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Oh Come, Oh Come, Immanuel: An Advent Devotional on the Names of Jesus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh Come, Oh Come, Immanuel:
A Twenty Day Advent Devotional on the Names of Jesus
1st Edition

 

A Collaboration of Voices

Edited by: Brianna L. George

 

 

 

www.unveiledandrevealed.com

 

 

Contents

 

INTRODUCTION 

 

   Day One: I AM -- Malachai 3: 1-6   
Day Two:THE WORD-- John 1: 9-18                
Day Three: ALPHA AND OMEGA -- Isiah 44: 6-8             
Day Four: LAMB OF GOD -- Romans 5 : 1-11     
Day Five: GLORY OF GOD -- Isaiah 40: 1-5    
Day Six: LIGHT OF THE WORLD-- John 8: 1- 14    
Day Seven: MORNING STAR -- Genesis 15: 1-6    
Day Eight: BRANCH -- Isaiah 11: 1-10    
Day Nine: MEDIATOR -- 1 Tim 2: 1-7    
Day Ten: LOVE -- John 3:10-16    
Day Eleven: IMMANUEL -- Isaiah 7:10-14    
Day Twelve: SERVANT -- Isaiah 52: 13-15    
Day Thirteen: SON OF GOD -- Luke 1:26-35    
Day Fourteen: PRINCE OF PEACE -- Isaiah 9:2-7    
Day Fifteen: SAVIOR -- Luke 2: 1-21    
Day Sixteen: MESSIAH -- Matt 1:18-25    
Day Seventeen: BREAD OF LIFE -- John 6:44-51    
Day Eighteen: REDEEMER -- Psalm 18: 1-5    

   Day Nineteen: THE BABE – Luke 2:12       

   Day Twenty: JESUS CHRIST– Philippians 2:5-11       

 

AFTERWARD       

 

 

Introduction

We hope this devotional will prepare your heart, mind, and spirit for Christmas celebrations with your family and friends. This book is a collaborative effort of twenty writers from very different backgrounds and experiences with the Church. Because we value the grace Jesus Christ has given each of us, we offer you this same opportunity to come into a personal relationship with Jesus.

 

There is no special prayer or chant that “gets you in,” but rather a posture of humility and genuine acknowledgment of who Jesus is with belief of what he has accomplished on the cross. It is faith in Jesus that saves you.

 

We hope that through these words you will receive the greatest gift of grace this season and wish you a Merry Christmas.

 

If you have any questions or comments about any of these devotions or about your relationship with Jesus please email briannalgeorge@gmail.com or contact her via facebook @BriannaLGeorgeWriter, via Twitter @BriannaLGeorge, or via Instagram @Unveiled_and_Revealed. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day One: I AM

 

 

“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. “He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness.Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years. Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me,” says the LORD of hosts. “For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” Malachi 3:1-6 (NIV)

 

I AM

 

Before we get started, you may want to take your shoes off. Because this first name (יהוה in Hebrew) is so holy, the people first entrusted with it don't pronounce it or even write it anymore. Which speaks volumes about reverence. But it's also a terrible loss.

 

Because this name isn't just holy. It's also the most intimate name of God, and the most powerful. The Bible describes it as a strong tower and a source of salvation.

 

What is it about this particular name that makes it so unspeakably holy, intimate, and powerful? Let's look at the Hebrew word יהוה more closely.

 

It can be hard to distinguish the different names of God when we're reading the Bible in translation. When you see LORD in all capital letters in the text, you know you're dealing with יהוה (it's used five times in the passage above).

 

It might be obvious to you already, but this name is based on a verb. It's a form of the verb that means “will be.” When Moses first asks God's name, the answer he gets is something like “I exist.” It seems kind of non-descript at first.

 

Until you take a moment and let it sink in. What does it mean to you to worship the God who exists, and always will? Every corner of the Earth is crowded with false gods, and yet it's also filled to overflowing with the one God who is.

 

There's more to uncover here, because, like every Hebrew word, this name has many layers of meaning. One way to discover them is looking at the characters themselves. Every symbol in the Hebrew alphabet represents a sound and an idea, like hieroglyphics. When we put them together, they often form a rich word picture that illuminates the meaning of the word in a fresh way.

 

If we start at the right (because Hebrew is read from right to left) we have a י which originally represented a hand. Next is the ה which depicted a person with arms raised and outstretched. It meant to behold, worship or pay attention. Often when you see it in the biblical text it's like a neon sign highlighting an important truth (for example, the passage above begins with this Hebrew letter in the word 'behold'). Next is the ו which depicts a tent stake. It originally symbolized the action of securing or firmly establishing. Finally, there's another ה to remind us to pay attention.

 

So the total word picture has to do with a hand, a stake, and a double emphasis on attention and worship. Many believe this word picture points to Jesus as the Messiah. They say it was meant to draw our attention and worship to someone whose hands were pierced by stakes.

 

Whether or not the word picture is pointing to the crucifixion, it's no accident that the name itself tells us twice to behold. To pay attention. In fact, this whole passage starts by asking us to focus. It's full of vivid imagery designed to hold our attention. God's messenger is coming with judgment and mercy. He wants us to notice the signs and be ready to receive him.

 

 

How does recognizing that God is, change things for you?

What's one way you can redirect your attention to God during this busy season?

 

Hannah Kallio loves one man, five kids, and the crazy story God is writing in their lives...even more than palm trees, ancient ruins, and deepest dark chocolate. She equips women to live with soul-deep God-confidence. She writes, speaks, coaches, creates and sings her guts out at hannahkallio.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day Two: THE WORD

 

 

 

“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, "This is the one I spoke about when I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' ") Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.” John 1:9-18 (NIV)

 

THE WORD

 

As I complete my fingernail-dragging slide into my 50s, I find myself using this now-common, desperate cry when I can’t get a thought out of my mind and onto my tongue.

 

“What’s the word?”

 

It drives me crazy! I can feel it there, taunting me – the word, I mean. I find myself speaking a relatively intelligent sentence and, mid-thought, can’t grasp the one word that pulls it together. My Merriam-Webster in my head has shut down, locked the doors, and hung the “closed” sign.

 

Frustrating. And from what I gather from those who have gone ahead of me, common to my age.

 

While we who are subject to aging move into this disconnect, we find in John 1 that God has no such limits; in fact, His Word transcends any bound between thought and speech.

 

“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us” (John 1) Here, Word in verse 14 and at the beginning of the chapter is the Greek term, logos. At its core, logos refers to both what is in the mind (thoughts) as well as what is spoken and/or written down. It is mental and literal. It is unformed, lose in thought, while also heard and read in our three-dimensional world.

 

I don’t know about you, but I find this concept difficult to grasp in my linear, American way of thinking.

 

Just this morning, my son and I are traveling to visit a used bookstore that carries hundreds of thousands of volumes – everything from comics to college texts to mysteries and Christian self-help. A treasure trove. So much of “the word” that I can hardly contain my excitement. But even I admit this

Impressum

Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Texte: Brianna L. George
Bildmaterialien: Brianna L. George
Lektorat: Brianna L. George
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 30.11.2016
ISBN: 978-3-7396-8594-6

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Widmung:
This book is a collaboration of voices from all over the world. They are voices of mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends. This book is dedicated to all those whose voices have not been listened to or feel like they are ignored.