ABCs of Christmas (Letters X, Y and Z)

I hope that you and your family have had a Christ-centered Christmas, and that each one of us will continue to keep our heart and eyes fixed on Him throughout the year!

X is for XMAS.

Sometimes we see the word “Christmas” shortened to “Xmas.” This is because the “X” comes from the Greek letter “Chi” which is the first letter of the Greek word that is translated as “Christ.” In other words, this is just an abbreviation of a bigger word. As long as we remember that the “X” stands for “Christ,” and that He is the reason we celebrate Christmas, there’s nothing wrong with the abbreviation!

Y is for YULETIDE.

Yuletide is another word for the Christmas season. This whole season has been about preparing our hearts to think about and celebrate the birth of Jesus. Let’s stop and ask God to continue to prepare our hearts and help us understand the significance of Jesus’ birth, and let’s ask Him to help us long to be near Jesus, just like the Wise Men. The Bible say, “You will seek Me, and you will find Me when you seek me with your whole heart.”


Z is the END of the alphabet!

In the Greek alphabet, the first letter is “alpha” and the last letter is “omega.”

In the book of Revelation, it says:

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come,the Almighty." (Rev 1:8)

Jesus is the beginning AND the end, so as we end this Christmas season, let’s let the last letter remind us of this name of Jesus, and let’s remember Him, not just at Christmas time, but every single day!

Letters A - W

The ABCs of Christmas (Letters V and W)

We are almost to the end of the alphabet! 

V is for VISIT. 

After Jesus was born, He was visited by a group of Magi, or Wise Men, who wanted to see baby Jesus. The Bible records their story only in the book of Matthew. It says, “they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”

Since they brought three gifts, many people believe there were 3 of them. We don’t really know how many Wise Men there were, but we DO know that they were overjoyed to be near Jesus. They had to travel so far to visit Him, but they were willing to search until they found Him. We have the privilege of being near Jesus every day in prayer and when we are spending time in God’s Word. Like the Wise Men, this should cause us to be full of joy too! 

W is for WHAT CHILD IS THIS? 

This Christmas Carol tells the story of the Gospel. Read the words, and remember with joy and thanksgiving that the Child born that Christmas morning came to save sinners like you and me!

What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom Angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?

This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.

Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.

Raise, raise a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Letters A - U

ABCs of Christmas (Letters T and U)

Today's letters are short and sweet. Maybe it has something to do with last minute planning? :) Merry Christmas Eve's Eve!

T is for TRADITIONS.

Christmas is a time of great traditions! Some traditions are popular, like getting a tree each year or wrapping gifts to give to friends and family. Other traditions are more personal and unique to each family.

What family tradition has become one of your favorites? What is a new tradition you’d like to start?

U is for UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN.

Years before Jesus was born, these words were written:

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government will be on His shoulders: and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” - Isaiah 9:6

Which one of these names for Jesus comforts you the most? Why?

Letters A - S

The ABCs of Christmas (Letters R and S)

R is for RECONCILED.

What does reconcile mean? It's not a word we hear every day! Reconcile means "to reestablish a close relationship between" or "to settle or resolve."

Christmas is the perfect time to stop and consider what it means that sinners can be reconciled to God, but first we have to look to the very beginning of the Bible. There once was a time that man walked in harmony with God. Before Adam and Eve were created, they walked with God in the Garden of Eden. After they sinned, though, they were separated from Him. His presence was still with them, but their fellowship was broken, and their sin kept them from knowing God like they once did. God didn't just tell them that they were hopeless sinners, headed for the eternal death they deserved. Instead, He began to reveal His plan of reconciliation - a plan that certainly included the birth of Christ!

Because God is perfect and holy, He couldn't even look at sin. But His redemptive plan was to send His Son Jesus to pay the penalty for Adam and Eve's sin - for OUR sins - a debt that we could never, ever pay. He offered a way of reconciliation to mankind by sending His Son.  It’s because of Christ’s birth, life and sacrifice that men can again know the God of the Universe. God is able to "reestablish a close relationship" with us if we turn to Him. Christ's death "settled and resolved" the debt that we owed! Isn't that a good reason to celebrate Christmas?

Do you know Him?
Is there a difference between knowing about Him and knowing Him?

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” - 2 Corinthians 5:18-21

S is for SIMEON.

Jesus’ birth was special to all of mankind, but it was especially special to a man named Simeon. God had told Simeon that he would not die until He saw the Messiah. One day, Jesus’ parents took Him to the temple, and Simeon was there. When Simeon saw Him, he took Him into his arms and this is what he said, “'Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation,  which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.'”

Simeon knew that Jesus’ birth meant that his Savior had arrived. This gave Simeon so much peace. When we talk about “peace on earth” at Christmas, this is the kind of peace we mean - peace in our hearts because of Christ!

How do you think Simeon felt when he held Jesus, the child he knew would bring a way of salvation? Why do you think he said "you may now dismiss your servant in peace?"

Letters A and B
Letters C and D
Letters E and F
Letters G, H and I 
Letters J and K
Letters L and M
Letters N and O
Letters P and Q

The ABCs of Christmas (Letters P and Q)

There are few things that encourage me more than to look all throughout scripture and see that every single promise God made, He kept - or will keep. It's my hope that in the middle of all of the Christmas celebrations, we stop, be still, and consider that our faithful God entered the world to fulfill the prophecy that He would provide an atonement for our sin!

Pis for PROPHECY.

Since the time of creation, a Messiah had been promised. Genesis 3:15 was the first mention of a Messiah, but certainly not the only one! Throughout the Old Testament, prophecies of a coming Messiah gave hope to those who trusted the promises of God. Some of the promises were pretty specific!

-In Micah 5:2 it says, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." (Remember where Jesus was born? Bethlehem!)

-In Isaiah 7:14 it says, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (who gave birth to Jesus? Mary, who was a virgin!)

-In 2 Samuel 7:12, a prophet said to David, “When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom.”. (Jesus came from the line of David!)

All of these words were written long before Jesus was born. Every one of these words came true! Luke 2:11 says, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”

God always keeps His promises, and He fulfilled the promises of the Old Testament when He sent His Son, Jesus - the Christ. The long-awaited Messiah had been sent at last!

How does it encourage you to see that God has always been a promise-keeper?



Q is for QUIET TIME.

At Christmas time, we are always busy. We are buying gifts, wrapping them, hanging lights, decorating our tree, and sometimes baking cookies! All of these things are good things, and it’s so fun to celebrate Christmas in these ways, but it’s also good to take time to be still and quiet and remember that even though Christmas traditions are fun, the real reason we celebrate Christmas is because Jesus, our Savior, was born!

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Letters A and B
Letters C and D
Letters E and F
Letters G, H and I
Letters J and K
Letters L and M
Letters N and O

The ABCs of Christmas (Letters N and O)

N is for NEW.

So often, we think that January 1st is symbolic of “new beginnings.” Really, though, that’s something we should think about at Christmas time, too! Jesus was born into this world so that He could make a way for each of us to “become new” through Him.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” This “new beginning” isn’t just a flimsy, self-declared fresh start. This is a new life entirely, available to us by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. This new life is an eternal life, and THAT’S the greatest Christmas present of all!

O is for O HOLY NIGHT.

The words to this carol are some of my favorite ones. The first verse, especially:

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of the dear Savior's birth. 

Long lay the world in sin and error pining. 

Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth. 

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, 

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!

O night divine, the night when Christ was born; 

O night, O holy night, O night divine! 

O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Christmas is a great time of year to stop and thank God that He didn’t leave the world “in sin and error pining,” but instead “He appeared, and the soul felt its worth.” Rejoice!

Letters A and B
Letters C and D
Letters E and F
Letters G, H and I
Letters J and K
Letters L and M

The ABCs of Christmas (Letters L and M)

Today we are covering one of my favorite words: "Light." Luke's name means "light" and we pray that he and Essie will both be a light in our dark world, not by way of their sweet smiles and happy personalities, but by walking with and reflecting the Light of the world.

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L is for LIGHT.

At Christmas time, we always see lights, don’t we? They are just about everywhere - on our tree, on our house, on our neighbors houses, and sometimes at the stores when we’re out shopping! I love seeing Christmas lights, and they can be a great reminder of why we are celebrating Christmas! We’ve learned so far that Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas. You might be wondering what that has to do with light! Well, in John 8:12, it says, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”

We can remember every time we see the lights that Jesus is the light of the world, and we are celebrating Christmas because He chose to come to our world and light the way for any person who chooses to follow Him!

M is for MANGER.

Just what IS a manger, anyway?

Here’s a definition: Manger - a trough or open box in a stable designed to hold feed or fodder for livestock.

A man named Greg Laurie wrote, “He was not laid in the manger in satin sheets, but in rags. He was not laid in a bed of gold, befitting a king, but in a feeding trough for animals. There He was—the greatest gift of all—in simple wrapping. Jesus took His place in a manger so that we might have a home in heaven.”

It’s hard to believe that King Jesus was placed in a food trough after He was born, but it was all part of God’s perfect plan to demonstrate the depths of His love for us! Let each nativity scene that you see this Christmas remind you of the vast love of our Savior, who’s first few nights on earth were spent in a manger.

Letters A and B
Letters C and D
Letters E and F
Letters G, H and I
Letters J and K

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The ABCs of Christmas (Letters J and K)

There is so much joy found in knowing the King of kings! This Christmas season, I hope that we dwell on the truth of the Gospel.

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J is for JOY.

At Christmas time, we sing Christmas carols. It’s sometimes easy to sing them without really thinking about the words. If we stop and consider what we are singing, though, we can often be reminded of the reason we’re celebrating in the first place! Joy To The World is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Read the words today, and think about them next time you’re singing along!

Joy to the World,
the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare Him room,

And Heaven and nature sing, (repeat)

And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.



Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!

Let men their songs employ;

While fields and floods,
rocks, hills and plains

Repeat the sounding joy, (repeat)

Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.



No more let sins and sorrows grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found, (repeat)

Far as, far as, the curse is found.



He rules the world with truth and grace,

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness,

And wonders of His love, (repeat)

And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Has your heart "prepared Him room?" My prayer is that He has or will one day soon rule your heart and life with His truth and grace!

K is for KING OF KINGS.

Most kings are born in the most comfortable places possible. They are given the best care, and have all of the luxuries that are given to people in their position. At Christmas time, though, we remember a King who wasn’t born in a comfortable home or hospital - instead, he was born in a stable. He wasn’t wrapped in a soft, snuggly blanket and placed in a warm bed like most babies. Instead, he was wrapped in swaddling cloths and placed in a manger.

To people of His day, Jesus would have seemed like anything but a king. He didn’t have a lot of material wealth. He didn’t lead armies of soldiers like other kings did, and as far as anyone could see, He didn’t even have a temple or a throne! But later in His life, Jesus would declare, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18) The Bible makes it clear that even though He was born in a dirty stable and raised by a humble carpenter, Jesus always has been and Jesus always will be “the King of kings.” (Revelation 17:14).

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Letters A and B
Letters C and D
Letters E and F
Letters G, H and I

The ABCs of Christmas (Letters G, H and I)

Today is the 4th Day of Christmas at our house, and we're looking at letters G, H and I!


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G is for GIFT.

One of the most joyful parts of Christmas is giving gifts. Seeing someone’s face light up when they open the present you picked for them is so rewarding! It’s also fun to get gifts, isn’t it?

James 1:17 talks about gifts. It says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

God's greatest gift to us was the gift of His Son, who came to bring peace to a broken world. The peace He came to bring wasn't the kind of "world peace" we might think of; He came to establish peace between God and sinners. That is an incredible gift!

What gift are you most excited about giving this year?

H is for HEAVENLY HOST.

Remember when we talked about the angel appearing to the shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus? Well, there’s more! After the angel delivered the message to them, the Bible says that “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.’”

What a sight that must have been! It’s not unusual to announce a baby’s birth, but most of the time it’s just by telling friends and family, or maybe sending out a card. Of course, Jesus wasn’t just any baby, was He? He was certainly worthy of an announcement delivered by the heavenly host!

One of my favorite carols begins with this verse:

Hark the herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!

Peace on earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled"

Joyful, all ye nations rise

Join the triumph of the skies

With the angelic host proclaim:

"Christ is born in Bethlehem"

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

I is for INCARNATE.

When Jesus was born, it was unlike any other birth. He wasn’t just a human being born into the world, the Bible says He was fully God AND fully man. This means that when Jesus was born, He was God incarnate - which is just another way of saying that He was a human.

In the first chapter of John, John refers to Jesus as “the Word.” He says, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” At Christmas time, it’s good to stop and consider what it meant for Jesus to leave the glories of Heaven to come and live on earth!

The second verse of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" ends with this line about the incarnation of Jesus:

"Veiled in flesh the Godhead see

Hail the incarnate Deity

Pleased as man with man to dwell

Jesus, our Emmanuel

Hark! The herald angels sing

'Glory to the newborn King!'"

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Today, I'm thanking God that He gave us the gift of His Son in the form of a man. Isaiah describes Him in this way, "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem."

It's hard to imagine that God, knowing that this would be the reception His beloved Son would receive, would still send Him into our broken, sin-sick world for the sake of those who would look to Him in salvation. That requires a perfect love, doesn't it?

As we are all so reminded of the gift that our children are to us, it's an especially tough time to imagine God giving up His own Son for us, and then welcoming, covering and forgiving us - the very people who sinned against Him - into His kingdom. What a picture of His grace and faithfulness! This Christmas, I want to celebrate the unspeakable gift of God's Son, and the eternal life that is ours because He was willing to become fully man and pay the penalty for our sins. Remember today to be thankful for Bethlehem, the place where He entered the world as flesh, and Calvary, the place where He uttered the redeeming words, "It is finished!"

Letters A and B
Letters C and D
Letters E and F
Letters J and K

The ABCs of Christmas (Letters E and F)

I love today's letters. They cover the two things I'm most thankful for!

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E is EVERLASTING LIFE.

At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus because it’s through His life, death and resurrection that we can have eternal life!

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

This Christmas, I hope that while we enjoy the presents and the lights and the tree, that we will have our main focus be on the eternal value of Christmas. This verse from 2 Corinthians always reminds me that it's what we can't see that is most important!

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen, but what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:18

F is for FAMILY.

Christmas time is the perfect time to remember family! Most Christmases, we are surrounded by our family and friends, and we remember why we are so grateful for them. We also remember that it’s because God sent His Son, Jesus to earth, that we can be considered part of God’s family, too!

In Romans 8, it says, “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship, and by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’”

In Ephesians it says, "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone."

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Letters A and B
Letters C and D
Letters G, H and I
Letters J and K

The ABCs of Christmas (Letters C and D)

More than ever, I want to have a Christ-centered focus this Christmas. Here are letters C and D. Merry Christmas!

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C is for CAROLS.

At Christmas time, we always sing songs called “carols.” Many of these carols are about the birth of Christ, and they are good reminders of the true meaning of Christmas. Other carols are about Santa, Rudolph, and snowmen. It’s fun to sing these songs with each other!

What song is your favorite? I love "O Holy Night" and "Hark the Herald Angels Sing."

D is for DEPRAVITY.

Depravity means to be depraved. The definition of “depraved” is this: “marked by corruption or evil.” This may seem like a strange word to remember at Christmas, but really, this word is in many ways, the reason FOR Christmas!

The Bible says in the book of Romans, “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” In Isaiah it says, “there is none righteous, no not one.” What that means is, we are all depraved - all sinful and all hopeless on our own. But because God loves us so much, He sent His own Son into the world to pay the penalty for our sins. The whole reason Jesus came to earth was to redeem those who would trust in Him, so at Christmas, remembering that we are spiritually depraved gives us even more reason to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life though Christ Jesus, our Lord."

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If anyone else has any Christmas traditions that help keep the focus on Jesus at Christmas, I would love to hear them! :)

Letters A and B
Letters E and F
Letters G, H and I
Letters J and K

The ABC's of Christmas in 12 Days (Letters A and B)

One of my favorite Christmas memories was Advent - a time during which we would prepare our hearts for Christmas day as a family. We would begin on December 1, and each day we would cover one letter of the alphabet and talk about a "Christmas" word that began with that letter. I always wanted to do that when I had children of my own; it was the kind of tradition that needed to be carried on. I didn't just want to repeat what we did in our house, though, because I wanted to put a "Persinger" spin on a York tradition. So we put together a 12 day countdown, and we came up with new words for each letters (though I'm sure we recycled a few!), and our plan is to cover 2-3 letters per day until Christmas arrives. We plan on doing this each year, and our prayer is that it reminds our children that we celebrate Christmas because of the birth of Christ, our King and Redeemer!

With that said, here's what we are reading today. We're covering A and B!

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A is for ANGELS.

At Christmas, we remember angels because God sent angels to deliver special messages around the time of Jesus’ birth. One of those messages was to a woman named Mary: “The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name 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; his kingdom will never end” - Luke 1:28-32

How do you think Mary felt after receiving this news?
Do you think the people around her believed her when she told about the angel's visit?

Soon after Mary gave birth to Jesus, angels appeared again - this time, to a group of shepherds. “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. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’’” -Luke 2:8-13

Why do you think the angel said that he was bringing "good news of great joy?"
Do you think the shepherds thought it was strange that they were to look for the Lord in a manger?


B is for BETHLEHEM.

At Christmas time, we remember the city of Bethlehem because Jesus was born here! Jesus’ family didn’t live in Bethlehem, but they had to travel there because the Romans had decreed that there was going to be a census in which all the people were to be counted. Everybody had to return to the city or town from which their ancestors came. Mary and Joseph were both descended from King David, and David's city was Bethlehem, so Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem to be counted.

“So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.” -Luke 2:4

Why do you think that God chose Bethlehem to be Jesus' place of birth?

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I hope other families will carry on Christ-centered traditions around Christmas time. I want our children to be surrounded by friends that know and trust in the Truth of the Gospel - including the story of Jesus' birth.

Letters C and D
Letters E and F
Letters G, H and I
Letters J and K