Morning Prayer with Daily Office Network Live Community

Morning Prayer for Thursday 7.23.26

• Father Tom

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SPEAKER_11

Morning and well and good morning and welcome to Morning Prayer on the Daily Office Network. I'm Tony Vitaly. I'm a lay minister and the Verger at Trinity Episcopal Church in Cranford in the Diocese of New Jersey. We are a community of Christians from several different faith traditions in several different countries who come together to pray morning prayer on a daily basis. We use the 1979 Episcopal Church Book of Common Prayer. We highlight a news story and we mix an artwork. This is Thursday, so it is Gun Violence Spotlight Day, where we focus on gun violence in the United States and spotlight a specific shooting. All are welcome here, where we do our best to exercise tolerance and decency with one another. Now settle in and let's begin morning prayer. Our saint of the day is Saint John Cassian, monastic and theologian who died in 435 AD. To find our podcast, search for Daily Office Network and either Apple Podcast or Spotify. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus. So that together you may with one voice glorify God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. A wonderful picture of youth. They are Latino. And I'm not even going to try to tell you what they shout. I expect to tell you in his Spanish, 3JE 26. There are words that an Episcopal youth from Latin America shouted as they greeted presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, the president of the House of Deputies, Julia Alaya Harris, and other church leaders last week here at De La Sala Casa de Ancuptos. Their jubilant shouts and choreographed dance routine kickstarted the evento de Alvines Episcopalis, a gathering designed to celebrate Latina culture and youth empowerment. This is the photo above. Young Episcopalians from Latin America and the Canarian perform a dance routine to welcome church staff upon their arrival, Mario Negro, Colombia. The photo is from Episcopal Youth, the Facebook page. Pray for the youth of the church. 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 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 seas are 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 pastor and the sheep of your hand. Oh, that today we hearken to your voice.

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Thank you. Our psalm today is Psalm 50. I'm going to ask Robert and Patricia Burgess if you would share the psalm, starting with Robert.

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The Lord, the God of gods, has spoken and has called the earth from the rising of the sun to the setting.

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Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty, God shines forth in glory.

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Our God will come and will not keep silence. Before God there is a consuming flame, and round about a raging storm.

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God calls the heavens and the earth from above to witness the judgment of the chosen people.

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Gather before me, my loyal followers, those who have made a covenant with me and seeded it with sacrifice.

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Let the heavens declare the rightness of God's cause, for it is God who is judge.

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Here, O my people, and I will speak. O Israel, I will bear witness against you, for I am God, your God. Since you refuse discipline and toss my words behind your back.

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You were always speaking evil of your kin and slandering your own flesh and blood.

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These things you have done, and I keep still. And you thought that I am like you.

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I have made my accusation. I have put my case in order before your eyes.

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Consider this well, you who forget God, lest I rend you, and there be none to deliver you.

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Whoever offers me the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me, but to those who keep in my way, I will show the salvation of God.

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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.

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Amen.

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A beautiful picture Joshua makes a treaty with the men of Gibeon. It's from the Morgan Picture Bible from the 13th century. French. Chad, would you lead the lesson from Joshua, please?

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But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, they on their part acted with cunning. They went and prepared provisions and took worn out sacks for their donkeys and wineskins, worn out and torn and mended, with worn out patched sandals on their feet and worn out clothes, and all their provisions were dry and moldy. They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the Israelites, We have come from a far country, so now make a treaty with us. But the Israelites said to the Hivites, Perhaps you live among us. Then how can we make a treaty with you? They said to Joshua, We are your servants. And Joshua said to them, Who are you and where do you come from? They said to him, Your servants have come from a very far country because of the name of the Lord your God. For we have heard a report of him, of all that he did in Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth. So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, Take provisions in your hand for the great journey. Go to meet them and say to them, We are your servants, come now and make a treaty with us. Here is our bread. It is still warm when we left our country and our houses as our food for the journey on the day we set out to come to you. But now, see, it is dry and moldy. These wineskins were new when we filled them, and see, they are burst, and these garments or sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey. So the leaders fortook of their provisions and did not ask direction from the Lord. And Joshua made peace with them, guaranteeing their lives by a treaty, and the leaders of the congregations swore an oath to them. But when three days had passed after they had made a treaty with them, they heard that they were their neighbors and were living among them. So the Israelites set out and reached their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Kephariah, Beeroth, and Kiraath Jerem. But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. Then all the congregation murmured against the leaders, but all the leaders said to all the congregation, We have sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we must not touch them. This is what we will do to them. We will let them live so that wrath may not come upon us, because of the oath that we swore to them. The leaders said to them, Let them live. So they became hewers of wood and drawers of water for all the congregation, as the leaders had decided concerning them. The word of the Lord.

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Thanks be to God. Our first canticle is from the book of Exodus, the Song of Moses. Mother Angel, would you chant up this for us, please?

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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 warrior. Yahweh is his name. The chariots of Pharaoh and his army has he hurled into the sea. The finest of those who bear murmur have been drowned in the Red Sea. The fathomless deep has overwhelmed them. They sank into the depths like a stone. Your right hand of 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 holiness, awesome and 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 hand has established, the large shall reign 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.

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Thank you. Our picture comes from Trinity Church in Torrington, Connecticut. Not an exceptional town, but if you're driving from New Jersey to Boston, you're going to go right through it on I-84. Why I stopped there, I don't know. But I'm that weird kid I told you that stops in churches and Trinity Church. I had to walk in, so I've actually seen that window. Our next reading is from Paul's letter to the church in Rome. Paul in Delaware, would you please?

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We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me. For whatever was written in a for in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant to the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God, in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy, as it is written. Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles and sing praises to your name. And again he says, Rejoice, O Gentiles with his people, and again praise the Lord all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him. And again Isaiah says The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles. In him the Gentiles shall have shall hope. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. The word of the Lord.

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Thanks be to God. Our picture now is from a panel on the Mesla altar piece in the glow mobile in second category. Oh sorry. I jumped ahead. Gloria in Excelsius, please, Mother and Joe.

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Glory to God in the highest and peace to his 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, Not God, you take away the sin of God, have mercy on us, you are seated of father, receive for you another holy one, you all the Lord, you all the most high Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

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Thank you. Sorry about that. This image is a panel from the Metz, the altar piece at the Duomo in Siena. And who is the most famous painter from Siena? Yes, it is Duccio di Buonasena, also commonly known as Duccio, an Italian painter from Siena in Tuscany. He worked in the late 13th and early 14th centuries and hired throughout his life to complete many important works in government and religious buildings around Italy, considered one of the greatest Italian painters of the Middle Ages. From Matthew.

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Again he denied it with an oath. I do not know the man. After a little while, the bystanders came up and said to Peter, Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you. Then he began to cast and he swore an oath. I do not know the man at that moment, the cock crowd. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said. And he went out and wept bitterly. The word of the Lord.

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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 a Pontius Pallot, 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 sins, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and a life everlasting. Amen.

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Now the prayers of the suffrages. Maybe yes. Are you with us? Oh no, you're Z down. Alright, let's go back to Father Michael. I'm throwing it under the bus. 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. Our saint of the day, John Cassian. And many of us have had to sit through that was last Lent. It was our Lenten program dealing with his rules. Saint John Cassian was an Eastern monk fluent in Latin and Greek. He traveled to Rome on a diplomatic mission, then founded a monastery in Gaul, that is France, which brought Eastern monasticism to the West. His writing influenced Saint Benedict, whose rule for community living shaped the monastic movement in Catholicism. Carol, would you lead us in the comics?

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Heavenly Father, in you relive 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. Today we look at America's gun toll. Our source comes from the Gun Violence Archive, and our spotlight is two drive-by shootings, Minneapolis, Minnesota. It occurred late Saturday night and early Sunday morning. In one location, pictured above the Rain Event Center in a nightclub, nine people were shot. And another, just a short distance away, four people were shot. At this time, no arrests have been made, and no one is in custody. Last week's totals, those killed by gunfire in the U.S., 235 people. The previous week was 292, bringing our total killed a year to date to 7,130. Those injured by gunfire in the U.S. last this week 520, down a little bit from last week of 589, bringing our total injured a year to date to 13,311. And a prayer to end gun violence. Lord our God, we pray for the victims who are impacted by our access and use of guns in the United States. 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, 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 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 at. We pray for the victims of a 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. That 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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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.

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Amen.

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Father Michael, would you give us our blessing?

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Let us bless the Lord.

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Thanks be to God.

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God's blessing be with you. Christ's peace be with you. The Spirit's outpouring be with you, now and always. Amen.

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Amen. At a seminar or conference, all I know is they're working of the death there, basically. About 10 hours each day. So, and I'll be glad to have them back on Monday. I'll see you tomorrow. This is morning prayer on Thursday, July the 26th, 2026.