Morning Prayer with Daily Office Network Live Community

Morning Prayer for Wednesday 8.5.26

• Father Tom

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SPEAKER_01

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 Episcopal, the Daily Office Network is a community of Christians who gather together on a daily basis to pray morning prayer. We use the Episcopal Church's Book of Common Prayer as our guide. We mix in artwork. There's a news story. There's a video at the end. We come from several different faith traditions in several different countries. All are welcome here where we do our best to exercise tolerance and decency with one another. Now let's settle in and begin morning prayer. Today is August the 5th, 2026. In the life of the church, it is a Wednesday and proper 13. There's no assigned saint for us today. The Daily Office Network is posting an edited service to podcast Monday through Friday. You can find us on Apple or Spotify. Search Daily Office Network, or there are links on our homepage. Let's begin. Reddell said in a social media post in advance of her visit to Trinity Episcopal Church. I'm sorry, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Phoenix. Outside the cathedral after its worship service, she signed the Respect for Marriage Pledge. The ceremony is pictured above. A campaign that was organized by one community in Equality, Arizona to generate support for an effort to repeal an anti-LGBTQ provision in the state's constitution. Same-sex couples have been able to marry in the Episcopal Church since 2015, the same year that the U.S. Supreme Court in Obergerfell versus Hodges rule that marriage equality was the law of the land in all 50 states, including Arizona, where a lower court ruling had legalized same-sex marriage in 2014. Since then, the Episcopal Church has taken additional steps to ensure that same-sex marriage couples have access to the church's marriage rights in all U.S. dioceses. And that's a photograph of the ceremony. Addie, would you lead us in the inventory in this altar 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. 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 and shout for salves. For you are a great God. You are great above all God. In your hands are the caverns of the earth. In your hands of the hills, are yours also. The sea is yours, for you made it. And your hands are both. And we are the people of your pastor and the sheep of your hand. Oh God to go.

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Thank you, Annie. Our psalm appointed for this morning is a portion of Psalm number 119, verses 97 through 120. I'm going to ask Jill and Martha to lead the psalm. Jill, would you begin?

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Oh, how I love your law. All the day long it is in my mind.

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Your commandment has made me wiser than my enemies. And it is always with me.

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I have more understanding than all my teachers. For your decrees are my study.

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I am wiser than the elders because I observe your commandments.

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I restrain my feet from every evil way that I may keep your word.

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I do not shrink from your judgments because you yourself have taught me.

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How sweet are your words to my taste. They are sweeter than honey to my mouth.

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Through your commandments, I keen understanding. Therefore, I hate every lying weed.

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Your word is a lantern to my feet and a light upon my path.

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I have sworn an amptment to keep your righteous judgments.

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I am deeply troubled. Preserve my life, O Lord, according to your word.

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And teach me your judgments.

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My life is always in my hand. Yet I do not forget your law.

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The wicked have set a trap for me. But I have not strayed from your commandments.

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Your decrees are my inheritance forever. Truly, they are the joy of my heart.

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I have applied my heart to fulfill your statutes forever and to the end.

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I hate those who have a divided heart. But your law do I love.

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You are my refuge and shield. My hope is in your world.

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Away from me, you wicked. I will keep the commandments of my God.

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Sustain me according to your promise that I may live. And let me not be disappointed in my hope.

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Hold me up, and I shall be safe. And my delight shall be ever in your statues.

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You spoil all your stream from your statues. The deceitfulness is in vain.

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In your sight, all the wicked of the earth are but drost. Therefore, I love your decrees.

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My flesh trembles with dread of you. I am afraid of your judgments.

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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. Thank you, Martha and Jill. It was a great reading. The depiction of Gideon and the frightful sight of sound and fire. It's by Nice Nathan Moskowitz from twenty twelve. Interesting piece of artwork. Our reading is from Judges chapter seven, verse nineteen through chapter eight, verse twelve. Chad, would you lead this?

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So Gideon and the hundred who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch, and they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands. So the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars, holding in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow, and they cried, A sword for the Lord and for Gideon. Every man stood in his place all around the camp, and all the men in the camp ran. They cried out and fled. When they blew the three hundred trumpets the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow and against all the army, and the army fled as far as Bethshetta toward Zera, and as far as the border of Abel Maholah by Tobot. And the men of Israel were called out from Naptali and from Asher and from Almanasse, and they pursued after the Midianites. Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters against them as far as Bethborah, and also the Jordan. And so all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they seized the waters as far as Bethborah and as far as the Jordan. They captured the two captains of Midian, Orib and Zib, they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeb they killed at the wine press of Zib, as they pursued the Midianites. They brought the heads of Oreb and Zib to Gideon beyond the Jordan. Then the Ephraimite Ephraimites said to him, What have you done to us not to call us when you went to fight against the Midianites? And they upbraided him violently. So he said to them, What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleamings of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abezer? God has given into your hands the captains of Midian, Arib and Zeb. What have I done? What have I been able to do in comparison with you? And when he said this, their anger against him subsided. Then Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and three hundred who were with him, exhausted and famished. So he said to the people of Succath, please give some loaves of bread to my followers, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zeba and Zalmuna, the kings of Midian. But the officials of Succoth said, Do you already have in your possession the heads, the hand the hands of Zeba and Zalmuna, that we shall give you bread to your ar give bread to your army? And Gideon replied, Well then, when the Lord has given Zeba and Zalmuna into my hand, I will trample your flesh on the thorns of the wilderness and on the briars. From there he went up to Pinuel, and he made the same request of them, and the people of Pinuel answered him as the people of Sucket had answered. So he said to the people of Pinuel, When I come back victorious, I will break down this tower. Now Ziba and Zelmuna were in Karkor with their army, about fifteen thousand men, all who were left of all the army of the people of the east, for one hundred twenty thousand men bearing arms had fallen. So Gideon went up by the caravan route east of Naba and Jogbah and attacked the army, for the army was off its guard. Ziba and Zelmuna fled, and he pursued them and took the two kings of Midian, Zeba and Zelmuna, and threw all the army into a panic. The word of the Lord.

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Thanks be to God. Thank you, Chad. I'm glad you read that. Our first canticle is the third song of Isaiah. Father Michael, would you lead this?

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Arise, 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 shall will rise, and his glory will appear upon you. Nations will stream to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawning. Your gates will always be open. By day or night they will never be shut. They will call you the city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Violence will no more be heard in your land, ruin or destruction within your borders. You will call your walls salvation, and all your portals praise. The sun will no more be your light by day. By night you will not need the brightness of the moon. The Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. 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, Father Michael. Excuse me. This is a painting by Carlo Monte from it's Dutch from the seventeenth century. Saint Paul and Saint John heal a lame man. Paul, would you lead this one?

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When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, You Israelites, why do you wonder at this? Or why do you stare at us as though by our own power or piety we had made the lame man walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But you rejected the holy and righteous one, and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses, and by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you. And now friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent, therefore, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah appointed to you. That is Jesus who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets. Moses said, The Lord your God will raise up for you from your own people a prophet like me. You must listen to whatever he tells you, and it will be that everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be utterly rooted out of the people. And all the prophets as many as have spoken, from Samuel and those after him also predicted these days. You are the descendants of the prophets and of the covenant that God gave to your ancestors, saying to Abraham, and in your descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed. When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways. The word of the Lord.

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Thanks be to God. Thank you, Paul. That was a great reading as well. Our second canticle is Song of Zachariah. Mother Angel, would you leave this one?

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In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from unhigh 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 up from us a mighty Savior, born of the house of your servant David. Through your holy prophets you promised of old, to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us, to show mercy to our forebears, 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 your 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 on high 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 our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you, Mother Angel. That was beautiful. Every time I see this picture of John and Jesus, I think of how similar the artists made them look. This is by Bartolome Marillo from John the Baptist pointing to Christ. Our reading is from John chapter one, verses twenty nine through forty-two. Brother Tucker, would you lead this one for us?

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The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I have said, After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he was before me. I myself did not know him, but I came baptizing with water for this reason that he might be revealed to Israel. And John testified, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like A dove, and it remained upon him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit, and I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God. The next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, Look, here is the Lamb of God. The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned and saw them following. He said to them, What are you looking for? And they said to him, Rabbi, which translated means teacher, where are you staying? And he said to them, Come and see. They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, We have found the Messiah, which is translated, anointed. He brought Simon to Jesus. He looked at him and said, You are Simon, son of John. You are to be called Cephas, which is translated Peter, the Word of the Lord.

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

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I believed 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.

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Amen. Thank you, Robert. Now the prayers begin with our Lord's Prayer. Jacqueline, 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. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever.

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Amen.

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Show us your mercy, O Lord, 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. Lord, keep our nations under your care and guide us in the way of justice and truth.

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Let your way be known upon earth, your saving health among all nations.

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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, and sustain us with your Holy Spirit.

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Thank you, Jacqueline.

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Normally there would be a picture here of a saint of the day. There's not one today. This is St. David's Episcopal Church in Spokane, Washington. My wife and I attended there. They are currently under a mandatory evacuation order as the fires have reached that area of Spokane. They didn't have services this past Sunday because of the fires. Now, four prayers, the collect of the day for proper 13, a collect on racism and injustice, a collect for grace, and a collect for joy in God's creation. Deacon Elizabeth, would you lead us in these four prayers?

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Sure. Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your church, and because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness through Jesus Christ 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 and respects. 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 whose skin is different from ours. Open our mouths to speak up about injustices. Join us with others to work for racial equity and inclusion for all people. Amen. 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 picture for joy in God's creation is a baby calf that was just born and mama. This is at the Sunset View Creamery in Catherine, New York. Father Michael sent me that picture. It's a nice close-up. Go ahead, Deacon.

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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_01

Amen. Thank you, Deacon. One more look back at mama and baby here. 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 grateful for all they do. Continue to pray for Josh Thomas, our founding vicar in a skilled nursing facility after a stroke. Prayers of healing for Deacon Leilani and her health challenges. Pray for Addy and her husband Anthony. We're praying for their continued health. Terry, Stephen, Paul, Peter, Danielle, Jerry G, Robbie, Zachary, they all have cancer. Most of us know someone who has cancer. Pray for all of those with cancer, such a horrible disease. Prayers for Don and Cheryl Lee with dementia. Pray for Patricia for her continued strength and wellness. Prayers for all of those who are in hospice or comfort care. Also pray for Pat who is near death and she's received her last rites. On Wednesday, we also pray for caregivers, and there are many, but we name these listed here. Pray for Jan, Marianne, Cheryl, Beth, Judith, Tina, Morgan, Pam, and Mark.

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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 praise which we offer before you for all members of your holy church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and defaultly serve you. Through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Let us bless the Lord.

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Thanks be to God.

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Life is short, and we don't have much time to gladden the hearts that make this journey with us. So be swift to love and make haste to be kind. And 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.

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Amen.

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And 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 that 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.