Introit. THE voice of him that crieth in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. And the glory of the Lord: shall be revealed. Psalm. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord: and to sing praises unto Thy Name, O Most High.
O LORD God, Heavenly Father, Who, through Thy servant John the Baptist, didst bear witness that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God Which taketh away the sin of the world, and that all who believe in Him shall inherit eternal life: We humbly pray Thee to enlighten us by Thy Holy Spirit that we may at all times find comfort and joy in this witness, continue steadfast in the true faith, and at last with all believers attain unto eternal life; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Gradual. AND thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways. V. John bare witness of Him, and cried saying, This was He of Whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for He was before me. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. V. Behold the Lamb of God: Which taketh away the sin of the world. Hallelujah.
Collect, introit, and gradual from the Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church (1917), public domain.