And Zachariah, his father, was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying:

Worthy of praise is the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited and redeemed his people.
And he raised a horn of salvation for us,
in the house of David, his servant (or child).
As he said
through the mouths of his holy prophets from eternity.
Salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all those who hate us:
to (show) mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
a promise which he (made) to Abraham, our father,
which he gave us
without fear
freedom
from the hand our enemies
to serve him
in holiness and righteousness
before him for all our days.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord,
to prepare his paths,
to give to his people,
knowledge of salvation,
by the forgiveness of their sins,
because of our God’s deepest mercy,
upon us the Sunrise will visit us from the heights,
to give light to those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death
to guide our feet into the path of peace.

O Lord Jesus Christ,
stay beside me to defend me,
within me to guide me,
before me to lead me,
and above me to bless me,
that with you and in you,
I may live, and move and have my being,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

(unknown)

In the fifteenth year of the rule of Emperor Tiberias
Pontius Pilate being governor of the Judeans,
and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee,
Philip, his brother, being tetrarch of Iturea, and the region o f Trachonitis,
and Lysanias being tetrarch of Abilene,
at the time of the high-priesthood of Anna and Caiaphas-
it came to pass that the word of God came to John son of Zechariah
in the wilderness.

And he went into all the surrounding region of the Jordan (river),
preaching a baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of sins,
as it is written in the book of Isaiah, the prophet:
‘A voice, crying in the wilderness,
“Prepare the Lord’s road.
Make straight his paths.
Every valley will be filled
and every mountain and hill will be humbled.
And the crooked will be (made) str aight,
and the rough (ways) will be made smooth roads.
And all flesh will see the salvation of God. “

Steer the ship of my life, good Lord, to your quiet harbour,
where I can be safe from the storms of sin and conflict.
Show me the course I should take.
Renew in me the gift of discernment,
so that I can always see the right direction in which I should go.
And give me the strength and the courage to choose the right course,
even when the sea is rough and the waves are high,
knowing that through enduring hardship and danger in your name
we shall find comfort and peace.
Amen

Basil of Caesarea (c.329-379)