Morning Prayer for Wednesday 7.1.26

Here is a link to our liturgy: Morning Prayer 7.1.26, Pauli Murray, Priest, 1985 | Daily Office Network

Transcript

SPEAKER_08 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 at 7 and 9 a.m. Eastern time. We come from several different faith traditions in several different countries. We do our best to exercise tolerance and decency here with one another. Everyone is welcome, or we do our best to pray morning prayer nicely with one another. Let's begin. Today is the first of July 2026. In the life of the church, our saint is Polly Murray, a priest who died in 1985. We'll have more about Polly in just a little bit. Let's begin. If you're looking for our podcast, search for us on Apple or Spotify with the keywords DailyOffice Network. So then with my mind, I'm a slave to the law of God. But with my flesh, I'm a slave to the law of sin. From 1830 to 1860, tens of thousands of enslaved people in disembarked ships at Richmond's Manchester docks, an entry point into a bondage system that built Virginia's wealth and shaped the city's history. Jackal together the enslaved people trudged along a muddy trail connecting the docks to the city's auction house, where they were sold and bought its property. Today, the path known as the Slave Trail is part of a citywide walking tour exploring Richmond's role as a major hub of the domestic slave trade. In the photograph above, participants in the slave pilgrimage visit the state Capitol Square back on June the 13th in Richmond, Virginia. They say those who neglect or forget history are doomed to repeat it. We need to not ever do that again. Bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling. Addie, would you lead us in the invitatory and the Psalter?

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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. 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 song. For you are a great God. You are great above all gods. In your hand 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 knee 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_08 3:56

Thank you, Annie. Our psalm appointed for this morning is a portion of Psalm number 119, verses 145 through 176. I'm going to ask Jill and Martha to lead our psalm. Jill, would you start this morning?

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I call with my whole heart. Answer me, O Lord, that I may keep your statutes.

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I call to you, O that you would save me. I will keep your decrees.

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Early in the morning I cry out to you, for in your word is my trust.

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My eyes are open in the night washes, that I may meditate upon your promise.

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Hear my voice, O Lord, according to your loving kindness, according to your judgments. Give me life. You, O Lord, are near at hand, and all your commandments are true.

SPEAKER_02 5:13

Long have I known from your decrees that you have established them forever.

SPEAKER_04 5:21

Behold my affliction and deliver me, for I do not forget your law.

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Lead my cause and redeem me according to your promise. Give me life.

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Deliverance is far from the wicked, for they do not study your statutes.

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Reduce your compassion, O Lord. You serve my life according to your judgments.

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There are many who persecute and oppress me. Yet I have not swerved from your decrees.

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I look with looting at the faithless. But ye have not kept your word.

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See how I love your commandments. O Lord, and your mercy, preserve me.

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The heart of your word is true. All your righteous judgments endure forevermore.

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Rulers have persecuted me without a cause. But my heart stands in awe of your word.

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I am as glad because of your promise as one who finds great spouse.

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As for lies, I hate and abore them. But your law is my love. Great peace have they who love your law. For them there is no stumbling block.

SPEAKER_02 7:05

I have hoped for your subvation, O Lord. And have fulfilled your commandments.

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I have kept your decrees, and I have loved them deeply.

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I have kept your commandments and decrees. For all my ways are before you.

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Let my cry come before you, O Lord. Give me understanding according to your word.

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Let my supplication come before you. Deliver me according to your promise.

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My lips shall pour forth your praise when you teach me your statutes.

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My tongue shall sing of your promise. For all your commandments are righteous.

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Let your hand be steady to help me. For I have chosen your commandments.

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And your law is my delight.

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Let me live and I will praise you. And let your judgments help me.

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I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost. Search for yourself, for I do not forget your commandments.

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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.

SPEAKER_08 8:43

Thank you, Jill and Martha. It was a great reading. Looking over the Israelite camp. Our first reading comes from Numbers chapter 22, verse 41 through chapter 23, verse 12. Morgan, would you lead this for us?

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On the next day Balach took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth Baal. From there he could see part of the people of Israel. Then Balaam said to Balak, Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me. Balak did as Balaam said. Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar. Then Balaam said to Balak, Stay here beside your burnt offerings while I go aside. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet me. Whatever he shows me, I will tell you. And he went to a bare height. Then God met Balaam, and Balaam said to him, I have arranged the seven altars, and have offered a bull and a ram on each altar. The Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth and said, Return to Balach, and this is what you must say. So he returned to Balak, who was standing beside his burnt offering with all the officials of Moab. And Balaam uttered his oracle, saying, Balak has brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains. Come, curse Jacob for me. Come, denounce Israel. How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced? Or from the top of the crags I see him, from the hills I behold him. Here is a people living alone and not reckoning itself among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the dust cloud of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright, and let my end be like his. Then Balak said to Balaam, What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but now you have done nothing but bless them. He answered, Must I not take care to say what the Lord puts in my mouth? The word of the Lord.

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

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When I shine for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you. For behold, darkness covers the land, deep gloom enshrouds the peoples. But over you the Lord will rise, and his glory will appear upon you. Nations will stream to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Your gates will always be open. By day or night, they will never be shown. They will call you the city of the Lord. The sign of the holy one of his woman. Violence will no more be heard in your land. Ruin or destruction within your borders. You will call your mama salvation. Until your portals bless.

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Paul, would you lead this?

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Did what did what is good then bring death to me? By no means it was sin, working death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold into slavery under sin. I do not understand my own actions, for I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good, but in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it, for I know for I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand, for I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am, who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then when my mind with my mind I am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh I am a slave to the law of sin. The word of the Lord.

SPEAKER_08 16:09

Thanks be to God. Thank you, Paul. Our second canticle is a song of Zechariah. Mother Angel, would you lead this?

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Blessed are you, Lord, the God of Israel. You have come to your people and set them free. You have raised up for us a mighty Savior, born of the house of your servant David. Through your holy prophets, you promised a boat to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hated us, to show mercy to our forbids, and to remember your holy covenant. This was the both you swore to our father, to send us free from the hands of our enemies, free to worship you without fear, holy and riches 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 unheart 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.

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Thank you, Mother Angel. This is the parable of the wicked tenants. See many of the actions taking place in this codex. Deacon Elizabeth, would you lead this?

SPEAKER_12 18:34

Sure. Jesus said, Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he listed to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized the slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves more than the first, and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, They will respect my son. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, This is the hare, come, let us kill him and get his inheritance. So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants? They said to him, He will put those riches to a miserable death and lease the vineyard to other tenants will give him the produce at the harvest time. Jesus said to them, Have you never read in the scriptures the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone? This was the Lord's doing, and it's amazing in our eyes. Therefore, I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone on whom it falls. When the chief priests and the Pharisees had his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds because they regarded him as a prophet. The word of the Lord.

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Thanks be to God. Thank you, Deacon. And now the apostles' creed, Brother Tucker, would you lead us in the creed?

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I believe. 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, and was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again, he ascended into heaven and 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.

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Tucker. And now the prayers begin with our Lord's Prayer. Gordon, would you lead us in the Lord's Prayer and then we'll read the suffrages?

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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, and 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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And 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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You're saving health among all nations.

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Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten. Create in us clean hearts, O God.

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And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.

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Thank you, Gordon. This is our saint of the day, Polly Murray, with her dog at General Theological Seminary. The Reverend Dr. Polly Murray, the first African American woman ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church in 1977, was a civil rights activist lawyer. Was a civil rights activist lawyer, author, and polymath who faced discrimination at key points throughout her career. The University of North Carolina would not admit her due to her race, and later Harvard Law School wouldn't admit her for doctoral work because of her gender, though she graduated number one in her class at Howard University School of Law. Yale Law admitted her instead. She never won any of her protests, but she lived to see the academic barriers fall. Above at the General Theological Seminary in New York City in 1974, she was part of a cadre of outstanding women at GTS who went on to or had already achieved distinguishing careers, including the Reverends Ellen Barrett, Jeanette Pickard, and Carter Hayward. Polly Murray, our saint of the day. And now four prayers, the colic of the day for Polly Murray, a priest who died in 1985, a collect on racism and injustice, a collect for grace, and a colic for joy in God's creation. I'm going to split these up. I'm going to ask that Deacon Diana take the first two prayers and Patricia take the second two prayers.

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Liberating God, we thank you for the steadfast courage of your servant, Pauli Murray, who fought long and well. Unshackle us from the chains of chains of prejudice and fear, so that we may show forth your reconciling love and true freedom, which you revealed through your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. 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 and uh speak up and about injustices. Join us with others to work for racial equity and inclusion for all people. Amen.

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Amen. Thank you, Deacon. Patricia, would you take the next two?

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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.

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Amen. And our photograph for joy in God's creation, that's the pond behind my house. And that is a juvenile eagle looking for its breakfast. We have a lot of activity this year. There's three owls that routinely appear there, um, pledglings, and then this juvenile bald eagle is usually watched over by its mother or father. Go ahead, Patricia.

SPEAKER_09 27:52

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. Amen. Thank you, Patricia.

SPEAKER_08 28:16

One more look back at that baby eagle. That beak in those claws says everything. It's a hunter. And now our Wednesday morning prayer list for healing of body, mind, and soul. We start out by praying for the essential workers in our world without whose sacrifice, without whose toil, many things would not get accomplished. We're also praying for our founding vicar, Josh Thomas, in a skilled nursing facility after he suffered a stroke a couple of years ago. Josh is pending surgery for a rather large and sharp kidney stone. To our knowledge, that date has not been set when they're going to do this surgery. But pray for Josh. Pray for healing for Deacon Leilani and her health challenges. She uh undergoes uh, I've forgotten what it's called now, dialysis about twice a week. And uh, she's currently in Hawaii at their property there. Pray for Jim and Beth. Jim is losing his eyesight. Addie and her husband Anthony, we're praying for them for continued health. Step, Paul, Danielle, Peter, Jerry G, Robbie, and Zachary all have cancer. My guess is you know someone with cancer too. Pray for all of those who have cancer. Don and Sherry Lee have dementia. My neighbor across the street, Betty, has dementia. Pray for all of those with Alzheimer's or dementia. Such a horrible disease as well. Patricia just read for us. Pray for her continued strength and wellness. She's in an assisted living facility. Andrea has a brain tumor, and she had gone through a lot of different things. Rehab. They had tried to shrink the tumor, but now she's in hospice or comfort care, anticipating the end of her life. Also on Wednesday, we pray for the caregivers. We mentioned these few, but there are many. We're praying for Jan, Marianne, Cheryl, Beth, Judith, Hanna, Morgan, Pam, and Mark. We'll continue with the prayer for the mission of the church. I'm going to ask Robert to lead us in the prayer for the mission of the church, and then I'll bless the Lord and bless us.

SPEAKER_07 31:05

Almighty and everlasting God, by his spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified. Receive our prayers, supplications, 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_08 31:28

Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God. 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. 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. Hope to see you back with us tomorrow, safe and sound.