DECEMBER 21 A SON, A NAME, A PURPOSE By Loren Reno Professor of Management, Cedarville University
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)
When I think of all that is recorded of the first Christmas, my mind races to Matthew 1:21. The angel of the Lord told Joseph in a dream, And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. This verse tells us what Mary will do, what Joseph was to do, and what Jesus would do. Three announcements of significance in a single verse! First, any boy/girl uncertainty was dispatched—Mary would have a son. Second, Joseph was to name Him Jesus. Third, even before His birth, His purpose was foretold—He would be the Savior. This wasn’t an aspirational career path; it was a certain fact. Neither that He would be a son nor His name was unusual, but His purpose and the certainty of the outcome changed the world. Though born with a common name, it would become the name at which every knee would bow (Philippians 2:9-10). In 1983, my family and I were stationed at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. Karen and I were asked to sing a duet at a small neighborhood church that Christmas. With guitar, we sang this family carol; the essence of Matthew 1:21.
One Christmas morning, God sent a Savior Named by an angel: Jesus, Lamb of God; Born of a virgin, to Mary and Joseph Jesus, Immanuel, Savior of the world.
This same Jesus gave His life on Calvary That we may by believing, have life through His name; Trust Him as your Savior, He came to save you This the Christmas story, can give life anew.
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