December 25: And His Name
♫ Music:
Day 28 - Saturday, December 25
CHRISTMAS DAY
Title: AND HIS NAME
Scripture: Isaiah 9:6-7
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justicefrom that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Poetry:
Auto Mirror
by Adam Zagajewski
(translated by Czeslaw Milosz and Robert Hass)
In the rear-view mirror suddenly
I saw the bulk of the Beauvais Cathedral;
great things dwell in small ones
for a moment.
HIS NAME
“And his name”
“…and his name shall be called….” Oh, how the earth had awaited this moment. In Isaiah 9:6-7, we have the declaration of the name. Yet, for years, there had been only and continuously a question about the name, “And his name?”
In Genesis 3:15, the Lord promised that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the seed of the serpent. We call this the first gospel. What a promise! And no doubt the question followed, “and his name?”
In Genesis 12:1-3, the Lord promises that he will take the seed of Abraham, make him a great nation, and through him bless the nations of the world. What a promise! And no doubt the question followed, “and his name?”
In 2 Samuel 7:12-16, the Lord promises King David a descendant whose throne and kingdom will be like no other. His rule and his kingdom will be forever. What a promise! And no doubt the question followed, “and his name?”
In Isaiah 53:1-12, there is a promise that a “man of sorrows” will come who will be “pierced through for our transgressions” and “crushed for our iniquities.” The Lord’s “servant will justify the many as he will bear their iniquities.” What a promise! And no doubt the question followed, “and his name?”
And now in Isaiah 9, the question of the ages is answered. “HIS NAME will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Finally, the name! Yet one more question emerges: “And who is this?”
All creation waits…and the question hangs in the air like mist hovering over a lake on a cool morning. The answer eventually comes in Luke 1:31-33, “…you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David; and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and his kingdom will have no end.”
Jesus, the one who will crush the head of the seed of the serpent.
Jesus, the one through whom all the nations of the world will be blessed.
Jesus, the one who will rule and reign forever.
Jesus, the one who will bear our guilt, justifying by grace all who put their trust in him.
And there is even more to that name, Jesus. We read about it in Philippians 2:9-11, “Therefore, also God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every other name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
So, today, we worship the one who answers the question that echoed throughout the years, “and his name?” Jesus! We bow before him. We confess that he is Lord.
Prayer:
Lord, draw our hearts to you on this day. May we see that your name is to be the sole object of our affection. May we realize more deeply that you are truly the answer for which all humanity of all time has been looking. Please, let us find that answer more fully in you today. And we pray this in the only name that is worthy, Jesus.
Amen.
Dr. David L. Talley
Professor of Old Testament
Talbot School of Theology
Biola University
Pastor of Theology and Teaching at
Cornerstone Church Long Beach
For more information about the artwork, music, poetry, and devotional writer selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Artwork:
Nativity (Installation)
Jacquiline Crewell, Curator
Ash Mills, Photographer
2020
Photographs printed on sheer voile banners
Chichester Cathedral
Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom
Artwork & Artist:
In 2020, a special photographic installation depicting a unique presentation of the Nativity story was presented in the Chichester Cathedral to mark the period of Advent and Christmas. Created by visual arts advisor and curator Jacquiline Creswell, and artist/photographer Ash Mills, it is an immersive photographic installation sharing the story of the Nativity in the style of a Renaissance tableau. Characters in the scene have been drawn from local organizations, charities, and medical services. They were paired symbolically to the roles within the Nativity story, with angels acting as guardians of health and well-being; shepherds as providers of food and resources; and the Magi as people who have learned from experience and are now leaders of their community. Each participant was photographed individually before being edited into the composite image. The photographic artwork was then printed onto sheer voile banners and hung principally above the Cathedral’s historic Arundel Screen, leading into the nave and baptistry. In the arches on either side of the Arundel Screen we see a traditional scene of Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus surrounded by shepherds; the arch on the opposite side of the Screen is filled with scenes and characters in the story. One large banner is located above the Arundel Screen, with characters in the story pointing to the newborn child. The Star of Bethlehem is represented with an image of the recent Neowise Comet which passed close by the earth during the 2020 lockdown period. The artwork also incorporates part of Chichester’s 540-year-old Market Cross. Participating organizations include BBC Radio Sussex, the Bell Tower Drop-In, Chichester District Foodbank, Chichester Festival Theatre, Heart, Sanctuary in Chichester, Stagecoach, Stonepillow, Wellington Grange, and Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
https://www.chichestercathedral.org.uk/news/chichester-nativity-major-new-art-installation-chichester-cathedral-heralds-sussex-heroes
https://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/
About the Curator and Artist/Photographer:
Jacquiline Creswell has been Salisbury Cathedral’s curator and visual arts adviser for the past eleven years, having essentially created the role from scratch. Raised in South Africa in a Jewish family, she has an arts background and studied sculpture after moving to England. Work in advertising, graphics, and textile design broadened her already wide range of experience and Creswell is making a marked contribution to the creative and cultural life of Salisbury Cathedral and its community.
https://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/
Ash Mills is a professional photographer, based near Salisbury in the UK. His experience has found him working all around the world.
https://www.ashmills.com/
About the Music:
“That Name” from the album Mountain High...Valley Low
Lyrics:
There is a name that is so precious,
A name so wonderful to me.
This name is worthy of all praises.
Because of him, I am made free.
That name is Jesus, oh how I love him.
The one who gave his life for me.
Because of love, so unconditional,
I will have life, eternally.
This name speaks peace, unto my storm clouds.
This name speaks calm, unto me fears.
And when I feel that no one loves me,
His loving presence is so near.
That name is Jesus, oh how I love him.
The one who gave his life for me.
Because of love, so unconditional,
I will have life, eternally.
Praise that name!
Praise that name!
Praise that name!
Praise that name!
Someday I'll leave, this earthly dwelling,
To find a place, my soul will soar.
And finally see the face of Jesus.
And praise his name, forevermore!
That name is Jesus, oh how I love him!
The one who gave his life for me!
Because of love, so unconditional,
I will have life, eternally.
Excellent is that name!
Glorious is that name!
Wonderful is that name!
Oh praise that name!
About the Performer:
Yolanda Yvette Adams (b. 1961) is an American gospel singer, record producer, actress, and host of her own nationally syndicated morning gospel show. She has sold nearly ten million albums worldwide, with some albums achieving multi-platinum status. Her many accolades include four Grammy Awards, four Dove Awards, five BET Awards, six NAACP Image Awards, six Soul Train Music Awards, two BMI Awards, and a Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award which President Barack Obama awarded her in 2016 for her volunteer service. She was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame by the Gospel Music Association in 2017.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yolanda_Adams
https://www.iheart.com/artist/yolanda-adams-31895/
About the Composer/Lyricist:
Richard Smallwood (b. 1948) is an American gospel artist who formed The Richard Smallwood Singers in 1977. Smallwood graduated cum laude from Howard University with degrees in both vocal performance and piano. His recording career began in 1982 with the album The Richard Smallwood Singers. Smallwood won his first Grammy, along with a Dove Award, for his production on the Quincy Jones' gospel project Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration. Smallwood's music has been recorded by artists such as Destiny's Child, Yolanda Adams, Karen Clark-Sheard, and many more. He finished his master's degree in Divinity from Howard University in 2004 and was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2006. Smallwood's next project was recorded live at the Hammerstein Ballroom at the Manhattan Center in New York. The concert features guests Kim Burrell on "Journey,” Kelly Price on "Morning's Breaking," Chaka Khan on "Precious Is Your Name," as well as The Hawkins Family, Tramaine Hawkins, and the original roster of singers who comprised The Richard Smallwood Singers. Among Smallwood's most popular songs are “Total Praise,” composed in 1996 while he was experiencing sorrow in his life, and “I Love the Lord,” popularized by singer Whitney Houston in the film The Preacher's Wife (1996).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Smallwood
About the Poet:
Adam Zagajewski (b. 1945) is a Polish poet, novelist, translator, and essayist. He is considered one of the world's greatest living writers. Zagajewski was one of the “New Wave'' writers in Poland. His early work was protest poetry, though he moved away from that emphasis in his later work. The reviewer Joachim T. Baer noted in World Literature Today that Zagajewski’s themes “are the night, dreams, history and time, infinity and eternity, silence and death.” The titles of his collections of poetry suggest some of these concerns: Tremor (1985), Mysticism for Beginners (1997), and World Without End: New and Selected Poems (2002). Zagajewski writes in Polish but many of his books of poetry and essays have been translated into English. He has won numerous awards including the Prix de la Liberté, fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, a Berliner Kunstleprogramm grant, the 2004 Neustadt International Prize for Literature, the 2016 Griffin Poetry Prize Lifetime Recognition Award, and the 2017 Princess of Asturias Award for Literature.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/adam-zagajewski
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Zagajewski
About the Devotion Author:
Devotion Author:
Dr. David L Talley
Professor of Old Testament
Talbot School of Theology
Biola University
Pastor of Theology and Teaching at
Cornerstone Church Long Beach
David Talley loves Jesus, his family, and his ministry. He believes that he is a blessed man as he teaches at BIOLA, pastors at Cornerstone Church (Long Beach), and trains pastors throughout Africa as well as underground church leaders in China and North Korea.