18 December
A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord
“The Saviour—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” Luke 2:11
I wonder if you know what your name means? Jesus is known by so many names in the Bible; Prince of Peace, Son of Man, Lamb of God, Immanuel… the list goes on!
As the angel addresses the shepherds here, they use three of Jesus’ names in one sentence!
These names are not given to Jesus because they go nicely with his last name, rather they point us to truth:
What he’s come to do - save us from sin (Saviour)
Who he is - the anointed one, Son of God (Christ)
How he’s going to do it - rule with power and authority (Lord)
We hear and talk about Jesus so often in and around church, perhaps some days we’ve grown so accustomed with what we think we know of him that maybe he fails to excite or inspire the whole-hearted obedience and service we think he probably deserves.
I believe as we read these deeply profound names of Jesus today, we have an invitation to hear them like the shepherds did for the first time all those years ago: revolutionary, hope-filled promises, fulfilled in the birth of our King, Jesus.
Prayer: As I come before you now, Jesus, forgive my familiarity of your names and who you are. Thank you for your saving work of grace upon the cross. Thank you that I can put my trust in you because you are who you say you are. Please help me to humbly submit my life and service into your hands afresh, knowing confidently that you’re on my side and by my side forever. Amen
Grace Lewis-Donaldson