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Different names for Christ are abundant in scripture. “Christ” comes from the Greek and “Messiah” comes from the Hebrew, and both mean “the Anointed One.” Jesus is called the Bread of Life (1 John 2:1), the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14), the Word of God (Revelations 19:13). This year, as we meditate on the hope, love, joy, and peace of the Advent season, we also want to take time to meditate on how Scripture names Jesus and the implications those names have for our Christian witness in the world. In Matthew 1:21-23, the apostle writes:
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). (NIV)
Before Jesus is even born, his names are loaded with meaning. Not only do the etymologies speak to God’s divine mission in the world—with Jesus meaning “to deliver/to rescue” and Immanuel meaning “God with us”— but the names of Jesus are used to remind Israel of God’s promises: this was prophesied hundreds of years ago. God is saying, “I was with you then, I am with you today, and I will be with you always.”
The Old Testament writers extensively prophecy of the coming of Christ. Many use names to demonstrate who Jesus will be and what his life and death will mean for the Israelites and beyond. Perhaps the most familiar is from Isaiah:
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6, NIV)
Each of these names is striking and specific. The prophet makes it clear who Jesus will be: wonderful and wise, powerful, nurturing, defender of the vulnerable and advocate for peace.
The past year has been another marked by division, sickness, and unrest. We continue to mourn racial and economic injustice, the lives lost or irreparably changed due to COVID-19, the continued destruction of our environment and the suffering of those affected by climate disaster. When consuming news of the world it is easy to feel despair. In the midst of this, however, we can take heart in the name of Immanuel, God with us, knowing that Christ is present through our struggles.
The Advent season reminds us that God keeps promises. We need not feel dismayed; instead, we get to engage in anticipatory and participatory hope as we await the coming of Christ and participate in bridging the “already” and the “not yet” of God’s Kingdom.
Join us this Advent season as we consider the names of Jesus and remind ourselves of the character of God: wise, powerful, champion of peace and justice, everlasting source of joy and life.
World Renew, Resonate, and the CRC Office of Social Justice are providing a devotional series for Advent 2021 called You Shall Call His Name Jesus. After you subscribe, the devotions will be delivered to your email every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during Advent.
Note: If you've received our devotions in the past, you are already subscribed. Enjoy!
12/01/2021 - Advent | Lamb of God
12/03/2021 - Advent | Jesus, the Good Shepherd
12/06/2021 - Advent | True Vine
12/08/2021 - Advent | Light of the World
12/10/2021 - Advent | Firstborn Over Creation
12/13/2021 - Advent | Son of Man
12/15/2021 - Advent | Jesus as the Bread of Life
12/17/2021 - Advent | Advocate
12/20/2021 - Advent | Morning Star
12/22/2021 - Advent | Jesus, My Friend
12/23/2021 - Advent | Christ the Rock
12/24/2021 - Advent | Immanuel
12/25/2021 - Advent | Hope for Wholeness
12/02/2020 - Advent | God Sees
12/04/2020 - Advent | Lament Towards Shalom - His Peace
12/07/2020 - Advent | Convicting Crossroads...Will We Fight or Flee?
12/09/2020 - Advent | The Disruption of Advent
12/11/2020 - Advent | Finding Home
12/14/2020 - Advent | A Conversation with My Hairdresser
12/16/2020 - Advent | And He Will Be Our Peace
12/18/2020 - Advent | Shalom Y'all
12/21/2020 - Advent | Jesus Will Disturb for OUR Peace
12/23/2020 - Advent | Watching in Hope
12/24/2020 - Advent | God's Promises of Peace and Shalom
12/02/2019 - Advent | Call Me Bitter
12/04/2019 - Advent | How Long . . . Must People Suffer? . . . Will God Be Silent?
12/06/2019 - Advent | Making Injustice about Me
12/09/2019 - Advent | I Am: Who Does God Say He Is?
12/11/2019 - Advent | Knowing Him by Name: I Am
12/13/2019 - Advent | I AM Willing
12/16/2019 - Advent | Waiting in the Time Between
12/18/2019 - Advent | Waiting with Hope in the Lord, Even in Death
12/20/2019 - Advent | Patience for the Kingdom
12/23/2019 - Advent | A Light in the Darkness
12/24/2019 - Advent | Hope in the Unseen Places
12/25/2019 - Advent | In the Suffering - God With Us
12/03/2018 - Advent | Imagining Hope
12/05/2018 - Advent | Waiting for the Hand of God
12/07/2018 - Advent | Not Pity but Love and Anger
12/10/2018 - Advent | Who Exactly Is God With?
12/12/2018 - Advent | A Holy, Impatient Pranayama
12/14/2018 - Advent | ‘The Poor Will Always Be with You.’ Worship or Justice?
12/17/2018 - Advent | Tethered to God’s Faithfulness
12/19/2018 - Advent | Looking Impatience in the Face
12/21/2018 - Advent | Hoping, Groaning, and Laboring for Peace and Justice
12/24/2018 - Advent | Holy Impatience, Holy Incarnation
12/04/2017 - Advent | Upside-Down Promises
12/06/2017 - Advent | Holy and Here
12/08/2017 - Advent | Pay Attention. Fasten Your Seatbelt.
12/11/2017 - Advent | Immanuel to Read Us!
12/13/2017 - Advent | The Word Became Flesh: An Advent Journey Toward True Self
12/15/2017 - Advent | In Relationships, Humility Instead of Helping
12/18/2017 - Advent | Dressed with the Armour of God
12/20/2017 - Advent | Incarnate Gifts
12/22/2017 - Advent | Immanuel—God’s Presence in People in a Time of Need
12/25/2017 - Advent | Living in Darkness, Waking in Light