we may live (v. 13). It is a baptismal theme he mentioned in Romans 6:4: “. . . we have been buried with [Christ] by baptism into death . . . so we too might walk in newness of life.” Paul speaks of living “according to the flesh” (v. 13). It is the life lived without hope in God. We live by the power of the Holy Spirit and are adopted as children of God. That life-giving Spirit kills the “deeds of the body” (v. 13), our life in the flesh (life without God). Life in Christ is a death and life experience, one that leads to hope. As children who can say, “Abba! Father!” (v. 15), we are heirs of God’s future in Christ. Being an heir does not mean we avoid disappointments and hurts. In fact, Paul reminds us that we “suffer with [Christ] so that we may also be glorified with him” (v. 17). We are people of hope as we suffer—just as Christ suffered and died—that we may rise with Christ to a new life. In faith, we wait for Christ’s final victory with hope and patience. Discuss: How does being an heir of God’s future in Christ give you patience and hope? Pray: Lord Jesus Christ, you give us a living hope; through the ups and downs of life, help us to have faith in you and trust in your saving work now and always. Amen. SERVICE Jesus calls us to serve our neighbor in love. Based on the Daily Bible Readings and theme for this week, how can you support and encourage someone going through a tough time? RITUALS AND TRADITIONS Faith is formed by the power of the Holy Spirit through personal, trusted relationships – often in our own homes. Think or talk about the Christian rituals and traditions you do in your home, like prayer and scripture reading. Who taught them to you? Have you taught some of these rituals and traditions to a family member or someone else? If not, think about who you can teach them to. Pray: “Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name.” Amen. (Psalm 86:11) In addition to Taking Faith Home, celebrate milestones in your daily life as an effective faith formation tool. Go to: www.milestonesministry.org