November 29: Introduction to the 2025 Advent Project
And He Shall Be Called: An Advent Meditation on the Matchless Names of Jesus
“Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name” (Malachi 3:16 NKJV).
Names often reflect the culture, heritage, and sometimes the ethnicity of the recipient. A person’s name happens to be one of the most important things they possess. Research has found that a person’s name can influence his or her sense of self. Names were incredibly significant in ancient Hebrew culture. In the time of Christ, a person’s name was a descriptive portrayal of who that person was. Names define a person’s character, their very essence. That’s what we want to explore together in the next few weeks—the nature of Christ as revealed in His many wonderful names.
More than seven hundred names and titles for Christ can be found throughout Scripture. Each gives us a glimpse into who Jesus is. Each describes something special about His spirit, revealing distinctive attributes He possesses. Although Christ is far beyond any and all linguistic attempts to fully and accurately describe Him, these multifaceted names help us better comprehend, honor, and love Him. Author Robert Morgan writes, “All Christ’s designations and all his glorious names meet varying needs in our own lives. They reveal diverse dimensions of his power, love, grace, glory, and goodness that touch our souls. They disclose the many layers of his relationship with us.”
Incorporating the various names of Jesus into your daily prayer rule is a great starting point for knowing and loving Christ more deeply. At this often hectic season of the year, we would do well to keep our minds fixed on Him. While selecting the music for this particular Advent Project, it quickly became apparent that there was an abundance of music containing incredible lyrics describing our Lord, taken directly from Scripture. Familiar carols, praise songs, and hymns of the faith are brimming over with the dynamic names of Christ. That’s why we have included more musical selections than usual this Advent. Pay close attention to these texts as we meditate together on the matchless names of our wonderful Lord. Whisper these names as you wake in the morning and as you go to sleep in the evening. Sing His names as you shower or drive to work. Use the names of the Lord throughout the day in adoration and praise. There is power in the name of Jesus because He is a powerful God—a God of infinite goodness and boundless grace.
Image:
Christ
Rembrandt
c. 1657–61
The Hyde Collection
Glens Falls, New York
Script of the Introductory Video:
Hi, my name is Siân Draycott and it is my privilege to welcome you, wherever you are around the world, to the 2025 Biola University and the Center for Christianity, Culture and the Arts Advent Project.
My name, Siân, is the Welsh version of the English name Jane meaning God’s gracious gift and although my name is a fairly common first name in Wales (there were 7 other Siâns in my class at school) it isn’t intuitively an easy name to read, spell, or pronounce correctly.
On a recent visit to a drive thru coffee establishment I braced myself ready to place my order through the speaker,
“An Americano with one pump of classic syrup, please”
The response crackled back, “Name?”
“Siân.”
I paused, ready to repeat myself, spell out my name, answer a couple of questions about where I was from and how long I would be staying in California. But this barista didn’t skip a beat, responding, “See you at the next window Professor Draycott!”
When I collected my order both my first and last name were written beautifully, spelt correctly, in permanent sharpie, and topped off with a little flourish of a smiley face.
I was known! Remembrance of names ignites and fosters relationship.
In the book of Genesis, when Adam named all living things, he had been given the authority and the agency to do so by Yahweh, by a covenantal LORD God who also called out when Adam sought to hide with his wife from the LORD among the trees of the garden.
This covenantal LORD God still calls out today to his people individually and collectively with a deep desire for relationship. He wants his name to be known, spread abroad, shouted from the societal rooftops.
So deep is this desire to be known that according to John, God sent his only son into the world so that ‘the world might be saved through him” (John 3:17, ESV).
This Advent season we will be focusing on the manifold Biblical names ascribed to this only Son - Jesus Christ. We will meditate on names associated with the deity of Christ, the various roles of Christ, the figurative names of Christ, those names concerning the nativity of Christ, and finally names associated with the supremacy of Christ.
The purpose of these advent devotionals is not that we might have more head knowledge and bible trivia- but that through meditating on the names of Christ that appear in scripture, we might ignite and foster growth in our own relationship with him so that we “may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1Peter 2:9, ESV).
This Advent season it is our prayer that each day’s devotional interweaving of scripture, art, poetry, music, and prayer would serve you and your families, in drawing you closer to Almighty God: In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Siân Draycott is currently an Instructor in the Torrey Honors College at Biola University. She grew up in Wales and graduated from the University of Oxford with an M.A. in theology and from the Open University (UK) with an M.A. in classical studies. She is a Ph.D. student at Talbot School of Theology. Siân loves to discuss Great Books with students in the Torrey Honors College.