25 Christmas Prayers and Blessings To Bring Joy to the World

The holiday season, for many, is a time of gathering with family and focusing on the true meaning behind the approaching celebration. Subsequently, one reflective and thoughtful tradition that is common in various households involves sharing a Christmas prayer or Christmas blessing with loved ones.

Christmas prayers are generally centered on acknowledging and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, as well as giving glory to God for His promises coming true, and for gifting salvation to those who believe. As John 3:16 famously says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." Therefore, Christmas prayers also tend to emphasize love—the love God has for the world, and the love that people on earth should then share with one another.

A family or group of friends may set aside time before a meal, like sharing a Christmas prayer for dinner, or receive a Christmas blessing at a specific point, like at the end of their gathering. Regardless of whether or not it's a long or short Christmas prayer, and regardless of whether or not it's a traditional, famous, or impromptu, personal Christmas blessing—the most important thing is that each individual's heart is in the right place. It's an intentional act of ignoring the commercialized aspects of the season and instead, recognizing the deeper significance of Christmas.

Looking for some ideas for your own family as the holidays draw near? Here are 25 Christmas prayers and blessings to inspire you!

Related: 25 Religious Christian Christmas Songs & Hymns

25 Christmas Prayers and Blessings

1. "Let Your goodness, Lord, appear to us, that we,
made in your image, conform ourselves to it.
In our own strength
we cannot imitate Your majesty, power, and wonder
nor is it fitting for us to try.
But Your mercy reaches from the heavens
through the clouds to the earth below.
You have come to us as a small child,
but you have brought us the greatest of all gifts,
the gift of eternal love
Caress us with Your tiny hands,
embrace us with Your tiny arms
and pierce our hearts with Your soft, sweet cries."
— St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Related: 50 Religious Christmas Quotes

2. "Almighty God, grant that the new birth of your Son in the flesh redeems us from the old slavery under the yoke of sin, so we may receive him with joy as our Redeemer, and that when when he comes to judge we may see Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen."
— Wilhelm Loehe

3. "Lord God the Holy Ghost, may faith grow in men. May they believe in Christ to the saving of their souls. May their little faith brighten into strong faith and may their strong faith ripen into the full assurance of faith. May we all have this last blessing. May we believe God fully. May we never waver. Resting in the great Surety and High Priest of the New Covenant may we feel 'the peace of God which passeth all understanding,' and may we enter into rest."
— Charles H. Spurgeon

Related: 100 Bible Verses That'll Lift Your Spirits

4. "After the season is over, the Christmas lights come down, the fragrance of pine dissipates into the air, and the Christmas music no longer plays on the radio, we may ask, ‘What happens next?’ The wonder and awe of Christmas is just a beginning. Christmas reminds us that the babe born in Bethlehem has given us purpose for living, and what happens next to us largely depends on how we embrace our Savior, Jesus Christ, and follow Him.”
— Rosemary Wixom

5. "O sweet Child of Bethlehem,
grant that we may share with all our hearts
in this profound mystery of Christmas.
Put into the hearts of men and women this peace
for which they sometimes seek so desperately
and which you alone can give to them.
Help them to know one another better,
and to live as brothers and sisters,
children of the same Father.
Reveal to them also your beauty, holiness and purity.
Awaken in their hearts
love and gratitude for your infinite goodness.
Join them all together in your love.
And give us your heavenly peace. Amen."
— Pope John XXIII

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6. "In our secret yearnings
we wait for your coming,
and in our grinding despair
we doubt that you will.
And in this privileged place
we are surrounded by witnesses who yearn more than do we
and by those who despair more deeply than do we.
Look upon your church and its pastors
in this season of hope
which runs so quickly to fatigue
and in this season of yearning
which becomes so easily quarrelsome.
Give us the grace and the impatience
to wait for your coming to the bottom of our toes,
to the edges of our fingertips.
We do not want our several worlds to end.
Come in your power
and come in your weakness
in any case
and make all things new.
Amen.”
— Walter Brueggemann

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7. "May you be filled with the wonder of Mary, the obedience of Joseph, the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds, the determination of the magi, and the peace of the Christ child. Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit bless you now and forever.”
— Ray Pritchard

8. "But the Bethlehem star may lead me
To the sight of Him Who freed me
From the self that I have been.
Make me pure, Lord: Thou art Holy;
Make me meek, Lord: Thou wert lowly;
Now beginning, and always,
Now begin, on Christmas day."
— Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J.

9. "The feast day of your birth resembles you, Lord
Because it brings joy to all humanity.
Old people and infants alike enjoy your day.
Your day is celebrated
from generation to generation.
Kings and emperors may pass away,
And the festivals to commemorate them soon lapse.
But your festival
will be remembered until the end of time.
Your day is a means and a pledge of peace.
At your birth heaven and earth were reconciled,
Since you came from heaven to earth on that day
You forgave our sins and wiped away our guilt.
You gave us so many gifts on the day of your birth:
A treasure chest of spiritual medicines for the sick;
Spiritual light for the blind;
The cup of salvation for the thirsty;
The bread of life for the hungry.
In the winter when trees are bare,
You give us the most succulent spiritual fruit.
In the frost when the earth is barren,
You bring new hope to our souls.
In December when seeds are hidden in the soil,
The staff of life springs forth from the virgin womb."
— St. Ephraim the Syrian

10. "Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life."
— Corrie ten Boom

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11. "God of Goodness,
We give you praise for the ordinariness of Christmas -
that the day comes the same as any other day.
We give you praise that there is no sign in the heavens, and no bright star but the light of your presence in the ordinary birth of the child.
We give you praise that unobtrusively you are in the center of human affairs, involved in the struggle of life, and sharing human experience.
We give you praise that out of compassion you take our part, and open to us a new way of life. We pray that this day we shall be able to see its true glory."
— Caryl Micklem

12. "As we think today of the birth of the Savior, let us aspire after a fresh birth of the Savior in our hearts; that as he is already ‘formed in us the hope of glory,’ we may be ‘renewed in the spirit of our minds;’ that we may go to the Bethlehem of our spiritual nativity and do our first works, enjoy our first loves, and feast with Jesus as we did in the holy, happy, heavenly days of our espousals.”
— Charles H. Spurgeon

13. "The spirit of Christmas is Christlike love. The way to increase the Christmas spirit is to reach out generously to those around us and give of ourselves. The best gifts are not material things but gifts of listening, of showing kindness, of remembering, of visiting, of forgiving, of giving time.”
— Bonnie L. Oscarson

14. "God grant you the light of Christmas, which is faith; the warmth of Christmas, which is purity; the righteousness of Christmas, which is justice; the belief in Christmas, which is truth; the all of Christmas, which is Christ."
— Wilda English

15. "Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake. Amen."
— Robert Louis Stevenson

16. "At this Christmas when Christ comes, will He find a warm heart? Mark the season of Advent by loving and serving the others with God's own love and concern.”
— Mother Teresa

17. "Let the just rejoice,
for their Justifier is born.
Let the sick and infirm rejoice,
For their Saviour is born.
Let the captives rejoice,
For their Redeemer is born.
Let slaves rejoice,
for their Master is born.
Let free men rejoice,
For their Liberator is born.
Let All Christians rejoice,
For Jesus Christ is born."
— St. Augustine of Hippo

Related: 35 Scriptures on Healing

18. "Lamb of God,
You once came to rid the world of sin;
cleanse me now from every stain of sin.
Lord, you came to save what was lost;
come once again with your salvific power
so that those you redeemed will not be punished.
I have come to know you in faith;
may I have unending joy
when you come again in glory."
— New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book

19. "Your name is still called 'Wonderful,' 'Counselor,' 'The Mighty God,' 'The Everlasting Father,' and 'The Prince of Peace.' As Your children, we cry out for a fresh filling, and a new awareness of Who You are. We choose by faith to make the 'good news of great joy' a reality in our own lives, so others can see us as lighted trees of life, pointing to You this Christmas. We know one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that You are Lord. And we also know that peace on earth can only come when hearts find peace with You. You are still our Joy. You are still our Peace. You are no longer a babe in the manger. You are Lord of lords and King of kings. And we still celebrate You as Lord—this Christmas and always."
— Rebecca Barlow Jordan

20. "If Christ is to come more fully into our lives this Christmas, if God is to become really incarnate for us, then fire will have to be present in our prayer. Our worship and devotion will have to stoke the kind of fire in our souls that can truly change our hearts."
— Edward Hays

21. "Somehow, not only for Christmas
But all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others
Is the joy that comes back to you."
— John Greenleaf Whittier

22. "Lord, I thank You for coming to earth so You could redeem me. When I think of the extent to which You were willing to go in order to save me, it makes me want to shout, to celebrate, and to cry with thankfulness. You love me so much, and I am so grateful for that love. Without You, I would still be lost and in sin. But because of everything You have done for me, today I am free; my life is blessed; Jesus is my Lord; Heaven is my home; and Satan has no right to control me. I will be eternally thankful to You for everything You did to save me! I pray this in Jesus' name!"
— Rick Renner

Related: 40 Scriptures on Peace

23. "Father,
You make this holy night radiant
with the splendor of Jesus Christ our light
We welcome Him as Lord, true light of the world.
Bring us to eternal joy in the kingdom of heaven
where He lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit
one God, for ever and ever."
— International Commission on English in the Liturgy

24. "Thousands each year find their desire for salvation and holiness becoming too acute to bear, and turn to the One who was born in a manger to die on a cross. Then the fleeting beauty that is Christmas enters their hearts to dwell there forever. For who is it that imparts such beauty to the Christmas story? It is none other than Jesus, the Altogether Lovely.”
— A.W. Tozer

25. "Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child,
Make thee a bed, soft, undefiled,
Within my heart, that it may be
A quiet chamber kept for Thee.
My heart for very joy doth leap,
My lips no more can silence keep,
I too must sing, with joyful tongue,
That sweetest ancient song,
Glory to God in highest heaven,
Who unto man His Son hath given
While angels sing with pious mirth.
A glad new year to all the earth!"
— Martin Luther

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