Now through the end of December, a chance to re-examine the gifts of Advent, the arrival of a Savior, and the epiphany of Epiphany.
Matthew 1:22-23 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
Moms- and dads-to-be can spend hours, weeks, even months poring over baby names. Maybe you’ve been there yourself, and can remember both the joy and weight of choosing your child’s name. What if we are wrong about this? What if our child doesn’t like it? I know someone else by that name, and I don’t like them!
We take our time with names because we understand the value and beauty of naming and being named. And, lest you feel you were too obsessive with the process, consider that Jesus’ Father chose his name close to a thousand years before he was born, unveiling it first to the prophet Isaiah, and much later to Joseph.
As a good parent, God takes names very seriously, and the ones he decides on are saturated with meaning. Incredibly, Revelation 2:17 tells us God has a new name for each of us. When it came to his son, God could have picked many wonderful names, but he chose “God with us,” signaling an unflinching commitment to take on flesh, sympathize with our weaknesses, and become the perfect, sinless offering that would reconcile us with the Godhead, once for all.
Prayer: Giver of good gifts, on Christmas we will again light the final candle of Advent, in memory of God-With-Us, Immanuel. Thank you for making your advent among us, bringing light to our darkness, and reconciliation to our relationship with you.
Amy released a full-length book in early 2021, Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. Maybe you’d like to check it out here.
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