“Don’t be afraid, Mary,”
the angel told her,
“for you have found favor with God!
You will conceive
and give birth to a son,
and you will name him Jesus.”
“So the baby to be born will be holy,
and he will be called the Son of God.”
Mary responded,
“I am the Lord’s servant.
May everything you have said about me
come true.”
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy,
God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth,
a village in Galilee,
to a virgin named Mary.
She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph,
a descendant of King David.
Gabriel appeared to her and said,
“Greetings,
favored woman!
The Lord is with you!”
May the LORD bless you
and protect you.
May the LORD smile on you
and be gracious to you.
May the LORD show you his favor
and give you his peace.
Zachariah and Elizabeth
were righteous in God’s eyes,
careful to obey all of the LORD’s commandments
and regulations.
One day Zachariah was serving God in the Temple…
…the angel said,
“Don’t be afraid, Zachariah!
God has heard your prayer.
Your wife,
Elizabeth,
will give you a son,
and you are to name him John.
…He will be filled with the Holy Spirit,
even before his birth.
He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah.
He will prepare the people
for the coming of the Lord…”
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them sing joyful praises forever.
Spread your protection over them,
that all who love your name
may be filled with joy.
….
You have made known to me
the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.
Yet those who wait for the LORD
will gain new strength;
they will mount up with wings like eagles,
they will run and not get tired,
they will walk and not become weary.
…….
Now to Him who is able
to do exceedingly abundantly above
all that we ask or think,
according to the power that works in us.
All this took place
to fulfill what the Lord had said
through the prophet:
“The virgin will be with child
and will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel”
— which means,
“God with us.”
Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday
and today
and forever.
For God, who said,
“Let there be light in the darkness,”
has made this light shine in our hearts
so we could know the glory of God
that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.2 Corinthians 4:6
