Luke 2:16-21, And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
The nativity story has both moments of loud exuberance, like when the angels glorify God before the angels, and it also contains quiet moments like this one here, when Mary treasures these things up in her heart. The pattern must be the same for us - we outwardly proclaim the message of the gospel, we worship the Lord in song, and we rejoice together because of what Christ is done. But our faith is contained in our private moments as well - in our Bible studies, in our prayers, and in our private pondering as to what the Lord is up to within us. The shepherds returned to their lives, but they returned forever changed: they glorified and praised the Lord! While we inwardly allow the Spirit to work in us through our spiritual disciplines, we praise his name too publicly in worship, and thus fulfill this pattern of the internal and external life of believers.
They would name him Jesus, because he would save his people from their sins. Jesus, the name being the Greek version of Joshua, means “God saves.” Joseph and Mary following the will of God communicated to them from the angel follows the parents of John the Baptist who had to do the very same thing. Though the name “John” was not a family name, they rejected the ways of the world and followed God’s command in naming their son John. Names are important in the Bible - and carrying with us the family name Christian is also important to our identity. There is life in his name (John 20:31), being connected to that man Jesus and his name is the very reason we are acceptable to God at all. Our union with Christ means we share his record, his moral performance, his perfect obedience, even while he took on our sin and nailed it to the cross. Give thanks today for the name of Jesus!
Hymn for Reflection: Hark the Herald Angels Sing. Here’s a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFgS57vyQWw