Book of Common Prayer

God’s revealed plan

1 From Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus the Messiah, in accordance with the faith of God’s chosen people, and the knowledge of the truth that goes with godliness, ² in the hope of the life of the coming age. God, who never lies, promised this before the ages began, ³ and has now, at the right time, unveiled his word through the proclamation entrusted to me, according to the command of our divine savior.

⁴ To Titus, my true child, according to the faith which we share.

Grace and peace from God the father and Messiah Jesus our savior.

Appointing elders

⁵ This is why I left you in Crete: you are to set straight all the remaining matters, and appoint elders for every town, as I charged you to do. ⁶ Elders must be blameless, the husband of only one wife. Their children must be believers, and must not be open to the accusation of loose living, or being rebellious. ⁷ This is because an overseer, as one of God’s household managers, must be blameless. He must not be stubborn, or hotheaded, or a heavy drinker, or a bully, or eager for shameful gain. ⁸ He must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, sensible, just, holy and self-controlled. ⁹ He must hold firmly to the reliable word which goes with the teaching, so that he may have the power both to exhort people with healthy instruction and to give a proper rebuttal to those who oppose it.

The problems in Crete

¹⁰ There are many, you see, who refuse to come into line—people who speak foolishness and deceive others. This is true in particular of the circumcision party. ¹¹ It’s important that they should be silenced, because they are overturning whole households by teaching things that shouldn’t be taught—and trying to make a shameful living out of it! ¹² One of their own, a native prophet, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil animals, idle guzzlers.” ¹³ This testimony is true! That’s why you must rebuke them sternly, so that they may become healthy in the faith, ¹⁴ paying no attention to Jewish myths and the commandments of people who reject the truth. ¹⁵ Everything is pure to people who are pure. But if people are defiled or faithless, nothing is pure for them; even their mind and conscience are defiled. ¹⁶ They declare that they know God, but they deny him by what they do. They are detestable and disobedient, and useless for any good work.

Prologue

1 Many people have undertaken to draw up an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled in our midst. ² It has all been handed down to us by the original eyewitnesses and stewards of the word. ³ So, most excellent Theophilus, since I had traced the course of the whole thing scrupulously from the start, I thought it a good idea to write an orderly account for you, ⁴ so that you may have secure knowledge about the matters in which you have been instructed.

Gabriel visits Zechariah

⁵ In the time when Herod was king of Judaea, there was a priest called Zechariah, of the priestly division of Abijah. His wife, who came from the Aaron family, was called Elizabeth. ⁶ Both of them were righteous in God’s sight; they followed all the Lord’s commandments and ordinances without fault. ⁷ They had no children. Elizabeth was barren, and both of them were of an advanced age.

⁸ It so happened, when Zechariah was performing his priestly service before God, according to the order of his division, ⁹ that the lot fell to him, according to the priestly custom, to go in to the Lord’s sanctuary to offer incense. ¹⁰ The people were praying outside in a large crowd, at the time of the incense-offering. ¹¹ An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right hand side of the incense-altar. ¹² Zechariah was troubled and terror-struck when he saw the angel.

¹³ But the angel said to him: “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah: your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. ¹⁴ This will bring you joy and celebration, and many will rejoice at his birth. ¹⁵ He will be a great man in God’s sight; he will drink no wine or strong drink. He will be filled with the holy spirit from his mother’s womb, ¹⁶ and will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, and he will turn the hearts of fathers to children, and of unbelievers to the wisdom of the righteous. He will get ready for the Lord a prepared people.”

¹⁸ “How can I be sure of this?” said Zechariah to the angel. “I’m an old man! My wife’s not as young as she used to be, either!”

¹⁹ “Look here,” replied the angel, “I’m Gabriel. I stand in God’s presence. I was sent to speak to you and give you this splendid news. ²⁰ Now, listen: you will be silent—you won’t be able to speak—until the day when it all happens, because you didn’t believe my words. But they will come true at the proper time.”

²¹ Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah, and were surprised that he was taking such a long time in the sanctuary. ²² But when he came out he couldn’t speak to them, and they understood that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He made gestures to them, but remained speechless.

²³ So, when the days of his priestly service were complete, he went back home. ²⁴ After that time, Elizabeth his wife conceived. She stayed in hiding for five months.

²⁵ “This is the Lord’s doing,” she said; “at last he has looked on me, and taken away my public shame.”