Twelve Devotionals of Christmas

We only have one "Devotional of the Day" spot, after all.

And that's just not enough space to showcase all the marvelous, worshipful, inspirational, and fresh Christmas-related devotional content so many of our regular devotional providers have posted or will post this month.

Sure, you can access any of this material any time by visiting our Devotionals page and checking out any of our 57 (and always growing) varied options. But the only way you might have seen some of this excellent content is by being an email subscriber to a particular devotional, since none of the following devotionals made it into that prime "Devotional of the Day" position on our homepage.

We hope this has so far been a blessed and wonderful Christmas season for you. The samples below, chosen by Crosswalk editors, will reflect and boost that joy you're feeling. If this has been a difficult time for you, we pray these writers will communicate the hope of Christmas to you. As we compiled this list (which is by no means exhaustive of the Christmas content we have received), one theme kept emerging: the remembrance of why we celebrate Christmas, why we give gifts, why we sing praises. 

We pray those things will be in your heart as you prepare for the coming of the Christ child. Please enjoy our 2009 version of "The Twelve Devotionals of Christmas."

(in no particular order...)

12. "Less is More"
From: Crosswalk: The Devotional
Scripture: And they will call him Immanuel—which means, God with us. Matthew 1:23
Key Text: Up until now ... I was compelled to put out everything I owned that had a Christmas theme so it would all be on display. Then, I had to purchase several ornaments each year to augment my collection so that it was always growing and featured the latest and greatest in holiday decor. But this year, something is changing inside of me. And I think I'm finally learning that Christmas is really more about less ... less of me and my perfectly displayed decorations ... less of me and my "impressive" gift-giving to family and friends ... less of me and my attendance at see-and-be-seen holiday parties ... less of me and what I want for Christmas or how I want God to bless me. ... It's more about what God has given to all mankind. (Read the rest here)
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11. "The Real St. Nicholas"
From: Daily Living for Seniors
Scripture: Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:11-13
Key Text: St. Nick's fame still carries faint reminders of this ancient man of God—the red color of his bishop's robes, his lectures to children about good behavior, and his secret gifts of food and money to those in need. Yet if he were alive today, this saint would humbly deflect attention from himself as he did centuries ago, and point people to his Master. Shouldn't you do the same this holiday season? (Read the rest here)
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10. "The Ultimate Gift"
From: Encouragement for Today
Scripture: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 1 John 5:11
Key Text: "Haley, what did you get?"
"I got Jesus."
An entire family discussion ensued as we discussed the ultimate Gift in the midst of all of our other presents. We compared the gift of Jesus with other gifts that would wear out, that would be outgrown, and that would eventually lose appeal.
We began to ask and answer lots of questions such as:
What is a gift? What is the purpose of a gift? What can we know about the giver of the gift? Why might the giver choose to give a gift to you specifically? (Read the rest here)
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9. "Don't Miss Christmas!"
From: Girlfriends in God
Scripture: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. John 3:16
Key Text: Every year I am reminded of the very heart of Christmas -- Emanuel, God with us. God wants to be involved in the simple, ordinary happenings of daily life: where we go -- what we do -- the smile we give the harried stranger -- the patience we wear in the crowd of impatient shoppers -- the love that prompts the secret gift -- the heart that constantly celebrates His birth through every sparkling light, every beautifully wrapped gift, each special meal, every card, phone call and visit. (Read the rest here)
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8. Do Not Be Afraid!
From: HomeWord, with Jim Burns
Scripture: And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:8-11
Key Text: In another, long ago dark time of human history, it should not go without notice that when God breaks onto the scene to announce the birth of Jesus, the first thing the angel said to the shepherds was, "Do not be afraid!" We celebrate Christmas as God loved us so much to give us the gift of Jesus who is able to conquer the fear in our lives as we trust in Him. (Read the rest here)
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7. "Shepherds: Humble People"
From: Discover the Book, with Dr. John Barnett
Scripture: And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7
Key Text: Humble shepherds who found Baby Jesus in a stable remind us that the Inn of Bethlehem was full. That there was no room in the inn was symbolic of what was to happen to Jesus. The only place where there was room for him was on a cross. He sought an entry to the over-crowded hearts of men; he could not find it; and still his search—and his rejection—go on. Yet Luke gets us to look from the inn with no room, to the shepherds with room in their lives for Christ's coming. They made room. (Read the rest here)
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6. "The Real Reason for Christmas"
From: Sparkling Gems from the Greek, with Rick Renner
Scripture: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:8
Key Text: People rarely think of the Cross at Christmastime because it is the time set aside to celebrate Jesus' birth. But in Philippians 2, Paul connects the two thoughts. As Paul writes about God becoming a man, he goes on to express the ultimate reason God chose to take this amazing action. Paul says in verse 8, "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Because today is Christmas Eve, I want to use this Sparkling Gem to discuss the real reason for Christmas, which is contained in the truths found in this verse. (Read the rest here)
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5. "Immanuel"
From: Praying the Names of God, with Ann Spangler
Scripture: All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" — which means "God with us." Matthew 1:22-23
Key Text: Matthew's Gospel recalls Isaiah's prophecy, applying it to the child who would be born of Mary, the virgin betrothed to Joseph. The sign given hundreds of years earlier to an apostate king was meant for all God's people. In fact the Bible is nothing if not the story of God's persistent desire to dwell with his people. In Jesus, God would succeed in a unique way, becoming a man in order to save the world not from the outside, but from the inside. Immanuel, God with us, to rescue, redeem and restore our relationship with him. (Read the rest here)
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4. "The Greatest Gift of Love"
From: Adrian Rogers' Daily Devotionals from Love Worth Finding
Scripture: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
Key Text: Christmas is spelled L-O-V-E. What is the Christmas message? It is John 3:16. God gave us the gift of love on Christmas Day. It is truly said, "What the world needs now is love." I need it. You need it. Your spouse needs it. Your child needs it. An elderly man or woman sitting alone in a nursing home today needs it. A child abandoned and alone in a children's home needs it, too. (Read the rest here)
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3. "Holiday or Holy Day?"
From: In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley
Scripture: Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means "GOD WITH US." And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus. Matthew 1:18-25
Key Text: This slide away from Christ is the natural progression of the world, but it is not the direction that believers should go. ... The world tries hard to find pleasure in Christ-less holiday observances, but happiness is often elusive when experiences don't match expectations. If you feel a sense of letdown, you may have drifted away from an authentic celebration of Christmas. Allow Jesus back in, and joy will return. (Read the rest here)
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2. "Heaven's Glory Comes to Earth"
From: Transformation Garden: Where Every Woman Blooms
Scripture: And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2: 9-11
Key Text: What emotions fill my heart this Christmas season? How and where will I look for God's glory to fill the earth? ... So often, the reason I am afraid is that I forget to recognize that Christ my Lord is filling every corner of this earth with His glory -- all I need to do is look for it. And it is my prayer, that amid the continual sounds of Christmas bells and sights of holly-filled windows and jolly Santas, your eyes and mine will see clearly the glory -- the splendor of heaven's unlimited and unending gift of love to this earth, Jesus Christ our Lord. (Read the rest here)
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1. "Merry Christmas!"
From: Daily Disciples Devotional
Scripture: For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
Key Text: The birth of Jesus was not just mentioned in the New Testament Gospels. If we see it only from that perspective, we miss the awesome sovereignty and love of God. God had a plan from the beginning. This plan was not begun in the New Testament, it was completed there. We need to be challenged and encouraged to read and study the whole Bible. As the year end approaches, now is the time to make some new goals for next year. Prayerfully consider beginning a reading program that takes you through the whole Bible in one year. If you have never done that before, you are in for a blessing of unimaginable value. ... There is no greater Christmas gift than Jesus Christ, the living Word. (Read the rest here)
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Original publication date: December 16, 2009

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