Christmas Day Family Talk


When a new baby is born, everyone asks: What’s the baby’s name?”

Some babies are named for family members. Others are named for places, like “Dakota” or “Cheyenne” or “Lon – don.” Others are named for seasons like “Autumn” or months like, “April”. Do you know what your name means, or why it was chosen?

Mary and Joseph already had their baby’s name given to them by an angel: “You must give him the name Jesus. That’s because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21, NIrV).

The name “Jesus” is special to us, but it was common for God’s people. The name “Jesus” was actually “Joshua” back in the time of Moses. Many years later, it changed to “Jeshua” (pronounced “Yeshua”), and then finally in the Greek language, it took the form of “Jesus”. All of these versions mean the same thing: Savior.

Jesus’ name was a clue about why He was born. This baby Savior would grow up to save His people by dying on the Cross.

The Bible tells us that the name “Jesus” is “above every name”—that means that it’s the most important name of all time! One day, everyone will bow in worship when Je – sus’ name is spoken. (Read about this in Philippians 2:1-11).

Today as we celebrate Jesus’ birth with feasting and gift-giving, let’s remember that the joy of Christmas is just a clue about the joy to come! Now, we remember Baby Jesus. One day, all of heaven and earth will wor – ship the name of Jesus together!

by Laure Herlinger


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