What's in a name?
My wife and I have had the privilege to name the three boys that God has blessed
us with as parents. We took varied approaches to deciding on their names. Our
oldest is named after the city where we met. Our second is named after a dear
friend of ours from our young dating and married years. Our third son is named
after the pastor that married us. In each case, their names were given from a
place of love and significance. That said, their names have grown in significance
because of the lives they are living and the young men they are becoming.
When the angel Gabriel visited Mary, he said she was to name the baby boy Jesus.
31 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall
name Him Jesus.”
Jesus, or Yeshua, was a name that predates the birth of Christ. The Hebrew name
means “the Lord is salvation.” Gabriel continued on to tell Mary how this child was
the long-expected Messiah.
32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God
will give Him the throne of His father David;
Jesus’ miraculous birth, His life, death, and His resurrection imparted infinitely
more meaning to His name than the name had previously carried. His name is
above all names as Paul wrote in Philippians:
9 God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every
name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven
and on earth and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
the Father. Philippians 2:9–11 (NAS)
I encourage you to dwell on His name during the Advent season.
33 “and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His
kingdom will have no end.”
Remember that His kingdom has come and will come and that He
reigns forever and ever. Amen.
Travis Layton, Tallowood Deacon
