Almighty God,
who hast given us thy only-begotten Son
to take our nature upon him,
and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin:
Grant that we being regenerate,
and made thy children by adoption and grace,
may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit;
through the same our Lord Jesus Christ,
who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit,
ever one God, world without end.
Amen.
ECUMENICAL TRADITIONAL; ECUMENICAL
A Christmas Prayer
Also known as Prayer for Christmas Day ยท Prayer at Christmas
About this prayer
Christmas celebrates the Incarnation, the Christian doctrine that the eternal Son of God took on human flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary. The feast is observed on December 25 across Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and most Protestant traditions (some Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas on January 7, following the Julian calendar). Christmas prayer draws on the prologue of John's Gospel ('And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,' John 1:14), the birth narratives of Matthew and Luke, and the ancient theological reflection on what it means that God became human. The prayer given here is suited for use on Christmas Day and throughout the Christmas season, which lasts twelve days from December 25 to January 5.
When it's said
This prayer is said on Christmas Day and throughout the Christmas season. It is the BCP Collect for Christmas Day in the Book of Common Prayer, 1662, and is used in Anglican Morning and Evening Prayer and at the Eucharist on Christmas Day. Many Christians also use it as a private Christmas morning prayer.
Notes on the text
The phrase 'regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace' draws on the New Testament theology of Galatians 4:4-5, where Paul writes that God sent his Son 'to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.' The Incarnation is presented here not as a historical event to be observed but as the ground of the believer's own new birth and adoption into God's family.
Source
Book of Common Prayer, 1662, Collect for Christmas Day. Public domain.
Last reviewed: May 2026 against primary source.