Daily Readings - 25/12/2025

^9:1 The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light; on those who live in a land of deep shadow a light has shone.

^9:2 You have made their gladness greater, you have made their joy increase; they rejoice in your presence as men rejoice at harvest time, as men are happy when they are dividing the spoils.

^9:3 For the yoke that was weighing on him, the bar across his shoulders, the rod of his oppressor, these you break as on the day of Midian.

^9:4 For all the footgear of battle, every cloak rolled in blood, is burnt, and consumed by fire.

^9:5 For there is a child born for us, a son given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders; and this is the name they give him: Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace.

^9:6 Wide is his dominion in a peace that has no end, for the throne of David and for his royal power, which he establishes and makes secure in justice and integrity. From this time onwards and for ever, the jealous love of Yahweh Sabaoth will do this.

^95:1 Come, let us praise Yahweh joyfully, acclaiming the Rock of our safety;

^95:2 let us come into his presence with thanksgiving, acclaiming him with music.

^95:3 For Yahweh is a great God, a greater King than all other gods;

^95:4 from depths of earth to mountain top everything comes under his rule;

^95:5 the sea belongs to him, he made it, so does the land, he shaped this too.

^95:6 Come in, let us bow, prostrate ourselves, and kneel in front of Yahweh our maker,

^95:7 for this is our God, and we are the people he pastures, the flock that he guides. If only you would listen to him today,

^95:8 ‘Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,[*a]

^95:9 when your ancestors challenged me, tested me, although they had seen what I could do.

^95:10 ‘For forty years that generation repelled me, until I said: How unreliable these people who refuse to grasp my ways!

^95:11 And so, in anger, I swore that not one would reach the place of rest I had for them.’

^2:1 Now at this time Caesar Augustus[*a] issued a decree for a census of the whole world to be taken.

^2:2 This census – the first[*b] – took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria,

^2:3 and everyone went to his own town to be registered.

^2:4 So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee and travelled up to Judaea, to the town of David called Bethlehem, since he was of David’s House and line,

^2:5 in order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

^2:6 While they were there the time came for her have her child,

^2:7 and she birth to a son, her first born.[*c] She wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them at the inn.

^2:8 In the countryside close by there were shepherds who lived in the fields and took it in turns to watch their flocks during the night.

^2:9 The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone round them. They were terrified,

^2:10 but the angel said, ‘Do not be afraid. Listen, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people.

^2:11 Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

^2:12 And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.’

^2:13 And suddenly with the angel there was a great throng of the heavenly host, praising God and singing:

^2:14 ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace to men who enjoy his favour’

^62:11 This Yahweh proclaims to the ends of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Look, your saviour comes, the prize of his victory with him, his trophies before him’.

^62:12 They shall be called ‘The Holy People’, ‘Yahweh’s Redeemed’. And you shall be called ‘The-sought-after’, ‘City-not-forsaken’.

^52:7 How beautiful on the mountains, are the feet of one who brings good news, who heralds peace, brings happiness, proclaims salvation, and tells Zion, ‘Your God is king!’

^52:8 Listen! Your watchmen raise their voices, they shout for joy together, for they see Yahweh face to face, as he returns to Zion.

^52:9 Break into shouts of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem; for Yahweh is consoling his people, redeeming Jerusalem.

^52:10 Yahweh bares his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

^97:1 Yahweh is king! Let earth rejoice, the many isles be glad!

^97:2 Cloud and Darkness surround him, Righteousness and Justice support his throne.

^97:3 A fire precedes him as he goes, devouring all enemies around him;

^97:4 his lightning lights up the world, earth observes and quakes.

^97:5 The mountains melt like wax at the coming of the Master of the world;

^97:6 the heavens proclaim his righteousness, all nations see his glory.

^97:7 Shame on those who worship images, who take pride in their idols: bow down as he passes, all you gods!

^97:8 Zion hears and rejoices, the daughters of Judah exult at the rulings you utter, Yahweh.

^97:9 For you are Yahweh Most High over the world, far transcending all other gods.

^97:10 Yahweh loves those who repudiate evil, he guards the souls of the devout, rescuing them from the clutches of the wicked.

^97:11 Light dawns for the virtuous, and joy, for upright hearts.

^97:12 Rejoice in Yahweh, you virtuous, remember his holiness, and praise him!

^1:1 At various times in the past and in various different ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but

^1:2 in our own time, the last days, he has spoken to us through his Son, the Son that he has appointed to inherit everything and through whom he made everything there is.

^1:3 He is the radiant light of God’s glory and the perfect copy of his nature, sustaining the universe by his powerful command; and now that he has destroyed the defilement of sin, he has gone to take his place in heaven at the right hand of divine Majesty.

^1:4 So he is now as far above the angels as the title which he has inherited is higher than their own name.

^1:5 God has never said to any angel: You are my Son, today I have become your father;[*a] or: I will be a father to him and he a son to me.[*b]

^1:6 Again, when he brings the First-born into the world, he says: Let all the angels of God worship him.[*c]

^2:15 Now when the angels had gone from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us’.

^2:16 So they hurried away and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger.

^2:17 When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him,

^2:18 and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say.

^2:19 As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.

^2:20 And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; it was exactly as they had been told.

^1:1 In the beginning was the Word: and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

^1:2 He was with God in the beginning.

^1:3 Through him all things came to be, not one thing had its being but through him.

^1:4 All that came to be had life in him and that life was the light of men,

^1:5 a light that shines in the dark, a light that darkness could not overpower[*a].

^1:6 A man came, sent by God. His name was John.

^1:7 He came as a witness, as a witness to speak for the light, so that everyone might believe through him.

^1:8 He was not the light, only a witness to speak for the light.

^1:9 The Word was the true light that enlightens all men; and he was coming into the world.

^1:10 He was in the world that had its being through him, and the world did not know him.

^1:11 He came to his own domain and his own people did not accept him.

^1:12 But to all who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to all who believe in the name of him

^1:13 who was born not out of human stock or urge of the flesh or will of man but of God himself.

^1:14 The Word was made flesh, he lived among us[*b], and we saw his glory, the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

^1:15 John appears as his witness. He proclaims: ‘This is the one of whom I said: He who comes after me ranks before me because he existed before me’.

^1:16 Indeed, from his fulness we have, all of us, received – yes, grace in return for grace,

^1:17 since, though the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.

^1:18 No one has ever seen God; it is the only Son, who is nearest to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

^52:7 How beautiful on the mountains, are the feet of one who brings good news, who heralds peace, brings happiness, proclaims salvation, and tells Zion, ‘Your God is king!’

^52:8 Listen! Your watchmen raise their voices, they shout for joy together, for they see Yahweh face to face, as he returns to Zion.

^52:9 Break into shouts of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem; for Yahweh is consoling his people, redeeming Jerusalem.

^52:10 Yahweh bares his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

^97:1 Yahweh is king! Let earth rejoice, the many isles be glad!

^97:2 Cloud and Darkness surround him, Righteousness and Justice support his throne.

^97:3 A fire precedes him as he goes, devouring all enemies around him;

^97:4 his lightning lights up the world, earth observes and quakes.

^97:5 The mountains melt like wax at the coming of the Master of the world;

^97:6 the heavens proclaim his righteousness, all nations see his glory.

^97:7 Shame on those who worship images, who take pride in their idols: bow down as he passes, all you gods!

^97:8 Zion hears and rejoices, the daughters of Judah exult at the rulings you utter, Yahweh.

^97:9 For you are Yahweh Most High over the world, far transcending all other gods.

^97:10 Yahweh loves those who repudiate evil, he guards the souls of the devout, rescuing them from the clutches of the wicked.

^97:11 Light dawns for the virtuous, and joy, for upright hearts.

^97:12 Rejoice in Yahweh, you virtuous, remember his holiness, and praise him!

^1:1 At various times in the past and in various different ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but

^1:2 in our own time, the last days, he has spoken to us through his Son, the Son that he has appointed to inherit everything and through whom he made everything there is.

^1:3 He is the radiant light of God’s glory and the perfect copy of his nature, sustaining the universe by his powerful command; and now that he has destroyed the defilement of sin, he has gone to take his place in heaven at the right hand of divine Majesty.

^1:4 So he is now as far above the angels as the title which he has inherited is higher than their own name.

^1:5 God has never said to any angel: You are my Son, today I have become your father;[*a] or: I will be a father to him and he a son to me.[*b]

^1:6 Again, when he brings the First-born into the world, he says: Let all the angels of God worship him.[*c]

^1:1 In the beginning was the Word: and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

^1:2 He was with God in the beginning.

^1:3 Through him all things came to be, not one thing had its being but through him.

^1:4 All that came to be had life in him and that life was the light of men,

^1:5 a light that shines in the dark, a light that darkness could not overpower[*a].

^1:6 A man came, sent by God. His name was John.

^1:7 He came as a witness, as a witness to speak for the light, so that everyone might believe through him.

^1:8 He was not the light, only a witness to speak for the light.

^1:9 The Word was the true light that enlightens all men; and he was coming into the world.

^1:10 He was in the world that had its being through him, and the world did not know him.

^1:11 He came to his own domain and his own people did not accept him.

^1:12 But to all who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to all who believe in the name of him

^1:13 who was born not out of human stock or urge of the flesh or will of man but of God himself.

^1:14 The Word was made flesh, he lived among us[*b], and we saw his glory, the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

^1:15 John appears as his witness. He proclaims: ‘This is the one of whom I said: He who comes after me ranks before me because he existed before me’.

^1:16 Indeed, from his fulness we have, all of us, received – yes, grace in return for grace,

^1:17 since, though the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.

^1:18 No one has ever seen God; it is the only Son, who is nearest to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.