INTROIT. Ne timeas. St. Luke 1 Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard: and thy wife
Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name
John: and he shall be great in the sight of he Lord: and shall
be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb: and
many shall rejoice at his birth. Ps. 21. The king shall
rejoice in thy strength, O Lord: exceeding glad shall he be of
thy salvation. V. Glory be.
The Collect.
GRANT, we beseech thee, O Lord, that we thy family may ever walk
in the way of salvation: that following the teachings of thy
holy forerunner, Saint John; we may attain in safety unto him
whom he foretold, even Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Who liveth
and reigneth with thee.
For the Epistle. Jeremiah 1:4-10
4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou
camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained
thee a prophet unto the nations.
6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am
a child.
7 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou
shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command
thee thou shalt speak.
8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver
thee, saith the LORD.
9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And
the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the
kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and
to throw down, to build, and to plant.
GRADUAL. St. John 1. There was a man sent from God, whose name was
John. V. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the
light, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
The Gospel. St Luke 1:5-17
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain
priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was
of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the
commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and
they both were now well stricken in years.
8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office
before God in the order of his course,
9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was
to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without
at the time of incense.
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing
on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell
upon him.
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy
prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son,
and thou shalt call his name John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice
at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall
drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with
the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord
their God.
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias,
to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient
to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for
the Lord.
OFFERTORY. PS. 8. Thou hast crowned him with
glory and worship: and hast made him to have dominion of the
works of thy hands, O Lord.
SECRET. WE beseech thee, O Lord, that thou wouldest vouchsafe to
sanctify these our oblations: and, at the intercession of blessed
John the Baptist, to cleanse us from the defilement of all our
iniquities. Through.
COMMUNION. Ps. 21. His honour is great in thy
salvation: glory and great worship shalt thou lay upon him, O
Lord.
POSTCOMMUNION. GRANT, O Lord, we pray thee: that the glorious intercession
of thy blessed Saint John Baptist may in all things prevent and
follow us; and that he may ever implore for us the mercy of him
whose coming he foretold, even Jesus Christ thy Son our Lore.
Who liveth and reigneth with thee.