12 Days of Spurgeon: Quotes on the Newborn King

While many associate the holiday season with the traditional "12 Days of Christmas" carols and festivities, we invite you to journey through a different kind of countdown. In this blog post, we have curated twelve of the most profound and stirring quotes from the "Prince of Preachers," C.H. Spurgeon, to guide your reflections on the wonder of the season. From the miracle of the incarnation to the humility of the manger, let these twelve selections serve as a framework for your Advent worship as we celebrate the birth of our Newborn King.

1. On the Miracle of the Incarnation:

"Oh, marvelous sight! Let us stand and look at it. A child of a virgin—what a mixture! There is the finite and the infinite; there is the mortal and the immortal; the manhood and the Godhead; time married to eternity; God linked with a creature; the vast unbounded one—whom earth could not hold and the heavens cannot contain—lying in his mother’s arms. He who fastened the pillars of the universe and riveted the nails of creation hanging on a mortal breast, depending on a creature for nourishment. Oh, marvelous birth! Oh, miraculous conception!"

2. On God’s Goodwill in Christ’s Birth:

"The birth of Jesus is the proof of the goodwill of God to humanity; I am unable to conceive of proof more sure. He would not have come here to be born among us—to live among us, suffer and to die for us—if he had been slow to pardon or unwilling to save. O despairing soul, does not Immanuel, God with us, make it hard to doubt the mercy of the Lord?"

3. On the Purpose of Christ’s Coming:

"Christ’s incarnation was a fatal blow to the works of Satan. Uprising from his divine retreat in eternity, he appeared in human form and thereby scattered and utterly destroyed the works of darkness. Did God come down to men? Was he incarnate in the infant that slept in Bethlehem’s manger? If it be so, the Almighty has not then given up our nature to be the prey of sin. Do not despair!"

4. On the Humility of the Manger:

"If Jesus Christ was born in a manger in a rock, why should he not come and live in our rocky hearts? If he was born in a stable, why should the stable of our souls not be made into a habitation for him? If he was born in poverty, may not the poor in spirit expect that he will be their friend?"

5. On the Wonder of God with Us:

"All that 'God' means—the Deity, the infinite Jehovah with us—is worthy of the burst of midnight song, when angels startled the shepherds with their carols, singing, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!' He who was born at Bethlehem is God and 'God with us.' God—there lies the majesty; 'God with us'—there lies the mercy."

6. On the Name of Jesus:

"No name can banish fear like the name of Jesus; it is the beginning of hope and the end of despair. This name is full of rare delights when we meditate upon the infinite preciousness of the person to whom it was assigned."

7. On the Joy of Christmas:

"The birth of Christ should be the subject of supreme joy. We have the angelic reason for rejoicing because Christ is born. It is a truth so full of joy that it caused the angel who came to announce it to be filled with gladness. The joy which this first gospel preacher spoke of was no small joy, for he said, 'I bring you good news of great joy.'"

8. On the Gift of God’s Son:

"When the great God gave his Son, he gave God himself, for Jesus is not in his eternal nature less than God. What more could he give? God gave his all: he gave himself. Who can measure this love?"

9. On the Accessibility of Christ:

"In being laid in a manger, he did, as it were, give an invitation to the most lowly and sinful to come to him. We might tremble to approach a throne, but we cannot fear to approach a manger. Even as an infant, by being laid in a manger, he was set forth as the sinner’s friend."

10. On the Riches of Christ’s Poverty:

"You have been lifted so high because he was dragged down so low; you have been filled because he was emptied; you live because he died. As you think of your innumerable mercies, remember that every one has his blood upon it. For if Jesus Christ died for you, you are rich through that which is imputed to you—for all that Jesus had and did is yours."

11. On the Glory of the Newborn King:

"The sure hope of sinners and the great joy of saints is the incarnate Lord, Immanuel, 'God with us.' May he be your joy and mine this day. Ring these words again: 'God with us.' Oh, it is one of the bells of heaven. Let us strike it yet again: 'God with us.' Oh, it is a stray note from the sonnets of paradise. Tell it, tell it, tell it—this is the name of him who 'is born this day.'"

12. On the Unique Joy of Christ’s Birth:

"Oh, joy, joy, joy! There was born into this world a man who is also God. No other man ever had such a birthday as Jesus Christ. Of whom had prophets and seers ever written as they wrote of him? Whose name is graven on so many tablets as his? Who had such a scroll of prophecy, all pointing to him as Jesus Christ, the God-man? ... The sure hope of sinners and the great joy of saints is the incarnate Lord, Immanuel, 'God with us.' May he be your joy and mine this day. Ring these words again: 'God with us.' Oh, it is one of the bells of heaven. Let us strike it yet again: 'God with us.' Oh, it is a stray note from the sonnets of paradise. Tell it, tell it, tell it—this is the name of him who 'is born this day.'"