Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁶⁸ He said, `Praise the Lord God of Israel! He has remembered his people, and set them free.

⁶⁹ He has chosen one from the family of his servant David. He has given him power to save us.

⁷⁰ That is what he promised through his holy prophets of God long ago.

⁷¹ He said he would save us from our enemies and set us free from those who hate us.

⁷² `He said he would be kind to our fathers. He said he would remember his agreement with them.

^73-75 That was what he promised our father Abraham he would surely do. He promised to set us free from our enemies. He promised that we should be without fear. He promised that we would worship him and be holy and good before him as long as we live.

⁷⁶ `You, my child, will be called the prophet or messenger of the Highest One. You will go ahead of the Lord to make his way ready.

⁷⁷ You will tell his people how to be saved by being forgiven for their wrong ways.

⁷⁸ `Our God is kind. A light from heaven will shine.

⁷⁹ That light will shine on those who are in darkness, and are going to die. That light will show us how to walk in peace.'

³ Every time I think of you I thank God for you.

⁴ I have joy in my heart every time I ask God to help you.

⁵ I thank God for the joy we share in telling the good news from the very first day until now.

⁶ God began to do a good work in you. And I am sure that he will keep on doing it until he has finished it. He will keep on until the day Jesus Christ comes again.

⁷ I have a right to feel this way about you all because I love you very much. God is good to me and you all share in this goodness. You share in my troubles in prison. You share in my work of staying true to the good news of Jesus.

⁸ I love you all as Jesus Christ loves you. God knows that what I say is true.

¹⁰ When I talk to God I ask that you may have more and more love. I ask him that you will also know and understand, so that you will be able to see what things are right. I want you to be clean with nothing wrong in you when Jesus Christ comes back.

¹¹ I want you to be doing right by the help of Jesus Christ. That will make people praise God and will show how great he is.

3 Tiberius Caesar had been king for fifteen years. Pontius Pilate was the ruler of Judea. Herod was the ruler of Galilee. Herod's brother Philip was the ruler of Iturea and Trachonitis. Lysanias was the ruler of Abilene.

² Annas and Caiaphas were high priests. At that time God spoke to John in the desert. John was the son of Zechariah.

³ Then John went to all the country around the Jordan River. He told the people to stop doing wrong things, turn back to God and be baptised. And God would forgive them for the wrong things they did.

⁴ Isaiah, the prophet of God, wrote about him long ago in his book: `A man is calling out in the desert: "Make the way ready for the Lord. Make the road straight for him.

⁵ Every valley will be filled. Every big hill and every small hill will be cut down flat. Crooked roads will be made into straight roads. Bad roads will be made into good roads.

⁶ And all people will see that God can save." '