Since the fourth century, Christians have celebrated Christmas on December 25th.^[1] Yet in the early days of celebrating the wonder of Christ’s Incarnation, the magnitude of this holiday (or holy day) was never meant to be contained in a single 24-hour period. While many are familiar with and practice Advent (the season of waiting and preparation), fewer may be familiar with or practice Christmastide.

Christmastide is the season of celebration within the Church liturgical calendar that usually begins on December 25th and continues for 12 days afterward before concluding on January 5th or 6th with the commemoration of the Magi’s mysterious arrival to worship the Christ-child. More than being the title of a clever song, the 12 days of Christmas was originally meant to guide followers of Jesus towards the crescendo and culmination of the good news (or tidings) of Christ. To put it another way, Christmastide can be likened to “the continuous tides on the shores of the ocean; the coming of God in Jesus of Nazareth continues to lap onto the shores of our lives again and again.”^[2]

The good news of Christmas is not meant to be truncated to a mere day on the calendar; rather, it is to cause our hearts to swell with fresh adoration, joy, peace, and sacrificial love over and over again. As author and pastor A.J. Sherill aptly said, “On December 26th, our lives are not meant to move on but to prepare room for Christ to more fully move in.”^[3] Sherill goes on to claim that replacing the word Christmas with holidays may not be the problem many have made of it, because first of all, the root of the meaning is “holy days, and second, the plural form of the word reminds us of how celebrating the Incarnation extends for days beyond December 25th.”^[4]

The good news of Christmas is not meant to be truncated to a mere day on the calendar; rather, it is to cause our hearts to swell with fresh adoration, joy, peace, and sacrificial love over and over again.

In light of this new vision of Christmas, how are we to respond and apply this extended celebration? Stemming from how some streams of the church have observed these 12 days, here is a worship-based prayer guide for Christmastide that I invite you to consider and take with you for the remaining days!

Day 1: December 25th | The Unlikely Chosen Shepherds

The first day of Christmastide, we focus on those present at the Nativity, and how we, like the shepherds, are among the least likely to be chosen to see and savor the Glory of God in Christ.

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:9-11)

Reverence: Lord, I praise You that like those first shepherds, You chose me to see Your glory even though ___________.

Response: Lord, make me fearless to declare Your good news to ___________ so that ___________.

Day 2: December 26th | From Celebration to Sacrifice

On the second day, the Church has traditionally remembered the first martyr, Stephen, because the true message of Christmas is costly.

Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. (Acts 7:54-55; 8:1)

Reverence: Jesus, remind me that celebrating You is worth the sacrifice of ___________.

Response: Like the first martyr Stephen, I pray for the persecuted church in ___________, that they would ___________.

Day 3: December 27th | The Turning Point of the Third Day

Many choose to remember and celebrate how in Scripture, the third day often marks a turning point, and that waiting continues to be a part of our involvement in God’s story.

After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. (Hosea 6:2)

Reverence: Jesus, I praise You for how Christmas reminds me that You came to ___________.

Response: Lord, help me wait on You to revive and raise me up as I face ___________, so that I may live before You!

Day 4: December 28th | The Holy Innocents

On the fourth day of Christmastide, the church has also traditionally remembered the children that Herod tragically executed after being tricked by the Magi. Notice how these first four days have alternated between joy and sorrow to remind us how joy and sorrow are not opposed to one another in this life, but instead go together.

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. (Matthew 2:16)

Reverence: Lord, I marvel at how the revelation of Your Kingship causes some to ___________.

Response: Remind me, Lord, of those who are suffering and sad this season, especially ___________, that they would remember that You ___________.

Day 5: December 29th | Assessing Your Treasure

Often during the Christmas narrative it is said of Mary that she pondered, or treasured up, the message of the miraculous Incarnation. It would be wise for us to imitate this posture and practice!

But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. (Luke 2:19)

Reverence: Jesus, I treasure the revelation that You are ___________.

Response: Lord, help me to ponder Your promises, especially when ___________.

Often during the Christmas narrative it is said of Mary that she pondered, or treasured up, the message of the miraculous Incarnation. It would be wise for us to imitate this posture and practice!

Day 6: December 30th | Christmas Fuels Our Witness

While we do not know how long the shepherds were at the manger, we do know that their encounter there set them on a new mission to be witnesses of all they had seen and heard.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. (Luke 2:20)

Reverence: Lord, I glorify and praise You for showing me ___________.

Response: Lord, give me courage to return to ___________, so that I can share how You have ___________.

Day 7: December 31st | Remembering Your Way Forward

Christmastide is a wonderful and wise way to prepare you up to and through the new year, while also reminding you that our lives are governed more by Christ’s indwelling presence than by the calendar.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Reverence: Lord, I praise You that because I am in Christ, ___________.

Response: Remind me, Lord, as I approach this new year, that ___________ has passed away and that in You I am now ___________.

Christmastide is a wonderful and wise way to prepare you up to and through the new year, while also reminding you that our lives are governed more by Christ’s indwelling presence than by the calendar.

Day 8: January 1st | The Name Above All Names

The Jewish name of Jesus was a common one at the time of Christ, yet it has a very uncommon and supernatural meaning: “God saves.” Christmastide reminds us that Jesus was born in an ordinary, common way, yet as the God-man is the only one who could fulfill the meaning of His name.

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)

And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. (Luke 2:21)

Reverence: Jesus, I praise You for saving me from the sin(s) of ___________.

Response: Jesus, please save ___________, so that ___________.

Day 9: January 2nd | The Ultimate Dedication

Christmastide is a beautiful and humble reminder that while Jesus’ life was the only perfect one, we too are enabled by His life to live ours entirely dedicated to His purposes.

And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. (Luke 2:22)

Reverence: Lord, You alone are worthy of me dedicating my entire life to, because ___________.

Response: Jesus, just as Mary and Joseph presented You in the temple, I too need to present (name children in your life) before You, so that ___________.

Day 10: January 3rd | Fulfilled Prophecy

The Incarnation of Christ fulfilled numerous prophecies that proved time and again the true identity of Jesus, even as a child!

He [Simeon] took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:28-32)

Reverence: Lord Jesus, I bless You because You have fulfilled Your promise to ___________.

Response: Jesus, be a light to ___________, so that they would ___________.

Day 11: January 4th | Cultivate A Life of Prayer

Just as Christ’s first Advent fueled night-and-day worship-based prayer, so the Lord’s second coming ought to inspire unceasing prayer from the Church!

She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:37b-38)

Reverence: Lord, I worship and thank You continually because ___________.

Response: Lord, help me to wait for You to redeem ___________.

Day 12: January 5th | The Reward of Our Pursuit

After the celebration of Christmastide is complete, we are reminded that like the Magi who traveled hundreds of painstaking miles in the wilderness to pursue and worship the King of the Jews, our pursuit continues and our reward remains the same: intimacy with God incarnate.

“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. (Matthew 2:2; 10)

Reverence: Lord, I rejoice exceedingly with great joy because You are ___________.

Response: Lord, may those who are far away from You, especially ___________, encounter You, so that ___________.

Finally, in the words of theologian Bruce Epperly, we are reminded that “Christmas is not just a long season of shopping followed by one day of partying, it is twelve days of adventure that beckon us to a lifetime of incarnational living.”

Copyright © 2024 Justin Jeppesen. All rights reserved.

^[1] For a brief overview of the origins of Christmas, see: https://www.gotquestions.org/Christmas-origin.html

^[2] Sherill, A. J. Rediscovering Christmas: Surprising Insights into the Story You Thought You Knew. Waterbrook. 2024. p. 98.

^[3] Ibid.

^[4] Ibid. p. 100