“What is in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet” (William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet).
No matter which of God’s names we use, there is no sweeter sound than the proclamation of His name.
Throughout Scripture, we see many names for God. At this time of year, we take the time to focus on Christ’s birth—the Word, who became flesh and dwelt among us, the fulfillment of the prophesies and personification of many names of God.
Last year, my sister heard a radio interview through Focus on the Family, in which they shared an idea for how to keep Christ in the center of Christmas, as a family. Depending on the age and abilities or interests of the children, the activity can be adapted.
The idea is that you spend time focusing on the names of God and incorporate them into your decorations, family discussions, thus bringing Christ into the conversation during the holidays. For example, using the names of Jesus, as mentioned by prophet Isaiah as His birth was foretold, or names like Emmanuel, “God with us.”
For her family, my sister and brother-in-law encouraged my then five-year-old nephew to write out the names of Christ on strips of paper that they made into a paper rings and hung on their tree. As he carefully copied the letters of each name, they would discuss what that name meant and would read a simple verse about that aspect of Christ. His little sister, who was two at the time, would be encouraged to repeat the name and was able to color on a few paper strips of her own that had Christ’s name written by one of the adults.
Inspired by this idea, and encouraged by this practice, for the month of December, we are going to focus on the names of Christ. Before I share which ones we have selected for the month, please tell us which are your favorites and why that that name is special to you!
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