Devotional for the Eleventh Day of Christmas

Devotional for the Eleventh Day of Christmas

Verse

Psalm 96:1–2 (ESV)

“Oh sing to the LORD a new song;

sing to the LORD, all the earth!

Sing to the LORD, bless his name;

tell of his salvation from day to day.”

Meditation

The eleventh day of Christmas widens the song of salvation until it fills the whole earth. Psalm 96 calls not only Israel, but all nations to sing, because the LORD has acted openly and decisively. Christmas joy is not private or temporary. It is proclaimed “from day to day,” because the salvation revealed in Christ is meant for the world.

Isaiah speaks of a servant called from the womb, hidden for a time, yet appointed as a light for the nations. Though rejected and despised, this servant is upheld by God and honored in His time. Luke’s Gospel shows this servant revealed at the Jordan. Jesus steps into the waters with sinners, not because He needs repentance, but because He comes to fulfill all righteousness. The heavens open. The Spirit descends. The Father speaks. The child of Bethlehem is publicly named as the beloved Son.

Paul explains what this revelation means. Christ became a servant to confirm God’s promises and to draw the Gentiles into praise. Hope now belongs to all who trust Him. Christmas faith does not end at the manger; it moves toward the waters of baptism, where Christ stands with us and for us. The voice that named Him Son now names us beloved in Him, filling us with joy and peace as we wait for the fullness of His kingdom.

New Testament Verse

Romans 15:12–13 (ESV)

“And again Isaiah says,

‘The root of Jesse will come,

even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;

in him will the Gentiles hope.’

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Old Testament Verse

Isaiah 49:6 (ESV)

“I will make you as a light for the nations,

that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Collect

Almighty God, who revealed Your beloved Son at the Jordan and sent Him as a light to the nations, grant that we may rejoice in His salvation, live as those baptized into His name, and abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hymn Verse

To Jordan came the Christ, our Lord,

To do His Father’s pleasure;

Baptized by John, the Father’s Word

Was given us to treasure.

This heav’nly washing now shall be

A cleansing from transgression,

And by His blood and agony

Release from death’s oppression.

(“To Jordan Came the Christ, Our Lord” — Martin Luther, 1541; public domain)