Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Lord Helps the Poor

113 Praise the Lord! Praise Him, O you who serve the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord. ² Let the name of the Lord be honored, now and forever. ³ The name of the Lord is to be praised from the time the sun rises to when it sets. ⁴ The Lord is high above all nations. His shining-greatness is above the heavens.

⁵ Who is like the Lord our God? He sits on His throne on high. ⁶ He looks down upon the heavens and the earth. ⁷ He raises the poor from the dust. He lifts those in need from the ashes. ⁸ He makes them sit with rulers, with the rulers of His people. ⁹ He gives a home to the woman who could not give birth and makes her the mother of children. Praise the Lord!

God Promises to Help His People

¹⁴ “I have been quiet for a long time. I have been quiet and have held Myself back. Now I will cry out like a woman giving birth. I will breathe hard and fast. ¹⁵ I will lay waste the mountains and hills, and dry up all their plants. I will make the rivers into islands, and dry up the pools. ¹⁶ I will lead the blind by a way that they do not know. I will lead them in paths they do not know. I will turn darkness into light in front of them. And I will make the bad places smooth. These are the things I will do and I will not leave them.” ¹⁷ They will be turned back and be put to shame who trust in false gods, who say to these objects of worship, “You are our gods.”

Israel Is Blind and Cannot Hear

¹⁸ Listen, you who do not hear! And look, you blind, that you may see. ¹⁹ Who is blind but My servant? Who does not hear, as the one whom I send with news? Who is so blind as he who is at peace with Me, or so blind as the servant of the Lord? ²⁰ You see many things, but you cannot tell what you see. Your ears are open, but you do not hear. ²¹ Because He is right and good, the Lord was pleased to make the Law great and give it honor.

An Angel Tells of the Birth of John the Baptist

⁵ When Herod was king of the country of Judea, there was a Jewish religious leader named Zacharias. He worked for Abijah. His wife was of the family group of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth. ⁶ They were right with God and obeyed the Jewish Law and did what the Lord said to do. ⁷ They had no children because Elizabeth was not able to have a child. Both of them were older people.

⁸ Zacharias was doing his work as a religious leader for God. ⁹ The religious leaders were given certain kinds of work to do. Zacharias was chosen to go to the house of God to burn special perfume. ¹⁰ Many people stood outside praying during the time the special perfume was burning.

¹¹ Zacharias saw an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar where the special perfume was burning. ¹² When he saw the angel, Zacharias was troubled and afraid. ¹³ The angel said to him, “Zacharias, do not be afraid. Your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to a son. You are to name him John. ¹⁴ You will be glad and have much joy. Many people will be happy because he is born. ¹⁵ He will be great in the sight of the Lord and will never drink wine or any strong drink. Even from his birth, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. ¹⁶ Many of the Jews will be turned to the Lord their God by him. ¹⁷ He will be the one to go in the spirit and power of Elijah before Christ comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children. He will teach those who do not obey to be right with God. He will get people ready for the Lord.” ^(A)

Zacharias Does Not Believe the Angel

¹⁸ Zacharias said to the angel, “How can I know this for sure? I am old and my wife is old also.” ¹⁹ The angel said to him, “My name is Gabriel. I stand near God. He sent me to talk to you and bring to you this good news. ²⁰ See! You will not be able to talk until the day this happens. It is because you did not believe my words. What I said will happen at the right time.”

²¹ The people outside were waiting. They were surprised and wondered why Zacharias stayed so long in the house of God. ²² When he came out, he could not talk to them. They knew he had seen something special from God while he was in the house of God. He tried to talk to them with his hands but could say nothing. ²³ When his days of working in the house of God were over, he went to his home.

The Lord Did What He Promised

²⁴ Some time later Elizabeth knew she was to become a mother. She kept herself hidden for five months. She said, ²⁵ “This is what the Lord has done for me. He has looked on me and has taken away my shame from among men.”