Merry Christmas! We celebrate the Christ Child’s birth today, probably one of the most written and sung about events of all time. Over the years we have collected many lovely prayers, poems, and other resources to enjoy at Christmas and with 12 days ahead of us for joyful celebration we thought you might enjoy a few of these to reflect on yourself.
A perennial favorite is this Christmas Prayer by Henri Nouwen:
Lord Jesus,
Master of both the light and the darkness,
send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.
We who have so much to do seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.
We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.
We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence.
We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.
To you we say, “Come Lord Jesus!”—Henri J.M. Nouwen
Howard Thurman has written many excellent Christmas poems, several of which we have featured before–such as this one:
“The Work of Christmas”
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among people,
To make music in the heart.
You can find more lists of Christmas resources on our resource page, but here is one to get you started:
Christmas Prayers, Litanies and Liturgies
- Christmas Sacred Space Prayer Experience by Lilly Lewin
- Christmas Liturgy by Christine Sine
- Make Room – A Christmas Prayer by Christine Sine
- A Christmas Creed
- At the End of the Year – A Poem by John O’Donohue
- Aaron Neville – A Christmas Prayer
- Christmas Prayer by Mother Theresa
- Christmas Prayer by Bebe Winan
- Christmas Prayer by Henri Nouwen
- The Mood of Christmas by Howard Thurman
- First Coming by Madeliene L’Angle
- Amazing Peace by Maya Angelou
- Advent Worship – Companions of Brother Lawrence Liturgy
- The Grace and the Impatience to Wait – Walter Brueggemann
Have a blessed Christmas and enjoy!
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