And He Shall Be Called

Isaiah 9:6 (NIV) —

‘ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’

We are all called a lot of different things, starting with birth names which often express something about family lines, culture and gender. But there are also nick-names which we can choose or are given to us by others. These can impact our personality and link us with a memory or something that only makes sense to those we are close to. There are stage names which help artists stand out or reflect what they want to project to the world. Others have titles from achievement or work recognition.

But that is not where it finishes. There are the words that other people call us, to describe how we look or our personalities. For example, words that have been ascribed to me many times are 'loud, happy, different, intense, funny and annoying'! Those words have had a big impact on me and my identity but are not necessarily who I am.

Finally, and far more significantly, there are the names God has called us like chosen, loved and accepted and those are the names I am learning to keep close for myself.

Pondering on the importance we give to names has encouraged me to reflect on what we call God and why. Around 740 years before Jesus' birth, Isaiah wrote this prophetic word (see above) where he shares the names that Jesus will be called. All of these tell us who Jesus is and help us understand him more deeply and they will open our hearts to worship him.

As we prepare for Christmas let us unpack these names and be reminded of who Jesus is and why we celebrate his birth.

Prayer - Lord, this Christmas let us grow deeper in the knowledge of who you are and who you have called us to be. May we accept what you call us as our true identity.