Advent - Day 11
57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”
61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
Luke 1:57-61
We are anticipating the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, our Lord. This is advent. And this year we are following Luke’s gospel as he passes on to us the eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life.
What’s in a name? Those are the words of Shakespeare. But sometimes there is something in a name. In the Jewish tradition, it was typical to name a child after a close relative. Perhaps that Uncle or Aunty who everyone likes or maybe who did something a little more impressive with their lives.
Elizabeth has other ideas. Her child will be named John. I’ll save you the googling. John or in Hebrews Yohhanan means ‘God is gracious’. And with good reason.
For Elizabeth, John is the grace of God to a woman who was unable to become pregnant. God has taken away her shame. But in the bigger picture of John’s birth, I think we see a depth of meaning.
God is gracious because John (who will be called the Baptist or Baptiser) is the forerunner. He is the voice in the wilderness who will pave the way for the Messiah. God has indeed been gracious. Because God has begun a series of events that will result in the salvation of the world.
Today’s John’s name is sometimes remembered. But let us not forget what his name means. God is gracious. Not just to Elizabeth but to us all. For God will take away our shame through the one who comes after, Jesus.
For Today:
Pray:
59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”
61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
Luke 1:57-61
We are anticipating the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, our Lord. This is advent. And this year we are following Luke’s gospel as he passes on to us the eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life.
What’s in a name? Those are the words of Shakespeare. But sometimes there is something in a name. In the Jewish tradition, it was typical to name a child after a close relative. Perhaps that Uncle or Aunty who everyone likes or maybe who did something a little more impressive with their lives.
Elizabeth has other ideas. Her child will be named John. I’ll save you the googling. John or in Hebrews Yohhanan means ‘God is gracious’. And with good reason.
For Elizabeth, John is the grace of God to a woman who was unable to become pregnant. God has taken away her shame. But in the bigger picture of John’s birth, I think we see a depth of meaning.
God is gracious because John (who will be called the Baptist or Baptiser) is the forerunner. He is the voice in the wilderness who will pave the way for the Messiah. God has indeed been gracious. Because God has begun a series of events that will result in the salvation of the world.
Today’s John’s name is sometimes remembered. But let us not forget what his name means. God is gracious. Not just to Elizabeth but to us all. For God will take away our shame through the one who comes after, Jesus.
For Today:
- What does your name mean?
- What is one way God has been gracious to you?
- How could you proclaim God’s grace to you today?
Pray:
- Praise the Father for His glorious grace.
- Give thanks for Jesus who is God’s grace to us.
- Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others speak of His grace today.
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