50 Beautiful Religious Christmas Quotes That Capture the Spirit of the Holiday

Heartwarming religious Christmas quotes

1. “A Christmas without light is not Christmas. Let there be light in the soul, in the heart; let there be forgiveness to others; let there be no hostilities, which are dark. Let there be the beautiful light of Jesus.” —Pope Francis

2. “Without Christ there would be no Christmas and without Christ there can be no fullness of Joy.” —Ezra Taft Benson

3. “Oh! like a wreath, let Christmas mirth/To-day encircle all the earth/And bind the nations with the love/That Jesus brought from heaven above.” —Maud Lindsay 

4. “Christmas invites us to reflect, on the one hand, on the drama of history, in which men and women, wounded by sin, ceaselessly search for truth, search for mercy and search for redemption; and, on the other hand, on the goodness of God, who has come towards us to communicate to us the truth that saves and to make us sharers in His friendship and His life.” —Pope Francis 

5. “When compassion for the common man was born on Christmas Day, with it was born new hope among the multitudes.” —Frank Laubach

6. “Jesus, in the crib, shows us the way of tenderness to be close to each other, to be human.” —Pope Francis 

7. “The magical dust of Christmas glittered on the cheeks of humanity ever so briefly, reminding us of what is worth having and what we were intended to be.” —Max Lucado

8. “On this day, Christians reflect on their faith and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. This occasion inspires families and communities to come together, share what they have, and give back to those less fortunate.” —Justin Trudeau 

9. “He does not come to take away, but to give! He does not come to obstruct our freedom, our activity, or our humanity.” —Pope Paul VI

10. “This gift of grace we receive through the simplicity and humanity of Christmas, can remove from our hearts and minds the pessimism.” —Pope Francis 

11. “What really matters in life is that we are loved by Christ and that we love Him in return. In comparison to the love of Jesus, everything else is secondary. And, without the love of Jesus, everything is useless.” —Pope John Paul II

12. “We can overcome that sense of disquieting bewilderment, not letting ourselves be overwhelmed by defeats and failures, in the rediscovered awareness that that humble and poor child, hidden away and helpless, is God himself, made man for us.” —Pope Francis 

13. “Christmas has been a season of mixed interests and meanings, but the very foundation, of course, is its religious significance. No matter what other personal desires or crises we have faced, I’ve never forgotten that this is the time to celebrate the birth of the Baby Jesus, and the impact of this event on the history of the world.” —Jimmy Carter 

14. “Christmas must not be reduced to just a sentimental or consumerist feast [that is] full of gifts and good wishes but poor in Christian faith and poor in humanity as well.” —Pope Francis

15. “Let us ask for the grace of wonder. Before this mystery, before this reality, so tender, so beautiful, so close to our hearts, may the Lord grant us the grace of wonder to encounter him, to be close to him, to be close to each other.” —Pope Francis 

16. “Jesus is God’s perfect, indescribable gift. And the amazing thing is that not only are we able to receive this gift, but we are able to share it with others. That is what Christmas is all about.” —Joel Osteen

17. “He is the light of mankind shining in the darkness, giving meaning to human existence and to the whole of history.” —Pope Francis  

18. “The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity—hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory—because at the Father’s will Jesus Christ became poor, and was born in a stable so that thirty years later He might hang on a cross.” —J.I. Packer

19. “Let us open to Him, to Christ, the door of our consciousness, of our personal, family and social life.” —Pope Paul VI

20. “Christmas is the perfect time to celebrate the love of God and family and to create memories that will last forever.” —Joel Osteen 

21. “The voice of the Apostles was not enough, the blood of the martyrs was not enough, the wisdom of a whole civilization that called itself Christian was not enough, a whole history clothed in sanctity and beauty and imbued with the morality of Christianity and humanity was not enough to keep for Christ, in modern society, not a temporal kingship, which He does not seek, but an affectionate spiritual welcome for the Christ of the ages.” —Pope Paul VI

Religious Christmas quotes from the Bible

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

23. “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” —John 5:11

24. “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” —Luke 2:10-11

25. “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” —Luke 2:20

26. “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” —Proverbs 11:25

27. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” —John 14:27

28. “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” —1 Timothy 1:15-17

29. “He answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.'” —Luke 10:27

30. “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'” —Acts 20:35

31. “A cheerful heart is good medicine.” —Proverbs 17:22

32. “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” —Romans 12:10

33.  “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” —Psalm 34:8

34. “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” —Philippians 2:8-10

35.  “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” —Romans 6:23

36.  “A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'” —Isaiah 40:3

37.  “The Word became flesh, and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” —John 1:14

38. “Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me.'” —John 8:42

Bible quotes about the birth of Jesus

39. “But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.'” —Luke 1:30-31

40. “The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.'”  —Luke 1:35

41. “And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.” —Luke 2:7-8

42. “This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” —Luke 2:12

43. “But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.'” —Matthew 1:20-21

44. “The virgin shall conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God with us’).” —Matthew 1:23

45. “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.'” —Matthew 2:1-2

46. “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.” —Matthew 2:11

47. “She gave birth to a son, a male child, who ‘will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.’ And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.” —Revelation 12:5

48. “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.” —Galatians 4:4-5

49. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” —John 3:16

50. “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” —Zechariah 9:9

If you enjoyed these religious Christmas quotes, you’ll love learning about the religious history of the 12 Days of Christmas.

Additional reporting by Kelly Kuehn.

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At Reader’s Digest, we’ve been sharing our favorite quotes for over 100 years. The sayings and quips that appear in the magazine’s “Quotable Quotes” (formerly “Remarkable Remarks”) are curated from interviews and essays originally published in the magazine, reprints from trusted titles and other verified sources. For this piece on religious Christmas quotes, Mariah Thomas tapped her experience as a lifestyle writer and editor to ensure that all information is accurate. We’ve gone the extra step and had Marcy Lovitch, a fact-checker with 20-plus years of experience researching for national publications including Marie Claire, Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, Glamour, Seventeen, Real Simple, Forbes and InStyle magazines, verify that all quotes are attributed correctly and have credible sourcing.  Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.