Morning Prayer for Thursday June 25, 2026

Here is a link to our liturgy: Morning Prayer 6.25.26, Thursday in Proper 7 | Daily Office Network

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:02

Good morning and welcome. I'm Father Tom Royd, the Vicar of the Daily Office Network. I'm an ordained Episcopal priest 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 mix in artwork, we have a news story. Often we have a video at the end. We come from several different faith traditions and several different countries. All are welcome here, where we do our best to exercise tolerance and decency with one another. Let's begin morning prayer, shall we? Today is the 25th of June 2026. In the life of the church, it is Thursday in proper seven. If you're looking for our podcast, search us on Apple or Spotify. There are links here, or you can put in the keywords Daily Office Network and you'll find us there. Let's begin. Suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character. And character produces hope. And hope does not disappoint us. Yesterday, for our photograph of joy in God's creation, we had strawberries. Today we have a strawberry festival. For members of Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis, Indiana, the only thing sweeter than supporting central Indiana-based nonprofits is doing so with homemade dessert. The Cathedral women put that long-standing belief in action on June the 11th by hosting the 60th Annual Strawberry Festival on the Cathedral's front lawn. The festival, the downtown cathedral's biggest fundraiser, is beloved and tasty tradition that raises tens of thousands of dollars annually. You got that right, tens of thousands of dollars annually by selling strawberry shortcakes to thousands of hungry visitors. And these folks look pretty happy. And it looks like they've got the assembly line down pat both sides of the tent. Send out your light and your truth that they may lead me. Bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling. And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

SPEAKER_10 2:35

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. Come, let us sing to the Lord, let us shout for 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. And your hands are the caverns of the earth, and the heights of the hills are yours also. The sea is yours, for you raised, 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 pasture and the sheep of your hand. Oh, that today we would hearken to your voice.

SPEAKER_04 3:49

Thank you, Eddie. Our psalm appointed for this morning is a portion of Psalm number 105, verses 1 through 22. I'm going to ask Jill and Jacqueline to lead our psalm. Jill, would you start?

SPEAKER_02 4:10

Give thanks to the Lord and call upon God's name. Make known the deeds of the Lord among the peoples.

SPEAKER_09 4:20

Sing to the Lord, sing praises, and speak of all God's wondrous, deeds, marvelous deeds.

SPEAKER_02 4:31

Glory in God's holy name. Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

SPEAKER_09 4:39

Search for the Lord and the strength of the Lord. Continually seek the face of God.

SPEAKER_02 4:45

Remember the marvels God has done? The wonders and the judgments of God's mouth.

SPEAKER_09 4:53

O offspring of Abraham, God's servant, O children of Jacob, God's chosen.

SPEAKER_02 5:01

This Lord is our God, whose judgments prevail in all the world.

SPEAKER_09 5:09

The Lord has always been mindful of the covenant, the promise made for a thousand generations.

SPEAKER_02 5:17

The covenant made with Abraham. The oath sworn to Isaac.

SPEAKER_09 5:24

Which God established as a statue for Jacob and everlasting covenant for Israel.

SPEAKER_02 5:31

Saying, To you will I give the land of Canaan to be your allotted inheritance.

SPEAKER_09 5:41

When they were few in number, of little account, and sojourners in the land.

SPEAKER_02 5:48

Wandering from nation to nation and from one realm to another. God let no one oppress them and rebuked rulers for their sake, saying, Do not touch my anointed, and do the prophets no harm.

SPEAKER_09 6:08

Then the Lord called for a famine in the land and destroyed the supply of bread.

SPEAKER_02 6:15

The Lord sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.

SPEAKER_09 6:23

They bruised his feet in fetters, his neck they put in an iron collar. Until his prediction came to pass.

SPEAKER_02 6:34

The word of the Lord tested him.

SPEAKER_09 6:37

The king sent and released him, the ruler of the peoples set him free.

SPEAKER_02 6:44

He set him as a master over his household, as a ruler over all his possessions.

SPEAKER_09 6:52

To instruct his princess according to his will, and to teach his elders wisdom.

SPEAKER_02 6:59

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.

SPEAKER_04 7:12

Thank you, Jill and Jacqueline. That was a great reading. A Gothic crozier, a symbol of episcopal office. If you look closely at this one, you'll see the leaves recalling the budding of Aaron's staff. It's very beautiful. Chad, would you lead this?

SPEAKER_01 7:46

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the Israelites, and get the twelve staffs from them, one from each ancestral house, from all the leaders of their ancestral houses. Write each man's name on his staff, and write Aaron's name on the staff of Levi, for there shall be one staff for the head of each ancestral house. Place them in the tent of meeting before the covenant, where I meet with you, and the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout. Thus I will put a stop to the complaints of the Israelites that they continually make against you. Moses spoke to the Israelites, and all their leaders gave him their staffs, one for each leader, according to their ancestral houses, twelve staffs, and the staff of Aaron was among theirs. So Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant. When Moses went into the tent of the covenant on the next day, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted. It put forth buds, produced blossoms, and bore ripe almonds. Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the Israelites, and they looked, and each man took his staff, and the Lord said to Moses, put back the staff of Aaron before the covenant to be kept as a warning to rebels, so that you may make an end of their complaints against me, or else they will die. Moses did so, just as the Lord commanded him, so he did. The word of the Lord.

SPEAKER_04 9:25

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

SPEAKER_06 9:39

I will sing to the Lord, for he is lofty and uplifted. The horse and its rider has healed 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 warrior. 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 tramped in the Red Sea. The fathomless deep has overwhelmed them. They sank into the depths like a storm. Your right hand of Lord is glorious in might. Your right hand of Lord has overthrown the enemy. Who can compare to you? O Lord among the gods. Who is like you, glorious in holiness, awesome in renown, and worker of wonders? You stretch forth your right hand, the earth swallow them up. With your constant love, you let 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 mountain of your possession. The resting place you have made for yourself alone. The sanctuary alone that your hand has established, the Lord shall remain forever and forever. 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.

SPEAKER_04 12:06

Thank you, Mother Angel. This is a crucifix that greets those who are members of the Holy Order of the Holy Cross as they process into the church at West Park, New York. This photograph was taken by our founding vicar, Josh Thomas. Our second reading is from Paul's letter to the Romans chapter five, verses one through eleven. Paul, would you lead this?

SPEAKER_07 12:47

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us, in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God? For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely have having been reconciled will we be saved by His life? But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. The word of the Lord.

SPEAKER_04 14:37

Thanks be to God. Thank you, Paul. Our second canticle is Song of the Redeemed. Mother Angel.

SPEAKER_06 14:49

All nations will draw near and fall down before you, because your just and holy works have been revealed. O ruler of the universe, Lord God, great deeds are they that you have done, surpassing human understanding. Your ways are ways of righteousness and truth, O King of all the ages, who can fail to do you homage, Lord, and sing the praises of your name? For you only are the Holy One. All nations will draw near and fall down before you because your just and holy works have been revealed. 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. All nations will draw near and fall down before you because your just and holy works have been revealed.

SPEAKER_04 16:12

Thank you, Mother Angel. Christ meeting the sons of Zebedee and their mother. Brother Tucker, would you lead this one?

SPEAKER_00 16:44

While Jesus was going to Jerusal up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside by themselves and said to them on the way, see, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and on the third day he will be raised. Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. He said to her, What do you want? She said to him, Declare these two sons of mine will sit one at your right hand and one at your left in your kingdom. But Jesus answered, You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am able to drink? They said to him, We are able. He said to them, You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my father. When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lorded over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you, but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. The word of the Lord.

SPEAKER_04 18:54

Thanks be to God. Thank you, Brother Tucker. That was a great reading. And now the apostles' creed. Marcia in Barbados, would you lead this one?

SPEAKER_08 19:10

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 on the Pontius Philate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He ascended 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.

SPEAKER_04 20:00

Amen. Thank you, Marcia. And now the prayers begin with our Lord's Prayer. Robert, would you lead us in the Lord's Prayer and then we'll read the suffrages. The Lord be with you. And also with you.

SPEAKER_05 20:16

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.

SPEAKER_04 20:46

Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance.

SPEAKER_05 20:50

Govern and uphold them now and always. Day by day we bless you. We praise your name forever. Lord, keep us from all sin today. Have mercy on us, Lord. Have mercy.

SPEAKER_04 21:06

Lord, show us your love and mercy.

SPEAKER_05 21:09

For we put our trust in you.

SPEAKER_04 21:12

In you, Lord, is our hope.

SPEAKER_05 21:14

And we shall never hope in vain.

SPEAKER_04 21:17

Thank you, Robert. A photograph sent in by Katrina Soto from our second service of St. Clement's by the sea during Pride Month, 2026. Guessing she took this a couple weeks ago. Beautiful little church there, that's for sure. Now two prayers, the collect of the day for today, proper seven, and a collect for guidance. Deacon Elizabeth, would you lead these two prayers? Elizabeth, we have no audio. Well Elizabeth, I'm gonna have to call on somebody else. We can't hear you at all. Give me one second here. Patricia, would you lead these two prayers?

SPEAKER_03 22:24

Oh Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving kindness through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. 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. Amen. Thank you, Patricia.

SPEAKER_04 23:11

And now it's time to take a look at America's gun toll, a look at how many people were shot or killed in our country, the United States, this last week with all the guns that we have. We pull our stats on Monday, the 22nd, and our source is the Gun Violence Archive for everything except for our spotlight this week. Our spotlight this week comes from the Chicago Sun-Times. And some of you may have heard of it, some of you may have not, but five are dead and 19 are hurt in weekend shootings, including 12 that were wounded in one mass shooting. And the headline says it all. Five dead, nineteen injured in shootings in Chicago over the weekend. Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed the mass shootings while speaking at a Juneteenth Day of Action event on Saturday this past week. He said last night was another reminder of how much work we still have to do to protect the lives who have been impacted by gun violence. He said, quote, as a father and as a husband and as a brother and as a cousin, just as a resident, it's heartbreaking. It's difficult even to digest and consume. There are too many families that have experienced loss in this city, unquote. All of victims were between the ages of 14 and 70 years old. Mass violence erupted across the city beginning on Thursday ahead of the extended holiday weekend. We look at our totals from this last week, and those killed by gunfire actually went down just a little bit. It was 273 last week, 248 this week. But we're now over 6,000 people killed in our country this year. 6,031. And those who were injured by gunfire in the United States this past week, that went up. It was 570. The week before it had been 520. Our numbers are very similar to what they have been for the last several months, actually. It brings our total year-to-date injured to 11,059 people. And so we pray a prayer to end gun violence. Oh, 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 yes, even 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 teenagers who've been gunned down before their lives have really started. And we pray for the police officers who keep fighting a never ending battle, trying to keep themselves and everyone else safe. And 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. We pray for anti violence activists and community leaders in a time when new methods of protest or 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 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Now 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.

SPEAKER_11 26:51

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 that in all parts of the earth a community of love has been gathered together by their prayers and labors, and that in every place your servants call upon your name. For the kingdom and the power and the glory are yours forever. Amen.

SPEAKER_04 27:28

Let us bless the Lord.

SPEAKER_11 27:30

Thanks be to God.

SPEAKER_04 27:33

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 that love of Jesus that lives inside of you, the Jesus that you carry inside your heart. Share that Jesus with the world. Show that Jesus to the world. Hope to see you back with us tomorrow safe and sound.