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Gospel Reading - Gabriel’s message to Zechariah

^11-12Zacharias was in the sanctuary when suddenly an angel appeared, standing to the right of the altar of incense! Zacharias was startled and terrified.

¹³But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zacharias! For I have come to tell you that God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! And you are to name him John. ¹⁴You will both have great joy and gladness at his birth, and many will rejoice with you. ¹⁵For he will be one of the Lord’s great men. He must never touch wine or hard liquor — and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from before his birth! ¹⁶ And he will persuade many a Jew to turn to the Lord his God. ¹⁷He will be a man of rugged^a spirit and power like Elijah, the prophet of old; and he will precede the coming of the Messiah, preparing the people for his arrival. He will soften adult hearts to become like little children’s, and will change disobedient minds to the wisdom of faith.”*

¹⁸Zacharias said to the angel, “But this is impossible! I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”

¹⁹Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to you with this good news! ²⁰And now, because you haven’t believed me, you are to be stricken silent, unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly come true at the proper time.”

1. Implied. and will change disobedient minds to the wisdom of faith, literally, “to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just.”