31 Days of Celebrating Jesus

Christians celebrate Christmas because God did something altogether new and wonderful when he sent the Christ Child to be born for us. For each day of December, here are Scriptures, prayers, and reflections to help you celebrate Jesus Christ in a new and meaningful way.  

1. “I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people” (Luke 2:10 KJV). Jesus, thank you for giving me reasons to have great joy. Use me to share your love with all people.   
2. “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8 ESV). Jesus’ birth was holy because God set that night apart for something new and wonderful. 
3. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:2 ESV). God promised shining hope for a world dwelling in darkness. Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, pierces that darkness
4. “Yours is the day, yours also the night; you have established the heavenly lights and the sun” (Psalm 74:16 ESV). Shepherds out in the field met a multitude of heavenly host and heard about Jesus’ birth.  
5. “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21 ESV). Jesus’ name means “God saves.” His perfect name tells us who he is and what he came to do. 
6. “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15 ESV). God gives gifts through Jesus. Finish this prayer: Dear Jesus, I praise you for the gift of . . . 
7. “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Ephesians 5:14 ESV). Wake up! Jesus is near! He shines the light of life and hope on your heart and your mind. 
8. “He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things” (Psalm 107:9 ESV). Seek the soul-satisfying Savior. Jesus promises that all who come to him will be eternally satisfied (John 6:35). 
9. “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth” (Luke 1:26 ESV). Gabriel told Mary that a newborn child would soon appear. This child would be the Son of the Most High. 
10. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 ESV). Christmas reminds us how much God loves us—so much that he would give his Son for us.  
11. “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you” (Psalm 39:7 ESV). The Christmas season is one of hope. It’s a time to recall the promises God fulfilled in Jesus. 
12. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 ESV). Christmas can be a tiring time. Take time to be with Jesus, the One who invites you to find rest in him. 
13. “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end” (Lamentations 3:22 ESV). Better than any new gift on Christmas morning, Jesus comes to you with gifts of love and mercy.
14. “I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named” (Ephesians 3:14–15 ESV). King Jesus, though born in a humble manger, inspired shepherds and Magi to fall on their knees in worship.  
15. “The angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people’” (Luke 2:10 ESV). You have something in common with angels. You, too, can share the Good News of Jesus with others! 
16. “‘The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us)” (Matthew 1:23 ESV). The first Christmas night was divine because, in Jesus, God came into his creation to be with us. 
17. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17 ESV). This Christmas season, be sure to look up and rejoice in the truly good Gift from above, Jesus. 
18. “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:32 ESV). Spend time with Jesus this Christmas season. See how his love sets your heart aglow with hope and joy! 
19. “She gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger” (Luke 2:7 ESV). Jesus was wrapped in burial cloths at his death. But Jesus did not need those cloths for long!  
20. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13 ESV). Always remember whose friend you are. Jesus was born to be your Friend. You’ve got a friend in Jesus! 
21. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another” (John 13:34 ESV). God’s love moved him to speak—and act—in love toward us. And on Christmas, he sent a Savior in Jesus. 
22. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you” (John 14:27 ESV). God has given his peace to us. The Prince of Peace places his peaceful scepter into your hands and heart.  
23. “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36 ESV). Jesus has the power to shatter your chains. Celebrate this Christmas as one who is free because of Jesus. 
24. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me . . . to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18 ESV). In Jesus, God uses you to help free those who are oppressed. Do something for someone who is oppressed or in need.  
25. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14 ESV). Pray this: Dear Jesus, this world needs peace. And I need peace. Make me a vessel of your peace in this world. 
26. “Let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy” (Psalm 5:11 ESV). The message that the Savior, Jesus Christ, was born is joyful news, worthy of singing! 
27. “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us” (Luke 2:15 ESV). Imagine yourself on the dark path the shepherds took into Bethlehem. Imagine Jesus, lying in a manger. Baby Jesus, born for you! 
28. “All who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them” (Luke 2:18 ESV). Christ the Savior is born! Who needs to hear that Good News from you today? 
29. “Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Luke 2:19 ESV). Can you carve out a few moments to ponder and pray today? For your spiritual wellbeing, it may be a necessity! 
30. “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son” (Galatians 4:4 ESV). God’s timing was perfect. God’s gift was perfect. A Savior! Born for you! 
31. “When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east” (Matthew 2:1 KJV).
    
    Shepherds and Wise Men alike bowed before Jesus. How might you help promote unity in the body of Christ this Christmas?