Nativity of the Lord
Christmas
This is the annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated by about three billion Christian people throughout the world. When Mary and Joseph were on their way to attend the enumeration work ordered by the Emperor, Mary suffered labor pain and they have to stay only in a cattle shed in Bethlehem, as they could not get room in the inn and in the cattle shed Jesus was born. Previously Christmas was celebrated on January 6 every year as per the Julian calendar and in 534 A.D. the Christmas day on January 6 was declared a holiday by the Roman Government. From 1743 onwards the Christmas date was changed to December 25 as per the Gregorian calendar, as declared by Pope Julius-I. Christmas is also called Xmas, where the “X” represents the first Greek letter of the Greek word Kristos, meaning Savior or Christ. The word mass means celebration or feast. Christmas derived from “Christs mass” meaning celebration of Christ. The use of Christmas tree during Christmas was first done by Scandinavians, who worshipped trees on festival days, before becoming Christians. After conversion to Christianity, the Scandinavians introduced the tree in the celebration of Christmas. The decoration of the Christmas tree with lights was first introduced by the Prince Albert of England in the year 1841. From 1870 onwards Christmas day was declared as a national holiday in America. In Poland there is a tradition that they observe fasting before Christmas and on Christmas day they gathered together for the feast where they used to keep a seat vacant for Jesus and they place sweets before that empty seat as if serving to Jesus. In Sweden there is a belief that their ancestors who died earlier would visit their houses on Christmas day. It is believed that Jesus Christ was born on a full moon day and rarely full moon falls on December 25. But Christmas day on December 25, 2015 will fall on full moon day. The first Christmas message sent through satellite was by the U.S. President Eisenhower. An island discovered on Christmas day by William Minor in 1643 was named as Christmas Island.
The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ
The Twenty-fifth Day of December, when ages beyond number had run their course from the creation of the world, when God in the beginning created heaven and earth, and formed man in his own likeness; when century upon century had passed since the Almighty set his bow in the clouds after the Great Flood, as a sign of covenant and peace; in the twenty-first century since Abraham, our father in faith, came out of Ur of the Chaldees; in the thirteenth century since the People of Israel were led by Moses in the Exodus from Egypt; around the thousandth year since David was anointed King; in the sixty-fifth week of the prophecy of Daniel; in the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad; in the year seven hundred and fifty-two since the foundation of the City of Rome; in the forty-second year of the reign of Caesar Octavian Augustus, the whole world being at peace, JESUS CHRIST, eternal God and Son of the eternal Father, desiring to consecrate the world by his most loving presence, was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and when nine months had passed since his conception, was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem of Judah, and was made man: The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.
1225 Nativity Prayer for Christmas
Glory to God in the highest! My precious Lord, Jesus, I adore You with profound love and rejoice in the celebration of Your birth. Your love for us is unfathomable, it is glorious, transforming, awe-inspiring, and deeply personal. You chose to come and dwell among us, being born into poverty, rejection and humility. Yet Your mother knew whom she bore, Her heart was filled with the tenderest love as she adored her Child and her God.
Help me, dear Lord, to come to love You with the heart of Your mother. Invite me to adore You with St. Joseph and the poor shepherds. Reveal to me the glorious power of Your birth and change my life on account of this perfect gift of Yourself.
I love You, dear Lord Jesus. Help me to love You with all my heart. Newborn Savior of the World, I trust in You. Mother Mary and St. Joseph, Pray for me and for all.
Amen.
Christ, Candle of Hope
God, our loving Father, you sent your Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to counter all the forces of evil: sin, suffering and death, and to overcome evil with the force of good; hatred with the power of love, your great love for us in Jesus.
Help us never to curse the darkness, but to join with you in bringing Your light into this world, the light that is your Son, born of the Virgin Mary, in Bethlehem. Help us to be instruments of your light and love by doing one special act of kindness or by being your special instrument of reconciliation this New Year.
May the Christ Candle we light symbolize our desire to bring light into a world of darkness and hope into a world of despair. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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Prayer to Jesus in the Manger
O divine redeemer Jesus Christ, prostrate before thy crib, I believe thou art the God of infinite majesty, even though I do see thee here as a helpless babe. I humbly adore and thank thee for having so humbled thyself for my salvation as to will to be born in a stable. I thank thee for all thou didst wish to suffer for me in Bethlehem, for thy poverty and humility, for thy nakedness, tears, cold and sufferings.
Would that I could show thee that tenderness which thy virgin mother had toward thee, and love thee as she did. Would that I could praise thee with the joy of the angels, that I could kneel before thee with the faith of St. Joseph, the simplicity of the shepherds. Uniting myself with these first adorers at the crib, I offer thee the homage of my heart, and I beg that thou wouldst be born spiritually in my soul. Make me reflect in some degree the virtues of thy admirable nativity. Fill me with that spirit of renunciation, of poverty, of humility, which prompted thee to assume the weakness of our nature, and to be born amid destitution and suffering. Grant that from this day forward, I may in all things seek thy greater glory, and may enjoy that peace promised to men of good will.
Prayers at the Nativity Scene
Begin by reading from the Gospel of Luke 2:1-8.
Prayer Before the Manger Scene:
God our Heavenly Father, from the moment of creation you have never ceased showing your love for us. Even when we turned away from you, you did not abandon us to the darkness of sin and death. Indeed, it was when our need was greatest that you sent us a Redeemer—your Son, Jesus—to be born of the Virgin Mary. Bless us as we look upon this manger. May it remind us of the humble birth of Jesus and raise our minds to contemplate the awesome mystery of God-made-flesh. Let this holy season fill us with hope that we might join him in the eternal Kingdom of peace in heaven. Through Christ, our Lord and Savior, who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.
A Prayer At Christmas
Thank You, Father, that Your times and seasons are pre-ordained and that You sent Your only begotten Son to be born of a woman, so that at the appointed hour He could be made sin for our sins, and in so doing become the propitiation for the sins of all mankind.
Thank You, that in the eternal council chambers of the almighty Godhead, You devised a perfect plan that would save mankind from eternal separation from You, which required that the eternal Son of the Father became flesh and was conceived and born of a virgin.
Lord, we rejoice at the Christmas story and all the wondrous glory that we see unfolded in the manger scene in the little town of Bethlehem, and in the fields, while shepherds watched their flocks by night. We glory at the good news of great joy that was proclaimed by the angel of the Lord, and we are amazed to behold a heavenly choir of angelic beings singing,”glory to God in the highest.” We praise Your name for the visit of the wise men from the east and we grieve at the satanic atrocity that was perpetrated by king Herod on innocent children.
But most of all, we humbly kneel before Your throne of grace when we understand that the baby lying in a manger must one day be crucified to the cruel cross, so that our sins could be forgiven. Father, thank You for sending Jesus to be born so that He could die for our sins. In His name we pray,
Amen.
A Prayer of Thanks At Christmas
Father, we thank You from our innermost being that You sent Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to be born into a fallen race so that by His perfect life and sacrificial death He might be lifted up on the wooden cross, in the same way that Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the wilderness, so that all who looked would live.
Thank You, Father, for the wonderful plan of salvation that You in Your grace purposed would be the only way that mankind could be saved from His sin, and so You sent Your one and only begotten Son, to be born of a virgin into the human race, God becoming Man, so that man might be eternally clothed in the righteous garments of God.
Thank You that by His human life and physical death, He was able to reconcile us back to God, forgive us of our sins and break the power of death in the lives of all Who believe on His name.
Thank You that from His unpretentious beginning, where he had nowhere to lay His head, to His lifelong submission of the Father, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Thank You, Father, for the birth of My Redeemer and I rejoice in the God of my Saviour. In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
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Prayer of Love and Peace At Christmas
Dear Lord, how we praise and thank You that Love in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ came down at Christmas, when the eternal Son of God became Jesus, the perfect Son of Man, and through Whom the promise of peace was given to men of goodwill. Peace with God to those who trust in the redeeming blood of His Son, and the peace of God, for all who are born into the family of God, positioned in Christ and accepted in the Beloved.
Thank You, for the example of a life that personifies love and thank You that the Person of Jesus Christ is the One that satisfies every need of the human heart.
Father, at this special time of the year when we remember that first Christmas day when Your dearly beloved Son was manifested in the flesh in the form of a new-born babe, we pray that His love and His peace may spread abroad into the hearts and minds of many lost and hurting people, who feel themselves unloved and who lack that vital peace with God and the incomparable peace of God within, that surpasses all comprehension.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit grant peace in the hearts of all who are searching for answers, as to emptiness in their lives, this Christmas time. We ask this in the name of Jesus,
Amen.
Prayer To Prepare Our Hearts This Christmas
Heavenly Father, at this festive season I pray that the real meaning of Christmas will not be missed, and that the precious truth that was given to the shepherds and sung by the angels, will become a reality in the hearts and lives of many people this year.
As we prepare for this lovely season of the year and all the joy that it brings with it, help us not to forget that Christ was born for a purpose. And that as we share our gifts one with the other, may we remember the wonderful gift of grace that was sent into the world 2000 years ago.
As we listen to the Scripture readings and rejoice over the good news that was proclaimed that holy night, let us not forget to thank You for Your gift of grace in the Person of Christ Jesus, knowing that He was sent to earth so that by believing on Him we could go to heaven.
Thank You, Father, that in Christ You made all the good and necessary preparation for sinners to be made righteous through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, by first sending Him at the appointed time to be born into a race of sinners.
May we seek to prepare our hearts for our future heavenly home, knowing that our citizenship is in heaven, and may we spend this Christmas period reflecting on the wonderful truth that Christ Jesus was born into the world to save sinners, like me, for which I praise Your holy name. In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Christmas Day Prayer
O Lord Jesus Christ, true God from true God, you became a little child for us so the world you made would be saved. Just as a child is born to us and a Son is given to us, may we be born again through you
and always remain in the number of God’s faithful children; through your merits, O blessed Savior, with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
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