25 Verses · World English Bible
25 Bible Verses About Christmas
Every December the familiar pieces of the season come back out — carols, candlelight, a nativity scene on the shelf — and underneath them all sits a story two thousand years old. These Bible verses about Christmas gather that story in one place: the ancient promises that a king would be born in Bethlehem, the moment Mary laid her firstborn in a manger, the shepherds who hurried from their fields to find him, and the wise men who traveled far to kneel. Reading the passages slowly, in order, is one of the simplest ways to step out of the season's hurry and back into its reason.
Christmas is more than a birthday, though. The New Testament insists that in this particular child, God himself came near — the Word became flesh. So alongside the nativity accounts of Luke and Matthew you'll find verses on the incarnation and on why Jesus came at all: to seek, to save, to give his life as a gift none of us could earn. Whether you're planning an Advent reading, looking for a line to write inside a card, or simply trying to feel the weight of the season again, these twenty-five passages are a good place to sit for a while.
Prophecies of His Coming
Centuries before Bethlehem, the prophets were already pointing to it. Isaiah spoke of a virgin bearing a son called Immanuel, and of a child on whose shoulders the government would rest; Micah named the little town itself. The gospel writers saw the manger not as an accident but as a promise kept.
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
“For a child is born to us. A son is given to us; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come out to me who is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times.”
“A shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse,and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit.”
““Behold, the days come,” says the LORD,“that I will raise to David a righteous Branch;and he will reign as king and deal wisely,and will execute justice and righteousness in the land.”
The Christmas Story
Luke and Matthew tell the story from two angles: the angel's announcement to Mary, Joseph's dream, the census road to Bethlehem, a manger because there was no room in the inn, shepherds hurrying in from the night fields, and wise men following a star. These are the passages families read aloud on Christmas Eve.
“The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and shall name him ‘Jesus.’ He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his Kingdom.””
“But when he thought about these things, behold,an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take to yourself Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She shall give birth to a son. You shall name him Jesus,for it is he who shall save his people from their sins.””
“Now all this has happened that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child,and shall give birth to a son.They shall call his name Immanuel,”which is, being interpreted, “God with us.””
“Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to David’s city, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to enroll himself with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him as wife, being pregnant. While they were there, the day had come for her to give birth. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a feeding trough, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
“There were shepherds in the same country staying in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people. For there is born to you today, in David’s city, a Savior, who is Christthe Lord. This is the sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a feeding trough.””
“They, having heard the king, went their way; and behold, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them until it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”
The Word Became Flesh
John begins Christmas before time itself: the Word who was with God, and who was God, took on our humanity and lived among us. Paul and the writer of Hebrews press the same wonder — the fullness of God dwelling in a servant's form. This is the deep end of the Christmas story.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him. Without him, nothing was made that has been made.”
“The Word became flesh and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the only bornSon of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
“who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.”
“For in him all the fullness of the Deity dwells bodily,”
“His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, who, when he had by himself purified us of our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high,”
Why Jesus Came
The manger points toward the cross. Jesus was born for a purpose he would later name plainly: to seek and save the lost, to give his life, to make the Father's love visible. These verses answer the question a quiet December evening eventually asks — why did he come at all?
“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law, that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as children.”
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.””
“The saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.”
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only bornSon, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.”
“By this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his only bornSon into the world that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrificefor our sins.”
Verses for Christmas Cards
Short, bright, and full of good news, these are the lines people have copied into Christmas cards for generations: glory to God in the highest, light shining in the darkness, thanks be to God for a gift beyond words. Any one of them turns a simple greeting into a small announcement of the season's meaning.
““Glory to God in the highest,on earth peace, good will toward men.””
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.The light has shined on those who lived in the land of the shadow of death.”
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcomeit.”
“Now thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift!”
A Prayer About Christmas
Father, thank you for keeping your oldest promises. In the fullness of time you sent your Son — born of a woman, laid in a manger, welcomed by shepherds and sought by wise men — and in him you came near to us. Slow us down this Christmas. Amid the lights and the lists, fix our eyes on the child who is called Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace. Teach us to treasure these things as Mary did, and to return to our ordinary days glorifying and praising you. In Jesus' name, amen.
Common Questions
Where is the Christmas story found in the Bible?
The nativity story is told in two Gospels. Luke 1-2 follows Mary's side: the angel's announcement, the journey to Bethlehem, the manger, and the shepherds. Matthew 1-2 follows Joseph's: his dream, the naming of Jesus, and the visit of the wise men. John 1 adds the meaning underneath the events — the eternal Word becoming flesh — which is why many families read all three together.
What is a good Bible verse to write in a Christmas card?
Short verses carry best. Luke 2:14 — the angels' glory-to-God blessing — is the classic choice, and the good news of great joy in Luke 2:10-11 fits nearly any card. Isaiah 9:6 suits a more reflective note, and 2 Corinthians 9:15 pairs naturally with a gift. Write the reference beneath the line so the person you're greeting can look up the whole passage later.
Did the Old Testament predict the birth of Jesus?
Yes — centuries ahead of time, and with striking detail. Isaiah 7:14 speaks of a virgin bearing a son called Immanuel, Isaiah 9:6 of a child who is Mighty God, and Micah 5:2 names Bethlehem as the birthplace. Matthew's account quotes these prophecies directly. If the season stirs you toward wider themes, our pages on hope and joy carry that thread through the rest of Scripture.
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