Morning Prayer with Daily Office Network Live Community

Morning Prayer for Thursday July 2, 2026 7 am et service

• Father Tom

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Good morning and welcome. I'm Father Tom Roy, the Vicar of the Daily Office Network. I'm an ordained priest in the Diocese of Minnesota and the Episcopal Church. The Daily Office Network is a community of Christians who gather together on a daily basis to pray morning prayer Monday through Friday at 7 and 9 a.m. Eastern time. We come from several different faith traditions in several different countries. We use the Episcopal Church's Book of Common Prayer as our guide. We mix in artwork. Sometimes have a news story. There's 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 the 2nd of July, 2026. In the life of the church, the saint of the day is Moses the Black, a monastic and a martyr who died in the year 400. The Daily Office Network is podcasting, and we've been podcasting now for seven or eight months. You can find us on Apple or Spotify. We host an edited version of this service, the early one, so that people can access us on their way to work. Just search for Daily Office Network. Let's begin. Did I not tell you whatever the Lord says, that is what I must do? Another one of the top generals in the military has retired or stepped down. The Army's commander of its forces in Europe and Africa, who was memorably the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan in 2021, is unexpectedly stepping down from his post after just 18 months in the job, the Army confirmed late Tuesday. General Christopher Donahue, commanding general of U.S. Army in Europe and Africa and commander of NATO's Allied Land Command, will relinquish his command today, July the 2nd, according to an Army statement provided to the Associated Press. He's the latest in a line of nearly two dozen military leaders to either retire or depart their jobs early under the leadership of Defense Secretary Pete Heggseth, who's undertaken an effort to thin the ranks of the military's top brass, with the mantra, less generals and more GIs. Donahue's deputy, Major General Christopher Norrie, will perform his duties in the meantime, the statement added. Pray for the state of our military. The Lord is in the Holy Temple. Let all the earth keep silence. Addie, would you lead us in the invitatory in the Psalter?

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Lord, open our lips.

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And our mouths 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 God, to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before God's present with thanksgiving. And raise to the Lord a shout with sons. For you are a great God. You are great above all God. And 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 hearken to your voice.

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Thank you, Abdie. Our psalms appointed for this morning are Psalm number 131 and number 132. I'm going to ask Martha and Jill to lead our Psalm. Martha, would you start?

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Oh Lord, I am not proud. I have no hotel.

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I do not occupy myself with great matters or with things that are too hard for me.

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But I sell my soul and make it quiet like a child upon its mother's breast. My soul is quieted within me.

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O Israel, wait upon the Lord from this time forth forevermore.

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Lord, remember David and all the hardships he endured.

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He swore an oath to the Lord and vowed a vow to the mighty one of Jacob.

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I will not come under the roof of my house nor came up into my bed.

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I will not allow my eyes to sleep, nor let my eyelids slumber.

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Until I find a place for the Lord. A dwelling for the mighty one of Jacob.

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The Ark. We heard it was in Aphraham. We found it in the fields of Jerim.

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Let us go to God's dwelling place. Let us fall upon our knees before God's footstool.

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Arise, O Lord, into your resting place. You in the ark of your strength.

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Let your priests be clothed with preciousness. Let your fearful people sing with joy.

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For your servant David's sake, do not turn away the face of your anointed.

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The Lord has sworn an oath to David. And in truth will not break it.

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A son, the fruit of your body, will I set upon your throne.

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If your children keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children will sit upon your throne forever.

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For the Lord has chosen Zion and desired it for the holy habitation.

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This shall be my resting place forever. Here will I dwell, for in Zion I delight.

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I will surely bless the provisions of Zion and satisfy its poor with bread.

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Our cloth is Christ with salvation and is fit for people who rejoice and say There will I make the horn of David flourish.

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I have prepared a lamp for my anointed. As for my enemies, I will clothe him with she 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.

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Thank you, Martha and Jill. That was a great reading. This is Balaam blessing the Israelis' camp. Our reading is from Numbers chapter 23, verses eleven through twenty-six. Chad, would you lead this?

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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 into my mouth? So Balak said to him, Come with me to another place from which you may see them. You shall only see part of them, and shall not see them all. Then curse them for me there. So he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah. He built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. Balaam said to Balak, Stand here beside your burnt offerings while I meet the Lord over there. The Lord met Balaam, put a word in his mouth, and said, Return to Balak, and this is what you shall say. When he came to him, he was standing beside his burnt offerings with the officials of Moab. Balak said to him, What has the Lord said? Then Balaam uttered his oracle, saying, Rise, Balak, and hear. Listen to me, O son of Zippor. God is not a human being that he should lie, or a mortal that he should change his mind. He has promised, and will he not do it? He has spoken, and will he not fulfill it? See, I received a command to bless, and he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob, nor has he seen trouble in Israel. The Lord their God is with them, acclaimed as a king among them. God who brings them out of Egypt is like the horn of a wild ox for them. Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel. Now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel, see what God has done? Look, a people rising up like a lioness and rousing itself like a lion. It does not lie down until it has eaten the prey and drunk the blood of the slain. Then Balak said to Balaam, Do not curse them at all, and do not bless them at all. But Balaam answered, Balak, Did I not tell you whatever the Lord says, that is what I must do. The word of the Lord.

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Thanks be to God. Thank you, Chad. Her first canticle is the song of Moses. Brother Tucker, would you read this for us?

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I will sing to the Lord, for he is lofty and uplifted. The horse and 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 warrior. Yahweh is his name. The chariots of Pharaoh and his armies have 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 could be compared to you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, awesome in renowned, and worker of wonders? You stretched forth your right hand, the earth swallowed them up. With your constant love you led 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 hands have established. The Lord shall reign forever and ever. Glory be 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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Amen. Thank you, Tucker. Stained glass window at the Jesus College Chapel at the University of Cambridge, England. Our second reading is from Paul's letter to the Romans chapter eight, verses one through eleven. Paul, would you lead this?

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There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ, Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law weakened by the flesh could not do, by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemns sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit set their minds on the things of the spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law. Indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh, you are in the spirit, since the spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness. If the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his spirit that dwells in you. The word of the Lord.

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Thanks be to God. Thank you, Paul. Our second canticle is Song of the Redeemed. Marcia in Barbados, would you lead this?

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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, it's now and will be forever. Amen.

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Amen. Thank you, Marcia. Deacon Elizabeth, would you lead this?

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Sure. Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, Tell those who have been invited, look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen, my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet. But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet. Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe. And he said to him, Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, Bind him, hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of tears. For many are called, but few are chosen. The word of the Lord.

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Thanks be to God. Thank you, Deacon. And now the Apostles' Creed. Robert, would you lead us in the creed?

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I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker 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.

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Amen. Thank you, Robert. And now the prayers begin with our Lord's Prayer. Carol, 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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In you, Lord, is our hope.

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And we shall never hope in vain.

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Thank you, Carol. Icon of our saint of the day, Moses the Black. Notice the bag on his back. That's going to come into play here. And he in the scroll he's carrying says, I carry behind me my manifold sins where I cannot see them, and I come to judge my brother. Moses the Black, also called Moses of Ethiopia, lived at a desert monastery in Lower Egypt after a life of violence and wantonness. Once when he was his monks meant to punish an errant brother, he arrived carrying a basket of sand with holes in it on his back. He explained that the grains represented his sins, which were now behind him. The monks forgave their sinning brother, and everyone but went back to their cells. Moses the Black, our saint of the day, monastic and a martyr, who died in the year 400. Now two prayers. The collect of the day for Moses the Black, a monastic and a martyr, and a collect for guidance. Morgan, would you lead us in these two prayers?

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Almighty God, whose blessed Son guides our footsteps in the way of peace, deliver us from paths of hatred and violence, that we, following the example of your servant Moses, may serve you with singleness of heart and attain to the tranquility of the world to come. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of 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. Amen. Thank you, Morgan.

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Now it's time to look at America's gun toll and look at how many people were shot and killed in America this past week with all the guns that we have. Our spotlight takes us to California, and this is to an area in Carson, California, where they had a Carson Street Takeover, is what they called it. A street takeover is basically when they block off ends of the road and do exhibition driving. Seven people were shot, one fatally when a group conducted a street takeover in Carson, Colorado on a Friday night. Again, a street takeover is when a group blocks ends of a street and conducts exhibition driving and reckless driving. At this one, for some reason, several people started shooting. Usually people come to watch these things so that they can see cars do crazy tricks that are illegal and unreasonable acceleration and spinning around and racing. This one changed to guns for some reason. We look at the totals from the last week. Those killed by the gunfire in the United States went up a little bit, 297, just one away from being 50 more than the week before. It brings our total year-to-date killed in this country to 6,328 in 2026. And those injured by gunfire in the United States, that number also, or I'm sorry, that number went down to 513. It was 570 the week before. If you remember the week before, we also had like 12 or 18 people somewhere between their shot in uh Chicago. It brings our total year-to-date injured to 11,572. That's a lot. And so we pray a prayer to end gun violence. Patricia, would you lead us in this prayer?

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Oh Lord, I got. We pray for the victims of the other pandemic as gun violence ravages our homes, our streets, our businesses, schools, and houses of worship. We pray for the children killed and injured, for their families and classmates and school employees. We pray for teenagers gunned down before their lives have really started. We pray for police officers who keep fighting a never-ending battle while trying to keep themselves and everyone else safe. And we pray for an end to racial discrimination in 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 and reform must be created. Let your demands for justice and 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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Amen. Thank you, Patricia. We'll continue with the prayer for the mission of the church. I'm going to ask Jacqueline to lead this, and then I'll bless the Lord and bless us.

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

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Let us bless the Lord.

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Thanks be to God.

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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. Just a reminder that tomorrow is the day that we celebrate the 4th of July for the civil holiday. So Daily Office will have one service only at 9 a.m. Eastern Time. 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. Share that Jesus with the world. Show that Jesus to the world. Hope to see you back with us tomorrow safe and sound.