Call Him Jesus

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Scripture: Luke 1:30-33 (ESV)

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob.

Devotion:

            In this week before Christmas, we read in this passage of scripture about the angel proclaiming to Mary that she will have a son. We are getting close to the coming of the Christ child. Our long season of Advent is coming to a close with the birth of the child announced by the prophets in the Hebrew scriptures happening soon.

            The angel speaks words of comfort to Mary and tells her what she is to name to child. His name was to be Jesus=Joshua=The Lord is Salvation. The angel also tells Mary that the child she is to bear will be great, the Son of the Most High. Mary learns that this coming baby will indeed sit on the throne of David. These words of the angel made Mary wonder what these words might mean.

            Today, we join Mary in her pondering of just what the birth of Jesus means for us here and now. Our hearts are deeply troubled by the circumstances we find ourselves in here in the 21st century. Likewise, Mary would have been, like the rest of Israel, wondering when the Roman occupation of her nation would come to an end. Here in the United States, we wonder about God’s plans for our country. We are dismayed by the realities of our situation.

            Just as Mary wondered the meaning of this angelic proclamation, so we wonder what difference this child might mean for our current culture. It comes as no surprise that we should be unsure of what the angel’s words might mean for us today. We are in a state of shock and disbelief over the changes that we see happening all around us. It seems that all we hold dear and sacred are being done away with. Only to be replaced by weak and unsatisfying substitutes.

            This baby in the inn seems to make no difference in our modern life. There is no doubt that this baby changed Mary’s life. Can he change us? The scriptures answer a resounding yes to this question. If we put our trust in the baby who came into the world 2,000 years ago, we will know salvation for our souls. Our faith will result in us receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit and our empowerment to meet the challenges of our time. Let us pray for that kind of faith!

Prayer:

            Lord God, Immanuel, we thank you that you are always with us today. We thank you for that tiny baby born in a barn who was to be the way of salvation for us. The gift of Jesus is a gift we do not deserve. Thank you for the grace with which you bless us in Christ Jesus. Lord, be with us today. May we know your steadfast love and peace in our lives. In the name of our savior Jesus, we ask this. Amen.

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