Morning Prayer for Wednesday 6.24.26

Today is the feast day for the Nativity of John the Baptist. Here is a link to our liturgy: Morning Prayer 6.24.26, The Nativity of Saint John The Baptist | Daily Office Network

Transcript

SPEAKER_09 0:02

Good morning and welcome. I'm Father Tom Royd, the vicar of the Daily Office Network. 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 mix in artwork. Sometimes there's a news story. We have a video at the end. All are welcome here where we do our best to exercise tolerance and decency with one another. Now let's begin morning prayer. Today is Wednesday, the 28th. I'm sorry, the 24th of June, 2026. The life of the church. It is a feast day in the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. If you're looking for our podcast, you'll find us on Apple or Spotify by searching the keywords daily office network. Let's begin. See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. Famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci of John the Baptist. Leonardo was very fond of the enigmatic smile. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Patty, would you lead us in the invitatory and the Psalter this morning?

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Lord, open our lips.

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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, is now and will be forever. Amen. Hallelujah. Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands. Serve the Lord with gladness and come before his presence with a song. Know this the Lord Himself is God. He himself has made us, and we are his. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving. Go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and call upon his name. For the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting, and his faithfulness endures from age to age.

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Thank you, Eddie. Our psalms this morning are Psalm number 82 and Psalm number 98. I'm going to ask Jill in Milwaukee and Jacqueline in Canada to lead our psalm. Jill, would you start?

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God arises in the council of heaven and gives judgment in the midst of the gods.

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How long will you judge unjustly and show favor to the wicked?

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Save the weak and the orphan. Defend the humble and needy.

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Rescue the weak and the poor. Deliver them from the power of the wicked.

SPEAKER_08 3:43

They do not know, neither do they understand. They go about in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are shaken.

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Now I say to you, you are gods, and all of you children of the most high.

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Nevertheless, you shall die like mortals and fall like any leader.

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Arise, O God, and rule the earth, for you shall take all nations for your own.

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Sing unto the Lord a new song. For the Lord has done marvelous things.

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The right hand and the holy arm of the Lord have secured the victory.

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The Lord has made known this victory and has openly shown righteousness in the sight of the nations.

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The Lord remembers mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel.

unknown 4:48

Sorry.

SPEAKER_06 4:49

Sorry. And all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

SPEAKER_08 4:55

Shout with joy to the Lord, all you lands. Lift up your voice, rejoice and sing.

SPEAKER_06 5:03

Sing to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the voice of song.

SPEAKER_08 5:10

With trumpets and the sound of the horn, shout with joy before the sovereign, the Lord.

SPEAKER_06 5:18

Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it, the lands and those who dwell therein.

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Let the rivers clap their hands, let the hills sing out, ring out with joy before the Lord, who is coming to judge the earth.

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In righteousness shall the Lord judge the world and the peoples with equity.

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Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen. Amen.

SPEAKER_09 5:59

Thank you, Jill and Jacqueline. That was a great reading. Fuller's soap was used in ancient times to clean, purify, and strengthen sheep's wool. Malachi cites it by analogy with purifying gold and silver by fire. Our first reading is from Malachi chapter three, verses one through five. Chad, would you lead this?

SPEAKER_01 6:31

See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temples, to his temple. The messenger of the covenant to whom you delight, indeed he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming? And who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fuller's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord, as in the days of old and as in former years. Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien and who do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts. The word of the Lord.

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Thanks be to God. Thank you, Chad. Our first canticle is Song of Zachariah. Mother Angel, would you lead this?

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In the tender compassion of God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us. Blessed are you, Lord, the God of Israel. You have come to your people and set them free. You have raised them for us, a mighty Savior, born of the house of your servant David. Through your holy prophets, you promised a bond to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us, to show mercy to our fathers, and to remember your holy covenant. This was the oath you swore to our father Abraham, to set us free from the hands of our enemies, free to worship you without fear, holy and righteous before you all the days of our life. And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High. For you will go before the Lord to prepare the way, to give God's people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from unhigh shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen. In the tender compassion of Allah God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us.

SPEAKER_09 9:59

Thank you, Mother Angel. This is an icon of Saint John the Baptist. It's called Friend of the Bridegroom. Our next reading is from John chapter three, verses twenty-two through thirty. Brother Tucker, would you lead this one? You're muted, Tucker. There we go.

SPEAKER_00 10:38

After Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside and he spent some time there with them and baptized, John also was baptizing at Anon near Salem because water was abundant there, and people kept coming and were being baptized. John, of course, had not yet been thrown into prison. Now a discussion about purification arose between John's disciples and a Jew. They came to John and said to him, Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him. John answered, No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him. He who has the bride is the bridegroom, the friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears him rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. The word of the Lord.

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Thanks be to God. Thank you, Tucker. Our second canticle is the Todayum, Mother Angel.

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We praise you, O God. We acclaim you as Lord. All creation worships you, the Father everlasting. To you, all angels, all the powers of heaven, the cherubim and seraphim sing an endless praise. Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. The glorious company of apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of prophets praise you. The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the world, the holy church acclaims you. Father of majesty unbounded, your true and only Son, worthy of our worship, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide. You Christ are the King of Glory, the eternal son of the Father. When you took our flesh to set us free, you humbly chose the Virgin's womb. You overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God's right hand in glory. We believe that you will come to be our judge. Come then, Lord, and help your people, bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting.

SPEAKER_09 13:54

Thank you, Mother Angel. And now the apostle's creed. 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. Marcia and Barbados, 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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Show us your mercy, O Lord.

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And grant us your salvation.

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Clothe your ministers with righteousness.

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Let your people sing with joy.

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Give us peace, O Lord, in all the world.

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For only in you can we live in safety.

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Lord, keep our nations under your care.

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And guide us in the way of justice and truth.

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Let your way be known upon earth.

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Your saving health among all nations. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor be taken away.

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Create in us clean hearts, O God.

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And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_09 16:20

Thank you, Marcia. This is by Lorenzo Venazina Venesio. It's the Nativity of John the Baptist when the Lord unloosed Zachariah's tongue. Now four prayers, the collect of the day for the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, a collect on racism and injustice. A collect for grace and a collect for joy in God's creation. Patricia, would you lead us in these four prayers?

SPEAKER_03 17:08

Almighty God, by whose providence your servant John the Baptist was wonderfully born and sent to prepare the way of your Son, our Savior, by preaching repentance. Make us so to follow his teaching and holy life, that we may truly repent according to his preaching, and following his example, constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently suffer for the truth's sake. Through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen. Oh God, call us into a deeper relationship to be your church for the sake of the world. Help us to see with new eyes the injustices within church and society. Call us to have a loving heart that respects and uplifts the humanity and dignity of every person. Open our ears to listen and learn from the experiences of people of color. Open our mouths to speak up. Speak up and about injustices. Join us with others to work for racial equity and inclusion for all people. Lord God Almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day. Preserve us with your mighty power that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

SPEAKER_09 18:49

Amen. And our photograph for joy in God's creation. Rush strawberries. These are strawberries for sale in the Burdett Exchange in Burdett, New York. Go ahead, Patricia.

SPEAKER_03 19:08

Oh Heavenly Father, you have filled the world with beauty. Open our eyes to behold your gracious hand in all your works, that rejoicing in your whole creation, we may learn to serve you with gladness for the sake of him through whom all things were made, your son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

SPEAKER_09 19:30

Amen. Thank you, Patricia. One more look back at those strawberries. Father Michael sent this in. And now our Wednesday morning prayer list for healing of body, mind, and soul. We pray for the essential workers in our world, without whose sacrifice, without whose toil, many things would not get accomplished. We're praying for our founding vicar, Josh Thomas, in a skilled nursing facility after a stroke. Josh is also pending surgery for a rather large kidney stone. Pastor Stephen let me know that he had spoken with him over the weekend, and uh they're talking about surgery sometime in the near future. The stone is large and it has sharp edges, and that they don't think that they can get it out any other way than surgery. Prayers of healing for Deacon Leilani and her health challenges. Prayers for Beth and Jim. Jim is losing his eyesight. Prayers for Addie and her husband Anthony. We're praying for their continued health. Stephen, Paul, Danielle, Peter, Jerry G, Robbie, Zachary, they all have cancer. Prayers for everyone who has cancer. Pray for Don and Shirley. They both are diagnosed with dementia. Patricia just read for us. Pray for her continued strength and her wellness. She's in an assisted living facility and spends a lot of time in a wheelchair. Prayers for Andrea, who transferred from us praying for her healing and her rehab into hospice or comfort care. Pray for Andrea, who is planning the end of her life. On Wednesday, we also pray for caregivers. We mentioned Jan, Marianne, Cheryl, Beth, Judith, Tina, Morgan, Pam, and Mark. We'll continue with the prayer for the mission of the church. I'm going to ask Carol to lead this, and then I'll bless the Lord and bless us.

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Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified. Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

SPEAKER_09 22:26

Let us bless the Lord.

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Thanks be to God.

SPEAKER_09 22:31

Life is short and we don't have much time to gladden the hearts of those that make this journey with us. So be swift to love and make haste to be kind. May the blessing of the God of Abraham and Sarah, and of Jesus Christ, born of our sister Mary, and of the Holy Spirit who broods over the world as a mother over her children be upon you now and remain with you always. Amen. That is morning prayer on this Wednesday. Thank you for coming to pray today. Wherever you go, take that love of Jesus that lives inside of you, the Jesus you carry in your heart. Share that Jesus with the world. Show that Jesus to the world. We hope to see you back with us tomorrow, safe and sound.