Morning Prayer for Thursday 5.28.26

Here is a link to our liturgy: Morning Prayer 5.28.26, Mechthild of Magdeburg, Mystic, 1282 | Daily Office Network

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Good morning and welcome. I'm Father Tom Roy, the Vicar of the Daily Office Network. I'm an ordained priest in the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Minnesota. The Daily Office Network is a community of Christians who gather together on a daily basis to pray morning prayer from the Episcopal Church's Book of Common Prayer. We come from several different countries and several different faith traditions. We do our best to exercise tolerance and decency here with one another. Let's settle in and begin morning prayer. Today is the 28th of May, 2026. In the life of the church, our saint is MacPhild of Magdeburg, a mystic who died in 1282. The Daily Office Network is podcasting. If you're looking for our podcast, go to Apple or Spotify and search by Keywords Daily Office Network. Let's begin. Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times, some will renounce the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared with a hot iron. Photograph of a building with a sign over it that says the cabin. May not be the cabin you're thinking about, though.

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St.

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Thomas's Episcopal Church in White Marsh, Pennsylvania has expanded its animal ministry by launching the Animal Cabin, a respite space for shelter, rescue, and foster dogs on the parish's 42-acre campus. Thousands of stray animals enter shelters throughout the Philadelphia area annually. In 2025, the city's only open animal intake shelter recorded more than 20,000 intakes. 20,000. Shelters can be excuse me. Shelters can be stressful for animals because they're confined to a loud, crowded space, which often triggers anxiety and behavioral issues. Through this designated quiet space at St. Thomas', the ministry aims to give these animals a chance to exercise and spend more time outdoors while they wait to be adopted into their forever homes. Year-round caretakers ages 18 and older can reserve the free cabin for eight hours a day, Sunday through Thursday, by filling out an online form or calling the Diocese of Pennsylvania. One dog may use the cabin per day. A prayer space is also available. Volunteers clean the cabin between visits. Walking on the church's property is also encouraged. Animal bereavement groups and owners needing temporary support for their pets may also reserve the animal cabin. And the photo above is the animal cabin at St. Thomas's in White March, Pennsylvania. What a novel idea. Another way to serve God's people and his animals. I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord. Addie, would you lead us in the invitatory and the Psalter this morning? And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

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Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning and now, and will be forever. Amen. Hallelujah. Come, let us sing to the Lord. Let us shout with joy to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before God's presence with thanksgiving and raise to the Lord a shout with songs. For you are a great God. You are great above all gods. In your hands are the caverns of the earth, and the heights of the hills are yours also. The sea is yours, for you made it, and your hands have molded the dry land. Come, let us bow down and bend the knees and kneel before the Lord our Maker. For you are our God, and we are the people of your pastor and the sheep of your hand. Oh, that today we would hearken to your voice.

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Thank you, Eddie. Our psalm appointed for this morning is a portion of Psalm number 37, verse 1 through 18. Switch it up a little bit. I'm gonna ask Carol and Marcia to lead our psalm. Carol, would you start?

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Do not fret yourself because of evildoers. Do not be jealous of those who do wrong.

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For they shall sow together like the grass and like the green grass fade away.

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Put your trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and feed on its riches.

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Take delight in the Lord. Who shall give you your heart's desire?

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Commit your way to the Lord, put your trust in the Lord who will bring it to pass.

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The Lord will make your righteousness as clear as the light, and you're just dealing as the noonday.

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Be still before the Lord, wait patiently for the Lord.

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Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, the one who succeeds in evil schemes.

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Refrain from anger, leave rage alone. Do not fret yourself, it leads only to evil.

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For evildoers shall be cut off. But those who wait upon the Lord shall possess the land.

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Sorry. In a little while, the wicked shall be no more. You shall search out their place, but they will not be there.

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But the lowly shall possess the land.

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The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash at them with their teeth.

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The Lord laughs at the wicked, knowing that their day will come. Their sword shall go through their own heart, and their bow shall be broken.

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The little that the righteous has is better than the great riches of the wicked.

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For the power of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.

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Amen. Amen.

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Thank you, Carol and Marcia. That was a great reading. Here we see a horse adorned in full armor, and all the different names that they used to call those pieces of the armor are listed. I think I know a couple of those. The pomel that's also referred to as the horn sometimes. The tailguard, that one's pretty easy. That horse is ready for battle. Our reading is from Proverbs chapter 21, verses 30 through 22, verse six. Chad, would you lead this?

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No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord. A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold. The rich and the poor have this in common The Lord is the maker of them all. The clever see danger and hide, but the simple go on and suffer for it. The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life. Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse, the cautious will keep far from them. Train children in the right way, and when old they will not stray. The word of the Lord.

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Thanks be to God. Thank you, Chad. Our first canticle is the song of Moses. Jill, would you lead this?

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I will sing to the Lord, for he is lofty and uplifted. The horse and its rider has he hurled into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my refuge. The Lord has become my Savior. This is my God and I will praise him. The God of my people and I will exalt him. The Lord is a mighty Savior. Yahweh is his name. The chariots of Pharaoh and his army as he hurled into the sea. The finest of those who bear armor have been drowned in the Red Sea. The fathomless deep has overwhelmed them. They sank into the depths like a stone. Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in might. Your right hand, O Lord, has overthrown the enemy. Who can be compared with you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in nature in holiness, awesome in renowned and worker of wonders? You stretch forth your right hand, the earth swallowed them up. With your constant love you fed the people you redeemed. With your might you brought them in safety to your holy dwelling. You will bring them in and plant them on the mount of your possession. The resting place you have made for yourself, O Lord. The sanctuary, O Lord, that your hand has established. The Lord shall reign for ever and ever. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, as now, and will be forever. Amen.

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Amen. Thank you, Joe. Remember when we mentioned hot iron in the beginning? That's some really hot iron right there. Those are branding irons. Our second reading is from First Timothy chapter four, verse one through sixteen. Paul, would you lead this?

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Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will renounce the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the hypocrisy of liars whose conscience are seared with a hot iron. They forbid marriage and demand abstinence from foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, provided it is received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by God's word and by prayer. If you put these instructions before the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound teachings that you have followed. Have nothing to do with profane myths and old wives' tales. Train yourself in godliness, for while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, for to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on living thing, living God who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe. These are the things you must insist on and teach. Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhorting, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy, with the laying on of hands by the counsel of elders. Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching. Continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers. The word of the Lord.

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Thanks be to God. Thank you, Paul. Our second canticle is glory to God. Robert, would you lead this one?

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Glory to God in the highest, and peace to these people on earth. Lord God, Heavenly King, Almighty God and Father, we worship you. We give you thanks. We praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world. Have mercy on us. You are seated at the right hand of the Father, receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One. You alone are the Lord. You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit and the glory of God the Father. Amen.

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Amen. Thank you, Robert. Planting seeds. And these are tiny seeds. I'd like to say they're mustard seeds, but the caption for the photograph doesn't identify them as such. They're good seeds. I'm sorry, verses twenty-four through thirty. Deacon Diana, would you read this one?

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Jesus put them put before them another parable. The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field. But while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and Ben went away. So when the plants came up and bore game, oh dear, and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 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? He answered, An enemy has done this. The slaves said to him, Then do you want us to go and gather them? But he replied, No, for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest. And at the 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. The word of the Lord.

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Thanks be to God. Thank you, Deacon. And now the apostles' creed. And I'm gonna ask. Actually, I'm gonna read this one. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried, he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again, he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. And now the prayers begin with our Lord's Prayer. Patricia, would you lead us in the Lord's Prayer and then we'll read the suffrages.

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The Lord be with you.

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And also with you.

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Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

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Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance.

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Govern and uphold them now and always.

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Day by day we bless you.

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We praise your name forever.

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Lord, keep us from all sin today.

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Have mercy on us, Lord. Have mercy.

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Lord, show us your love and mercy.

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For we put our trust in you.

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And you, Lord, is our hope.

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And we shall never hope in vain.

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Thank you, Patricia. This is an icon of our saint of the day. This is Saint Machild or Matilda. She was a begin, a type of nun who lives in a community but does not take vows. And a mystic who had her first vision of the Holy Spirit when she was only at the age of twelve. Her book, The Flowing Light of Divinity, was the first by a woman or by a mystic of any gender in the German language instead of in Latin. She criticized church dignitaries and lax observances of religion, which made her very unpopular with dignitaries and the lax. In the old age, she took shelter with a convent of Sisterceans who valued mystical experience and encouraged her to finish her writing. Matilda, or Saint Macfil, our saint of the day. And now two prayers: the collect of the day for Macthil of Magdeburg, a mystic who died in 1282, and a collect for guidance. Deacon Elizabeth, would you lead this?

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Sure. Draw the souls of your people into your love, O God, that like your servant Matilda, we may yearn to be fully yours, for you know us better than we can know ourselves, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being. We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit that in all the Cares and occupations of our life, we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Amen. Thank you, Deacon. And now it's time for America's gun toll. A look at how many people get shot or killed each week and all the guns that we have lying around in our country or in America. This is as of Monday. That's when I usually pull the stats. And we're going to go to a place called Mabelvale, Arkansas. I have no idea where that is. A little after 1 a.m., multiple EMTs and deputies were dispatched to Shakot Road for multiple people with gunshot wounds. This is a local reporting that someone does that wasn't covered by any of the uh major news networks, NBC, ABC, CBS, AP, none of them. According to dispatch call to a dispatch call, there were at least four people injured, and they gave an address on Shilakot Shikot Road. And we have been told that one was a casualty. I wasn't able to verify that though, and this didn't come up as a showing a casualty. It just showed the four people that were injured. It says that this person, whoever is making the report, will attempt to get more details throughout the day. This one's odd because it's a tiny little place in Arkansas, and it didn't make major news that four people have been killed. It's becoming so commonplace in our country. People get shot all the time now, and it's just it just becomes normal, and it is anything but normal. We look at our totals from this last week, and they're mixed. Those killed by gunfire in the United States went up a little bit. It went up to 249. It was 235. It brings our total year-to-date killed in the United States to 4,973. But those are people. That's a whole town. Those injured by gunfire in the United States. That one actually went down by almost 40. I mean, I'm sorry, by almost 30. It was 490 the week before. It was 519. I'm sorry, it's 519 the week before. It's 490 this week. And it brings the total injured by gunfire in this country to 8,904. And so we pray our prayer to end gun violence. O Lord our God, we pray for the victims of the other pandemic as gun violence ravages our homes, our streets, our businesses, our schools, and our houses of worship. We pray for the children who are killed and injured. We pray for their families, their classmates, teachers, and school employees. We pray for the teenagers who are gunned down before their lives have really started. We pray for the police officers who keep fighting a never-ending battle, trying to keep themselves and everyone else safe. We pray for an end to racial profiling and law enforcement. We pray for all who are depressed or mentally ill, wanting to hurt themselves or others in a nation where guns are everywhere. We pray for the victims of crime who are forced to defend themselves and their loved ones. And we pray for anti-violence activists and community leaders in a time when new methods of protest and reform must be created. Let your demands for justice and your cries for peace be heard, O Lord, in our legislative chambers and in our hearts. May your healing grace overtake this land through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Almighty God, you sent your Son Jesus Christ to reconcile the world to yourself. We praise and bless you for those whom you have sent in the power of the Spirit to preach the gospel to all nations. We thank you at all parts of the earth. A community of love has been gathered together by their prayers and language. And that in every case your servant calls upon your name. For the kingdom and the power and the glory are yours forever. Amen.

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Let us bless the Lord, hallelujah, hallelujah.

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Thanks be to God. Hallelujah, hallelujah.

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Now go in safety, for you cannot go where God is not. Go in love, for love alone endures, and go in peace, for that is God's gift to those whose hearts and minds are in his Son Jesus. And God's blessing be with you. Christ's peace be with you. The Spirit's outpouring be with you now and always. Amen. And that is morning prayer on this Thursday. Thank you for coming to pray today. Wherever you go, take the love of Jesus that lives in your heart. Share that Jesus with the world. Show that Jesus to the world. We need Jesus right now. Hope to see you back with us tomorrow safe and sound.