One morning at Theological College, the speaker asked the students to take it in turns to give a name for God that appears in the Bible. There were some 60 students in the chapel – and I hastily tried to work out how many people would have a chance to give a name before it got to me.
I needn’t have worried. There are dozens and dozens of names for our glorious Trinitarian God in the Bible, some that encompass all 3 persons, others which usually apply to just one member of the Trinity. You might want to see how many you can come up with.
Even at Christmas we have many to choose from: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, the Messiah, the Son of David, the Desired of the Nations, and of course, Emmanuel, which means God with us.
We know the Christmas story so well that sadly, the fact that God left the glory of Heaven and became a helpless baby has ceased to take our breath away. But it should shock us and delight us and fill us with joy every time we think of it! In that stable in Bethlehem, the God who flung stars into space stared up into his mother’s eyes and laid helpless in her arms. Why? Because of love. Love for you and for me. As we ponder that astonishing fact afresh this year, may God fill our hearts with fresh joy as we celebrate the birth of Emmanuel, our Saviour and our King.