It seems Christmas decorations show up in stores earlier and earlier each year. Though some people prefer to wait, we can rejoice in celebrating the season when we remember the Word making his home among us! What a joy for us as a Bible Team to be gifted an opportunity to work with the Word of God every day. We love all our Bibles, but each of us has one we hope is waiting for us under our Christmas trees!
Sibley: This Christmas, I’m hoping to receive the dusty pink Biblia de estudio del diario vivir para jóvenes NTV con Filament (Student Life Application Study Bible NTV, Filament Enabled). The color is the perfect shade of pink—elegant yet fun. I love the full-color interior, which makes studying the Bible more engaging and visually vibrant. Plus, with the Filament app, I can listen to the audio Bible, making my time with God even more enjoyable and accessible.
Sandra: For Christmas this year, I would love to gift my children the NLT Go Bible for Kids. There are so many enticing features that I know will draw them into reading and engaging with the Word of God in a way that feels both fun and meaningful. The Know, Grow, and Go mini devotionals are the perfect length for young readers, offering just enough insight to help them understand and reflect on Scripture. I know my kids will love the Factoids, and I’ll love seeing them absorb these bite-size nuggets of Bible knowledge effortlessly. I’m particularly excited about sharing the Book Introductions with them, which will give them a clearer understanding of how each book fits into God’s grand story. The Seek and Find guide will keep them engaged, giving them things to look for as they explore the text.
What I’m really looking forward to are the discussions we’ll have together as we dive into the Choose to Change questions—applying the Bible’s message to their everyday lives will open up such meaningful conversations. I also hope they’ll be inspired by the True Tales of Transformed People, helping them see how God changes lives both in Bible times and today. This Bible is so much more than just reading Scripture—it’s an interactive way to experience and live out God’s Word, and I can’t wait to watch my kids grow in their faith with it.
Maria: I would love to receive a copy of the NLT Dayspring Inspire Illustrating Bible, which comes with a large-format spiral binding and is full of beautiful artwork created by the talented designers at DaySpring. The NLT Dayspring Inspire Illustrating Bible would be an enjoyable way to interact with the Word of God in a unique and refreshing way. I would love to be able to draw creative illustrations while focusing on reading my Bible. Also, this Bible is Filament-enabled, so I would use the app to listen to worship music while I work to personalize my Bible with my own artistic touch.
Mindy: I would be thrilled to find an Every Woman’s Bible under my Christmas tree. My favorite binding is the sky blue LeatherLike, but the soft gold LeatherLike is also gorgeous. This Bible is all about sophisticated femininity and addresses topics from a woman’s perspective. Because over 100 women, many of whom are scholars, contributed to the study and devotional content, I can count on the accuracy of the notes and interpretations. I look forward to solidifying my God-given purpose as I read through the special feature in the middle, and I think it would be fun to gather a small group of women at my home to go through this rich and encouraging content together.
Ryan: As someone who loves reading, I tend to read all kinds of books—but often at the expense of reading the book. God’s Word, the embodiment of knowledge and truth, is a book that should be read over and over. The One Year Bible is the perfect Bible for reading God’s Word cover to cover, year to year. Dividing up the full, long, daunting biblical text into 365 short daily readings, the One Year Bible makes it easy to reread in a year the greatest book of all—and then to read it again the next year! I hope a new One Year Bible is under my tree this year.
Lauren: This Christmas, I hope to receive the Biblia de estudio del diario vivir para jóvenes NTV (Student Life Application Study Bible NTV). Although this Bible has “jóvenes” (“student”) in the title, it really is for life-long learners of Scripture—in other words, for all ages! With its full-color interior, its helpful graphics, and the wonderful Nueva Traducción Viviente (NTV), it would be the perfect addition to my Spanish Bible resources—for both my own devotional reading as well as for a church or ministry context!
Kim: I would love to receive an NLT Church Bible this Christmas! I love the beauty and simplicity of the black cloth-like hardcover design with the words Holy Bible in gold foil on the front. It’s a really great size and weight, which will make it a great Bible for taking to church and Bible-reading on the go. It’s also available in a 24-pack for churches!
Maissie: At the top of my Christmas wish list is the NLT Daily Walk Bible, Filament Enabled. It is perfect for allowing me to dive into God’s Word every day and gives me time to reflect on what God is teaching me through his Word. I love that it now has access to so many great study notes, devotionals, videos, and more in the Filament Bible app. I enjoy listening to God’s Word with the audio Bible in the app while I follow along in my Bible. The new durable LeatherLike binding will allow me to use this amazing Bible year after year!
Amy: I hope to wake up on Christmas morning and find the beautiful, new genuine leather edition of the NLT Courage For Life Study Bible for Women. This well-crafted study Bible is built around a discipleship path with an emphasis on transformation. It features a Bible study on every page, but these studies are not just tools for knowing more about God’s Word; they’re intentionally designed to help people experience significant life-change. Plus, the Bible is Filament-enabled, so every page is easily linked to a host of additional content to help me go deeper through the Filament Bible app. Courage For Life is about having the courage to invite God to transform your life through his Word and believing what he says. I know I need more of this kind of courage in my life—don’t we all?
Evie: I have always wanted to read through the Bible in a year but have a hard time staying on track. The One Year Chronological Study Bible lets me read through the whole Bible in story form with passages combined in timeline order. It also helps me better understand what I’m reading with study information, articles, and reflection questions. And that sage green cover is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. It makes me even more excited to unwrap it on Christmas morning!
Jeff: I love the Life Application Study Bible, especially our brown genuine leather edition. There’s something mesmerizing about the combination of an excellent study Bible presented in a light brown genuine leather cover. I love the pebbled feel of the leather and that unique smell. And I love using the Life Application Study Bible when I’m leading students into the Scripture each week at church.
Steph: On my Christmas wish list is the NLT Student Bible, Thinline Reference, Filament Enabled. With a newly minted teenage son at home, we are moving on from his well-loved children’s Bible to one that will grow with him during this exciting, and sometimes challenging, stage of life. In a time when our youth are bombarded with questionable messages, it’s comforting to know he can ground himself in truth on the go with this easy-to-carry, slim Bible. I appreciate the relevant study notes, devotionals, and Bible maps and infographics that cater to our visual learner as well as the library of uplifting worship music and videos available with this Bible through the Filament app. I know he will gain so much from this Bible.
The Son of God, as “very God” (to quote the Nicene Creed), arrived on this earth as a man. He came to the mountains He created. He faced the rivers with their rushing currents. He crossed the valleys. He gazed upon the sea. He walked beneath the skies and the stars and the moon and the sun. But the tragedy of all tragedies is this: “He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him” (John 1:10). The world didn’t recognize the One who had created it. In other words, “He came to his own people, and even they rejected him” (John 1:11).
We all know the Christmas story: The Creator came to our planet as a baby, but there was no room at the inn for the One who had created the rocks from which that inn was made. There was no welcome mat for Christ. Isn’t it remarkable that the One who is coequal, coeternal, and coexistent with the Father and the Spirit—the One who divinely decreed the events that would run their course on this earth in perfect timing with His profound plan—could come to the earth and be beaten and spit upon, have spikes driven through His hands and feet, be hung on a cross, and be cursed until He died? Even after being raised from the dead, He is still denied, rejected, and refused some twenty centuries later. There is still no room for the Savior.
From the vanishing point of the past to the vanishing point of the future, Jesus Christ remains in His nature and His attributes very God. But Christ, in order that human beings might be able to see what God is like in tangible form, became a human for all eternity future. This introduction to the Gospel of John concludes, “No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us” (John 1:18).
These contrasts are a foretaste of things to come. In Jesus, the God of Israel and Lord of all the earth has come to visit and to save his people. The Divine One reaches down to meet them where they are. Throughout Luke’s Gospel, Jesus will show special concern for the lowly, the poor, the outcast, and sinners. These are the ones he has come to
save because they recognize their need for him. They receive the message of salvation with joy and rejoicing.
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At this point, God sent a messenger to Joseph to confirm Mary’s story and open another way of obedience for Joseph—to take Mary as his wife. Joseph obeyed God, married Mary, and honored her virginity until after the baby was born. Joseph’s role as guardian of God’s Son and of Mary is clearly seen in his response to the dream in which the angel of the Lord instructed him to flee to Egypt. Joseph immediately obeyed, leading his family to Egypt in order to escape from Herod and later returning to settle in Nazareth instead of going back to Bethlehem.
Mary, the wife of Joseph, was the virgin mother of Jesus. Luke tells us that as a young girl in Nazareth, Mary was betrothed to Joseph, a local carpenter. Before the marriage took place, an angel announced to her that she would become pregnant by the power of God’s Spirit and give birth to the Son of God (1:26‑35). Mary responded to this extraordinary message in simple faith, humbly submitting herself to God’s will (1:38, 46‑55). Shortly thereafter, the message was confirmed by her relative Elizabeth, who spoke of Mary as the most blessed of all women (1:39‑45). Mary’s miraculous bearing of the Son of God was viewed as a fulfillment of prophecy (Isa 7:14).
Okay, maybe it’s not all our Bibles Team members want for Christmas, but these Bibles would bring huge smiles to our faces if they showed up under our Christmas trees. One of our passions is to encourage people to engage with God’s Word. God loves variety! Just look at the world around us. We understand that how people engage with Scripture is as uniquely beautiful and different as his creation. That is one of the reasons we are creating such a varied lineup of Bibles. We hope to help you or your loved one to find the perfect Bible to keep you reading and connecting with God’s living Word to us. What Bible are you hoping is under your Christmas Tree?
“At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.” Luke 2:1-7, NLT
Determined to restore his relationship with his creation and show his love for his people, God sent his Son to earth. Jesus Christ was the King of kings, but he did not enter on a charging white stallion or in a chariot preceded by a hundred foot soldiers. He came as a lowly, dependent infant. From these humble beginnings he grew to become part of the everyday world, building a relationship with others on love, not fear; on fellowship, not power.
We all have our own unique Christmas traditions. Maybe you open gifts on Christmas Eve or wait until Three Kings Day in January. Maybe you create a special family recipe or play a game each year. Do you decorate a tree or buy gifts for someone in need? One of my favorite traditions is helping my kids make their Christmas lists.
