The Name that Changes Ours
What is in a name? For us, a name is often just a label given by parents. But for the Child promised to Joseph, the Name is the very essence of God’s work. On this Fourth Sunday in Advent, we stand on the threshold of the Incarnation. We often come into God’s house carrying the heavy “names” and labels we have earned through our failures—sinner, wanderer, lost. Yet, God intervenes in history with a command that echoes through eternity: “You shall call His name Jesus.” Why this specific name? Because of what He alone can do. As we prepare our hearts for worship, we meditate on the Name that is above every name—a Name that does not merely identify a carpenter’s son, but signals the end of our slavery to sin.
Sermon Text: Matthew 1:18-25