Your name is a big deal! When you enter into the world, your parents spend a lot of time figuring out what to name you. Sometimes they know your name will come from a relative or someone they admire. Other times they pour over baby name books, looking for something unique and special. It’s not easy because you will live with their choice for a long time.
Historically, names helped identify where a person lived, or what a person did for a living. In scripture, since they were patriarchal in their culture, names reflected their family of origin. Sometimes, God chose someone’s name. He sent angels to the parents of John the Baptist and to the parents of Jesus, defining their names and their life purposes. He sent prophets, like Isaiah, to declare the name of the One who would come to redeem the world.
As we get closer to Christmas, we might reflect on some of the names of Jesus. Isaiah 9 calls Him, “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace.” The New Testament gives Jesus names like “Lamb of God, Light of the World, Messiah, and Name above all Names.” Imagine having the name above all names! The meaning of the name Jesus is “God is salvation.” He came into the world to redeem His people, and He was also called Immanuel, which means “God with us.”
When I looked up my family’s surname of Moore, I didn’t find anything quite so glorious. The Middle English definition means “area of uncultivated land.” Hmm! Not so fancy, really. The Irish definition is somewhat better framing the name around a Gaelic descendent meaning “great chief or proud and mighty.” We gladly claim Thomas Moore who was an Irish poet, songwriter and entertainer. My dad liked to write poetry and so do I, so maybe there’s a connection in all this. Of course, Sir Thomas More, the former Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, must surely belong on our family tree, even with a slight change in the spelling. Hmm, so what’s in a name?
Whatever my name means, or yours, we will never have the multitude of stunning names given to us that lead people to salvation. That name belongs to only One, and as you reflect on all that Christmas means to you this year, give some genuine thought to what the name of Jesus means to you. Since everything about His name means “good news” to us, we know He will take all of our names and hold on to them throughout eternity.
This Christmas, bless His Holy Name!
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