Advent Reading for December 17, 2023 | “The Significance of Names” from Luke 2:21-24

²² And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”

Luke 2:21-24

“The Significance of Names”
by Burt Schmitz

Luke brings us from the rejoicing of the angels and shepherds to what seems to be a mundane event.  A couple of things happen on the eighth day after His birth that are significant.  First, He is circumcised.  He receives the sign of the covenant as a descendent of Abraham (Genesis 17:7-12).  The baby is now identified as a member of the household of faith.  Second, the baby is given His name, Jesus.  This is the name that the angel Gabriel told Mary to give her child (Luke 1:31).  Jesus, “the Lord is salvation”, is His name.  Matthew 1:21 tells us “For He will save His people from their sins.”  

Names are significant.  When we lived in Togo, we learned that the names that were given to children at their birth could be used to give the child identity as well as to indicate a significant event.  My friend Lamoutidja’s name signified that he was born on a Thursday.  His name literally means “Thursday’s man”.  Lamoutidja had a lot of brothers.  Another friend was the first born of his mother and was given the name Nanlieb, “Everyone envies me”.  Having a son was very important and especially as a first born. 

The name Jesus, “the Lord is salvation”, has great significance for us.  It is Jesus, that even from His birth, is identified as the Savior of the world.  Luke 2:11, the angels declare, “there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”  Christ, Messiah, Anointed One, all indicating that Jesus was the Son of God, born to accomplish the task of providing salvation.   

Luke 2:29-32 identifies Jesus not only as the Savior of the Jews, but also of the Gentiles, the whole wide world.  We see in the names and titles given to Jesus around His birth, circumcision, and purification in the temple that Jesus is the baby born to die.  “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”  (Acts 4:12).  

What will you do with Jesus?

Reflection Questions:

1. Reflect on Acts 4:12. Since Jesus is the only way of salvation, how does that impact our desire to share the gospel – good news of great joy – with others?
2. Today’s devotion closed with a question: what will you do with Jesus? Belief in Him is supposed to impact one’s whole life. How does this question challenge the way our daily lives reflect (or do not reflect) Him?

"Before the Throne of God Above" from Revelation 4 (The KING is Coming) – Refresh & Restore | A JustKeithHarris.com Podcast

📖 Revelation 4:1–11In this episode of The King is Coming, Keith Harris and Jamie Harrison move beyond Jesus’s letters to the churches and into the next part of John’s vision. In Revelation 4, John is invited through an open door into heaven—and what he sees is the throne room of God.At the center of everything is a throne, and seated on it is the Lord in all His glory. From this point forward in Revelation, the throne becomes the focal point of the entire book.John describes the scene the best way he can: the brilliance of precious stones, a rainbow surrounding the throne, flashes of lightning and thunder, and a crystal-like sea before it. Surrounding the throne are twenty-four elders and four living creatures who never cease to worship the Lord.Together, Keith and Jamie discuss:✔️ Why Revelation 4 marks a shift from the letters to the churches to John’s heavenly vision✔️ What the throne room reveals about God’s authority and security over all things✔️ Why John uses comparisons (“like” and “as”) to describe the glory he sees✔️ The mystery of the twenty-four elders and what we can—and cannot—know✔️ The constant worship of the living creatures crying “Holy, holy, holy”✔️ Why heaven’s worship centers on God simply because He is worthyIn the throne room, everything points to one truth: God alone is worthy of worship.“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)🔗 If you would like to see a written version of this podcast, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.

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