At Christmas, most of us heard the story of Jesus’ birth. At the center of all the angels, shepherds, wise men, and sheep—Mary and Joseph and the drummer boy—is the birth of a baby. There are many names for this baby. Jesuswhich means the LORD saves. Or Emmanuel, which means God with us. Or Christ the Lord, which means this baby will be a man to follow, the hope of the ages to lead us out of darkness into light.
Jesus which means the LORD saves.
Our family has a set of ornaments that have different names of Jesus, each with a picture and a verse, for children to learn who Jesus is. This year, I’m especially drawn to the notion that Jesus comes as a healer—the great physician. There’s been a lot of sickness in our world, of course, a lot of renewed attention on doctors and nurses and EMTs. There’s also been a lot of sickness in our spirits, in our divided relationships and lives veering off course. It’s comforting to think that Jesus came to heal us all—that the joy of Christmas came to a cracked and hurting world, and Jesus is working to set things right. It’s comforting to think that we are part of His grand work of healing the world.
As you move from the celebration of Christmas to enter a new year, who is Jesus to you? What will you do to embrace the light, the salvation, the healing of Jesus in your life?