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)