The Nativity Fast

Forty short days of Scripture, teaching, and prayer for the Orthodox Nativity Fast, tracing the promises of God from the first word of hope in Eden, through the patriarchs, kings, and prophets, to the birth of Christ in Bethlehem, with the feasts that fall along the way.

The Nativity Fast (also called the Christmas Fast or the Fast of St Philip) runs from November 15 to December 24. The day-by-day dates in this plan follow the Revised Julian (New) Calendar; on the Julian (Old) Calendar the same days fall from November 28 to January 6, so simply begin on your parish's first day of the Fast. In most Orthodox churches the Fast means setting aside meat, eggs, and dairy; fish, wine, and oil are allowed on many days, and the details differ between jurisdictions and parishes. Please follow your parish calendar and ask your priest or spiritual father how to keep it. If you are unwell, pregnant, nursing, on medication, or have any history of disordered eating, speak with your doctor and your priest first. This plan is a devotional companion, not a substitute for the Church's services, pastoral care, or medical advice.

1. Day 1: The Fast Begins — Genesis 3:15
2. Day 2: The Son of David, the Son of Abraham — Matthew 1:1
3. Day 3: A Blessing for All the Families of the Earth — Genesis 12:2-3
4. Day 4: Jacob's Ladder — Genesis 28:12
5. Day 5: The Sceptre of Judah — Genesis 49:10
6. Day 6: The Bush That Was Not Consumed — Exodus 3:2
7. Day 7: The Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple — Psalm 44:10 (45:10)
8. Day 8: A Star Out of Jacob — Numbers 24:17
9. Day 9: A Prophet Like Moses — Deuteronomy 18:15
10. Day 10: A House for David — 2 Samuel 7:12-13
11. Day 11: You Are My Son — Psalm 2:7-8
12. Day 12: Before the Morning Star — Psalm 109:3 (110:3)
13. Day 13: Ruth, a Foreigner in the Family — Ruth 4:17
14. Day 14: The Virgin Will Conceive — Isaiah 7:14
15. Day 15: A Great Light — Isaiah 9:2
16. Day 16: We Have Found the Messiah — John 1:40-41
17. Day 17: Wonderful Counsellor, Prince of Peace — Isaiah 9:6-7
18. Day 18: A Shoot from the Stump of Jesse — Isaiah 11:1-2
19. Day 19: He Will Come and Save Us — Isaiah 35:4-6
20. Day 20: Comfort, Comfort My People — Isaiah 40:1-2
21. Day 21: Beautiful Feet — Isaiah 52:7
22. Day 22: Good News to the Poor — Luke 4:18-19
23. Day 23: Wounded for Us — Isaiah 53:4-5
24. Day 24: Rain upon a Fleece — Psalm 71:6-7 (72:6-7)
25. Day 25: The Conception of the Mother of God — 1 Samuel 1:27
26. Day 26: A New Covenant Written on the Heart — Jeremiah 31:31-33 (LXX 38:31-33)
27. Day 27: A New Heart — Ezekiel 36:26
28. Day 28: The Stone Cut Without Hands — Daniel 2:34-35
29. Day 29: Bethlehem, Small Among the Clans — Micah 5:2
30. Day 30: The Messenger Before Him — Malachi 3:1
31. Day 31: The Sun of Righteousness — Malachi 4:2
32. Day 32: He Appeared upon Earth — Baruch 3:35-37
33. Day 33: In the Spirit and Power of Elijah — Luke 1:16-17
34. Day 34: Do Not Be Afraid, Mary — Luke 1:30-33
35. Day 35: Let It Be to Me — Luke 1:38
36. Day 36: My Soul Magnifies the Lord — Luke 1:46-49
37. Day 37: Joseph, Son of David — Matthew 1:20-21
38. Day 38: The Road to Bethlehem — Luke 2:4-5
39. Day 39: In the Fullness of Time — Galatians 4:4-5
40. Day 40: The Word Became Flesh — John 1:14