Rediscovering the Christ of Christmas
“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus,
(who is called the Christ) because He will save His people from their sins…
and they will call Him Immanuel -- which means, ‘God with us.’"
Matthew 1:21, 16, 23 (NIV)
As we approach Christmas, it’s a great time to rediscover who this child really is. We can identify Him by His name. Matthew’s Gospel assigned three names to God’s Son that will help us understand who He is and why He came. In Matthew 1:21, 16, 23 (NIV), the Bible says, “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, (who is called the Christ) because He will save His people from their sins … and they will call Him Immanuel – which means, ‘God with us.’” Let’s take a moment to look at these three names:
Jesus means “Savior”. It was the name that the angel instructed Joseph to give to the child Mary was going to deliver. Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name, Joshua, and means “Jehovah is salvation”. There were many Jewish boys in that day with the name Joshua or, in the Greek, Jesus.
But Mary’s Son was “Jesus, who is called the Christ” in Matthew 1:16. The word Christ means “anointed” and is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word for Messiah. He is “Jesus the Messiah.” Jesus is His human name, and Christ is His official title.
In Verse 23, the angel assigns another name to God’s Son when he explains to Joseph that all of this was in fulfillment of prophecy given by Isaiah the prophet over 700 years previous. "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel--which means, ‘God with us.’" Immanuel describes who He is – “God with us.”
The real story of Christmas is this, Jesus Christ is God! So many leave Him as a baby in a manger, only to pack Him away and bring Him out the next year. This baby was the King of Kings in a manger! The Christ of Christmas is God who became man so that men could know Him, relate to Him, and be made right with Him. He is none other than the Creator who took upon Himself our flesh and blood. Aren’t you glad He didn’t send a message? He was the message! “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 (NIV) Have you met this Jesus? If not, it is our great honor to introduce Him to you at our Christmas Eve services that begin Thursday, December 22nd, and through the 24th. Check out our website for times and locations at www.woodlandschristmas.org. Don’t leave the real gift of Christmas unopened. Experience Jesus as your Messiah, and know that God is with you always!
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.