Announcement To Zechariah

Entrance Hymn

From on High the Angel Came

Syriac: msheeho natareh l’eedtokh

or msheeho natareh l’eedtokh (Abdallah)

From on high the angel came,
clothed in light and blazing fire.
In the temple of the Lord
he announced this joyful news:
“To you, Zechariah, will be born a son.
John will be his name.
Sinners will return to God
when they hear John preach to them.”
Give praise to the Lord, who sent us his only Son
and gave John a true voice that would pave the way,
guiding back those gone astray.

Gabriel, by God’s command,
came down from resplendent heights;
filled with joy, he brought good news
to a priest advanced in years.
The word of the Spirit that Isaiah spoke
is this day fulfilled:
“From a dry and lifeless root
shall spring forth a living branch
to clear out the way and make smooth the rough terrain.”
John will baptize sinners that they might repent
and from all their sins be cleansed.

Opening Prayers

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

O God the Word, when you chose to become man for our salvation, the archangel Gabriel was sent to Zechariah, the priest, in the holy temple to announce the birth of John, the forerunner. Prepare us to celebrate your birth which is filled with blessings, that we may glorify you, your Father, and your Holy Spirit, forever.

Prayer of Forgiveness (Husoyo)

Proemion

Let us raise glory, honor, and praise to the Father, who sent his angel to the temple to announce the good news to Zechariah; and to the Son, who revealed his birth through the birth of John, his forerunner; and to the Holy Spirit, who sanctified John while he was still in his mother’s womb. To the Good One be glory and honor, on this feast, and all the days of our lives, and forever. Amen.

Sedro

Glory to you, O Hidden Son, who is beyond our understanding. You are the Light who enlightens all people, and you became man in order to save us. O Sun of Justice, because the world was unable to see you, you sent John as a lamp, so that we may see you when you come to us.
Today we celebrate the feast of the Announcement to Zechariah, when Gabriel was sent to bring the good news to him, as he was offering incense. When he did not believe the angel’s words, you tested him and made him mute, so that he might open his heart to this sign.
Now, O Lord, we implore you, with the fragrance of this incense, to answer our prayers as you answered the prayer of Zechariah. Grant us an understanding of your plan of salvation, forgive our sins, bring back those who are far, protect those who are near, and grant rest to our departed, that, with them, we may raise glory to you, to your Father, and to your Holy Spirit, for ever. Amen.

Hymn (Qolo)

That Most Awesome Mystery

Syriac: bsafro salee doneeyel

That most awesome Mystery,
hidden from the ages past,
awaited by prophets,
and by kings, and by priests,
is to angels shown in flesh,
and throughout the world proclaimed,
so nations would all believe.
Praise God, now revealed!

Hear Isaiah’s prophecy:
John, the herald of the Truth,
shall come from a barren vine,
a voice to proclaim:
“Now prepare the way of Christ!
Turn from sin; be justified.
For Christ comes to separate
the chaff from the wheat.”

Etro

Heavenly High Priest, you are the joy of angels and of all people. Accept our incense and answer our prayers. Grant peace to the world, holiness to priests, purity to deacons, forgiveness to sinners, and rest to the departed, that we may glorify you, your Father, and your Holy Spirit, forever. Amen.

Epistle

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans. Your blessing, Father.

Glory to the Lord of Paul and the apostles! May the mercy of God descend upon the reader and the listeners and upon this parish and her children forever. Amen.

Brothers and Sisters:
The promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”) — in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So numerous shall your descendants be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore his faith “was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Now the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
(Romans 4:13-25)

Praise be to God always!

Gospel

Alleluia! Alleluia!
Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard.
(Luke1:13)
Alleluia!

Before the proclamation of the Gospel of our Savior, announcing life for our souls, we offer this incense and ask for your mercy, O Lord.

Peace be with you.

And with your spirit.

From the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke, who proclaimed life to the world.
Let us listen to the proclalation of life and salvation for our souls.

Remain silent, O listeners, for the Holy Gospel is about to be proclaimed to you.
Listen and give glory and thanks to the Word of the living God.

The Evangelist wrote:
Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed. In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years. Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.” The angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.” Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, and wondered at his delay in the sanctuary. When he did come out, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak. When his time of service was ended, he went to his home. After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said, “This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.”
(Luke 1:1-25)

This is the truth! Peace be with you!

Praise and blessings to Jesus Christ, our Lord and God, for giving us his words of life.

The Announcement To Zechariah

♰الْمَجْدُ للهِ! ♰Praise be to God always!♰ܬܶܫܒܽܘܚܬܳܐ ܠܰܐܠܳܗܳܐ! ♰