Author: Mari Walker

A child is born to us, a son is given to us, and authority will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be vast authority and endless peace for David’s throne and for his kingdom, establishing and sustaining it with justice and righteousness now and forever. —Isaiah 9: 6-7

When my husband John and I were expecting our first baby, we began­ – as many expectant parents do – to consider what we would name the baby. This was back in the day when ultrasound technology was just being developed, and ultrasounds were not common for routine pregnancies. I did not have one and we were ‘in the dark’ as to whether we would have a girl or a boy. John was very clear that he wanted to name our baby the name that he or she would be called: no nicknames for our child!! We chose the name James for a boy. And James is what we called him: not Jim, or Jimmy or Jay Jay or Jas or Jamus. James!

I remember very clearly a Sunday morning that James came with me on my circuit of three churches. He was about two years old. At the third church, after the service was over, one of the men in the church came up to us and said to James, “Hi there, Jimmy. It’s good to see you this morning.” James straightened himself up to his full three feet of height and very adamantly said, “My name is James!” As far as I know, no one has ever called him anything else.

I love this passage from the prophet Isaiah as he tells his readers who the coming Son, the Promised One will be. His name will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He has more than one name. These names are the foundation for our understanding of who Jesus is. They are the basis for knowing something about who the people should expect and what kind of Messiah God is sending. When I read these names for Jesus, I am filled with hope and joy. I am comforted by the knowledge of just who our Savior will be.

I might have only one name by which I call my older son, but I am truly glad that there are many names that help me understand who Jesus is.

Almighty God, thank you for sending Jesus to be with us. Thank you for the prophet Isaiah who gave us names to call our Messiah so that we can begin to understand who he is. Help us as we go through this Advent season to grow in knowledge, in faith and in our relationship to Jesus. Amen.

Rev. Marie Williams

A Star Shone over Bethlehem
A new star shone on high that night,
Radiant, clear, a cheering light,
A heartwarming beacon seen from afar,
Larger than any neighboring star.
But below in the weary world were few
Wakeful and watchful this sight to view:
Shepherds on duty guarding their sheep,
Those whose worries robbed them of sleep,
Fishers at midnight casting their net,
Astrologers noting the stars’ rise and set.
These were the ones who could look up and see
The star and ask what its message might be.

A Star of Hope
On the hillsides just south of King David’s town,
The sheep and their keepers had long settled down.
Of the five shepherds one was quite new,
Ari by name; he was very young, too.
His jobs for the night, old Lemuel said,
Were to tend the campfire and guard the night’s bread,
Jobs he could do in the wink of an eye
And still have time to gaze at the sky.
And so he came to see the star
Beaming invitingly from afar.
He sat entranced as if in a dream,
Caught up in the light of its golden gleam.
The others returned to find the fire cold,
And Ari awoke to hear them scold.
But he showed them the star
They’d not seen it ‘til then
And its sudden appearance frightened the men.
“Strange sights in the heavens mark strange deeds below,”
Old Lemuel said, “as all of us know.”
“It’s true,” added Nat, “strange things on earth
Like the death of a king or perhaps a birth.”
“Or war,” put in Zeb. “We’ll defend our home
And send the invaders back to Rome.”
“Well,” Lemuel said, “for the poor there’ll be pain.
For shepherds like us, there’s nothing to gain.”
Young Ari said nothing; he didn’t agree.
He thought to himself, “They don’t see what I see.
The star tells of wonderful things to befall.
It brings a message of hope for us all.”

Guy Johnson

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. —Isaiah 43:1

Do you wonder by what name God calls you? I do. I have a deep conviction that my God-given name will be one that has somehow spoken to me my whole life. The thing is, I don’t have a name, at least a name that I can call my own. ‘Betty’ is a borrowed name, meant to be put on the birth certificate only temporarily until my parents who were expecting and anticipating the birth of a boy-child could finally come to some agreement about a suitable name for me. That time never came, and I have gone through life with the nickname of an attending nurse in a hospital in Atlanta.

When my son Luke and his bride Anna were told the gender of their baby girl months before her birth, they immediately and excitedly named her Stevie Irene. We all talked about Stevie for those months with great joy and anticipation. And I was sometimes overwhelmed by the amazing rightness of that gift Stevie had received from her loving parents – the gift of a name that would be her own for all her life.

We know that our Savior was given his name ‘Jesus’ by God himself. It wasn’t the name that the friends and families expected, and there was surely surprise and pushback. And we also know that Jesus received many beautiful descriptive names that we encounter in scripture. But for me, the best name to call him, the one that evokes the loving care of his father, the one that I can call on in any situation, is Jesus.

Loving God, you blessed your son with a name you chose. For us, that name is above all others, and we are overwhelmed by the love you have shown to all people by the gift of your beloved son. Help us live lives worthy of your gift. Amen.

Betty Schroeder