January 7: Jesus, Name Above All Names | The Amen
♫ Music:
Day 39 - Wednesday, January 07
Title: Jesus, Name Above All Names | The Amen
Scripture #1: Acts 4:12 (NKJV)
“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Scripture #2: Philippians 2:9–11 (NKJV)
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Scripture #3: Revelation 3:14 (NKJV)
“These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God…”
Scripture #4: 2 Corinthians 1:20 (NKJV)
For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.
Poetry & Poet:
from “Holy the Firm”
by Annie Dillard
A name, like a face, is something
you have when you’re not alone.
There is no such thing as an artist:
there is only the world, lit or unlit
as the light allows. When the candle is burning,
who looks at the wick?
When the candle is out, who needs it?
But the world without light is wasteland and chaos,
and a life without sacrifice is abomination.
My Forever Amen
Advent and Christmas have once again come and gone. Suddenly we find ourselves at the final day of this year’s project. What a wonderfully rich and diverse feast we’ve enjoyed together!
Today’s name is one that Christ himself proclaimed to the lukewarm Laodiceans in Revelation chapter 3: “These things say the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness.” In this passage Christ warns the “naked,” bankrupt Laodicean Christians to turn from their ignorant, self-confident complacency and humbly open the door to the abundant spiritual wealth Christ so freely offers to all his followers.
We’re familiar with and frequently utter the word amen. We use it to emphasize a particular point, to signal that we agree with something that has been said, as a communal expression of worship, and to seal our prayers. The term amen is universal, one of the only words consistently the same across a wide variety of cultures and religious traditions. In Hebrew the word means “to support” or “to be faithful and true.” In Greek it refers to a “solid foundation.”
In the Gospels, Jesus used amen not at the end of his statements but at the beginning. There are at least fifty verses in Scripture where he did this. Whenever Jesus started a statement with “Verily, verily I say unto you” he was essentially saying “Amen, amen,” my promises are sure—trustworthy and full of the deepest integrity. In 1 Corinthians 1:20 Paul writes, “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”
Songwriter/singer Stephanie Gretzinger talks about her intimate relationship with Christ in the song, “My Forever Amen.” Written in the throes of the Covid Pandemic, a time of mass confusion rife with misinformation, “My Forever Amen” became a clarion call to embrace the sure, fundamental truths found in Christ. Gretzinger's raw amen riff at the end of her song is a vulnerable cry for deep union with our Lord.
Franna Benadé’s “Amen” performed by Amira Willighagen and South Africa’s Ndlovu Youth Choir gave me chills the first time I heard it. My spirit soared. The juxtaposition of a classically trained voice with elements of Zulu chant momentarily lifted me to the gates of heaven as I reflected on those who are Christ’s redeemed—gathered from every tribe and tongue and nation, joyfully joining their voices together in ceaseless praise to the one Eternal Amen. Today’s art also reflects this idea. Both Schrauzer’s The Fruit of the Spirit painting as well as Pearsey’s Hope of All Nations depict the raising of holy hands in sincere worship as believers around the globe join in magnifying “The Way, The Truth and The Life.”
In her poem Annie Dillard exclaims, “A name, like a face, is something you have when you’re not alone.” Here she beautifully states why God created the human race—to give himself deep pleasure and to bring glory to his matchless name. We long for the day when this will happen completely—when “every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11). Then the deafening shouts of Amen, like a jolting, rolling thunder, will issue from the lips of billions, as the reverberating praises to the “Faithful and True Witness” crash through the resplendent realms of heaven. The great English preacher Charles Spurgeon wrote, “[Christ] hath God exalted, and he has exalted all his saints in him. He joys not for himself alone; the meanest Christian has a part in all the glories of the Savior. The enthronization of Christ is God’s solemn declaration and Amen that he will bless all his people, and make them kings and priests to reign for ever and ever.”
“Even so, come Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
AMEN and AMEN!! (Revelation 22:20-21).
Prayer:
Jesus, we adore You, the Eternal Amen!
In Your graciousness accept this, our song of praise:
O Most High, King of the Ages,
Great I AM, God of wonders,
by Your blood You have redeemed us.
Spotless Lamb, mighty Savior,
You lived and died, and rose victorious.
Now to the Lamb upon the throne—
be blessing, honor, glory, and power
for the battle You have won. Hallelujah!
With every tribe and every tongue,
we join the anthem of the angels
in the triumph of the Son.
Hallelujah to the Great Amen!
Who was, and is, and is to come!
World without end. Amen!!
Adapted from “Christus Victor (Amen)” by Keith and Kristyn Getty
Barry Krammes
Artist and Professor Emeritus
Art Department
Biola University
Thank you for joining us this Advent season. We are especially grateful to those who have supported this work and helped make it possible. We will return for the 2026 Lent Project on Tuesday, February 17. The theme for the 2026 Lent Project is "A Lenten Meditation on the Gospel of Mark: The Servant King We Long to Know!" You do not need to resubscribe; you will automatically receive the Lent devotionals.
About the Artwork #1:
The Fruit of the Spirit
Michael Schrauzer
1986–1987
Acrylic on linen
34.5 x 46.75 in.
Used with permission of the artist
The fruit of the Spirit, as described in Galatians 5:22–23, represents the characteristics of a life transformed by the Holy Spirit. These traits are essential for personal spiritual growth, evidence of a genuine relationship with God, and serve as a testimony of one’s Christian faith to others. The nine attributes of the fruit of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Christ lived out these traits in His everyday life, and as His followers we are called to strive to do the same as we spiritually mature.
About the Artist #1:
Michael Schrauzer (b. 1960) lives in Coronado, California, and taught at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. He received his B.A. in visual arts at the University of California, San Diego, graduating summa cum laude. He received his M.F.A. from the Claremont Graduate School, where he was awarded the Emily Ann Horowitz Memorial Fellowship. His haunting paintings are rich and complex, incorporating ancient Christian understandings of sacrament, symbol, and ritual. Art critic Gordon Fuglie writes of Michael’s work, “Charged and significant moments are a frequent feature in Schrauzer’s work: light breaking through clouds; the divine hovering above earthly matter; people on the verge of waking or unification; new dawns and final sunsets. Common to these moments is their relation to events that happen in time, but not necessarily in chronological order. Rather, it is God’s time—kairos instead of chronos—which concerns Schrauzer, the arrival of the divine that announces new possibilities for humankind. He also is concerned with kairos in its eschatological meaning: the time when the purposes of God for His creation attain fulfillment [in Christ].” His work has been represented by Lizardi/Harp Gallery in Los Angeles and has been exhibited throughout the country.
https://imagejournal.org/artist/michael-schrauzer/
http://www.michaelschrauzer.com/
About the Artwork #2:
Hope of All Nations
Rachel Pearsey
2006
Oil and fabric on canvas
30 x 40 in.
Used with permission of the artist
About the Artist #2:
Rachel Pearsey uses mixed media oil paint on used fabric to create pieces layered with depth and symbolism. She explores transcendent realities and seeks to convey them through images that penetrate the heart. Her work is exhibited in galleries throughout Southern California and can be found in private collections in North America, New Zealand, Australia, Morocco, and North Africa. Rachel currently lives and works in Morocco, where the colors, culture, and history of the location are highly influential, especially when it comes to biblical imagery. She is the co-founder and director of women’s initiatives and studios at Green Olive Arts in Tetouan, Morocco—an art residency and collaborative art space. This piece, Hope of All Nations, speaks to the unity Christians around the world find in Christ.
www.rachelpearsey.com
Music #1: “Forever Amen” from the album Forever Amen
Lyrics #1:
Let me hear the sound of Your voice,
And I will leave it all behind.
Let me hear the sound of Your voice,
And I’ll come running.
There’s something in the sound of Your voice,
That speaks to every part of me.
When I hear the sound of Your voice,
I’m alive.
I was made to love You,
It’s all I really know for sure.
All I am is wrapped up in You.
The center of my world.
I was made to love You,
From my beginning to my end.
And You’ll be my forever,
My forever Amen.
Let me hear the sound of Your voice,
And I will leave it all behind.
Let me hear the sound of Your voice,
And I’ll come running.
There’s something in the sound of Your voice,
That speaks to every part of me.
When I hear the sound of Your voice,
I’m alive.
I was made to love You,
It’s all I really know for sure.
All I am is wrapped up in You.
The center of my world.
I was made to love You,
From my beginning to my end.
And You’ll be my forever,
My forever Amen.
Amen, Amen, Amen.
About the Composers #1: Steffany Gretzinger and Jason Ingram
Jason David Ingram is an American Christian music producer and songwriter. Around the end of 2001, he was the first artist to be signed to Resonate Records, an INO Records partnership with Sonicflood's lead vocalist Rick Heil. He subsequently released his first album, Jason Ingram, in 2002. Ingram co-founded the band One Sonic Society in 2009, and is currently their lead vocalist. Ingram has written songs for many contemporary Christian music artists, including Bebo Norman's "I Will Lift My Eyes" and Salvador's "Shine." At the annual SESAC Awards, held in Nashville in 2007, Ingram received the Christian Songwriter of the Year award.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Ingram
About the Performer #1:
Steffany Gretzinger was a part of the Bethel Music family as a worship leader and a singer-songwriter. She has authored songs such as “Pieces,” “You Know Me,” “Letting Go,” “Be Still,” “Steady Heart,” “We Dance,” and many more. Gretzinger grew up in a musical home and has been involved in worship ministry since she was a child. She is featured on many albums, including Have it All, You Make Me Brave, Tides, For the Sake of the World, The Loft Sessions, and Be Lifted High. Steffany both in the United States and internationally.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steffany_Gretzinger
About the Music #2: “Amen”
Lyrics #2:
Amen.
About the Composer #2: Franna Benadé
Brothers Innes and Franna Benadé (b. 1962) are an Afrikaans singing duet. In 1985 they won the ATKV 's Crescendo Competition, and in 1987 they won the TV Debuut Competition, which introduced the public to new talent in Afrikaans music. Franna was born in Nylstroom, South Africa, in 1962. In 1989 he joined the South African Police Service, and in 1992 he released his first solo album. In 2001 he and his family moved to Harrismith, where he was the worship leader in their congregation.
https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innes_en_Franna_Benad%C3%A9
About the Performers #2: Amira Willighagen and Ndlovu Youth Choir
Amira Willighagen (b. 2004) is a Dutch soprano who won the sixth season of Holland's Got Talent in 2013, at the age of nine. Willighagen began her career as a singer by learning classical arias from watching YouTube videos. In 2013, the nine-year-old auditioned for the TV competition Holland's Got Talent. In 2014, Willighagen recorded her debut album for Sony Masterworks, Amira, which consisted of ten selections, including the arias she had sung in the TV competition. She gave her first international concert performances in 2014, appearing in South Africa and the United States. Using some of the proceeds from her performances, Willighagen contributes to a charity for building playgrounds for underprivileged children.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amira_Willighagen
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/amira-willighagen-mn0003239505#biography
Ndlovu Youth Choir is a South African musical group founded in 2009 by Ndlovu Care Group childcare community, based in Elandsdoorn, Limpopo, South Africa. In 2018, they released a single, "Shape of You," with South African flautist Wouter Kellerman. The song won Best Independent Music Video at the Hollywood Music Awards. Towards the end of 2019, they auditioned on America's Got Talent Season 14 but lost the competition. They have released three albums, including Africa (2019), Rise (2020), and Grateful (2022). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ndlovu_Youth_Choir
About the Poetry & Poet:
Annie Dillard (b. 1945) is an American author best-known for her narrative prose in both fiction and nonfiction. She has published works of poetry, essays, prose, and literary criticism, as well as two novels and one memoir. Her work Pilgrim at Tinker Creek won the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. From 1980, Dillard taught for twenty-one years in the English department of Wesleyan University, in Middletown, Connecticut. She is a member of the Academy of Arts and Letters and has received fellowship grants from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Influenced by poets Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman, Dillard writes compressed, lyric poetry and prose that engages the balance of daily life within the frame of literature and ideas. Dillard’s numerous books include the poetry collections Tickets for a Prayer Wheel (1974) and Mornings Like This: Found Poems (1995); the nonfiction books Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (1974), An American Childhood (1987), and For the Time Being (1999); and the novels The Living (1992) and The Maytrees (2007). Professor Emeritus at Wesleyan University, she lives in Hillsborough, North Carolina. A selection of her papers is archived at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Dillard
http://www.anniedillard.com/
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/annie-dillard
About the Devotion Author:
Barry Krammes
Artist and Professor Emeritus
Art Department
Biola University
Artist and educator Barry Krammes (b. 1951) received his B.F.A. in printmaking and drawing from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and his M.F.A. in two-dimensional studies from University of Wisconsin, Madison. For thirty-five years, he was employed at Biola University in La Mirada, California, where he was the Art Department Chair for fifteen years. Krammes is an assemblage artist whose work has been featured in both solo and group exhibitions, regionally and nationally. His work can be found in various private collections throughout the United States and Canada. He has taught assemblage seminars at Image Journal’s annual Glen Summer Workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Krammes has served as the Visual Arts Coordinator for the C. S. Lewis Summer Institute in Cambridge, England, and has been the Program Coordinator for both Biola University’s annual arts symposium and the Center for Christianity, Culture, and the Arts for several years. He has also been the editor of CIVA: Seen Journal for Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA), a national arts organization. For the last five years of his time at Biola, he was the planning coordinator for the CCCA. Krammes was the originator of the CCCA Advent and Lent Projects.