December 21: Jesus | Savior
♫ Music:
Week Four Introduction
December 21–27
Title: Names Associated with the Nativity of Christ
This is Christmas week, a time of great rejoicing for Christians throughout the world. During the next few days, we will focus on some of the many names surrounding the birth of Christ, titles we commonly hear during this season of the church year. When an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, he instructed him, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21 NKJV). Yeshua, or Joshua, Jesus’ name in Hebrew, means “Yahweh saves” or “The Lord is salvation.” “Jehovah God” of the Old Testament becomes “Jesus” in the New Testament as Jehovah Himself takes on the form of a mortal human.
The Spirit of God in the Old Testament is often characterized as temporary and given to selective individuals for specific reasons. In the New Testament, the relationship between God and mankind changes dramatically. Under the new covenant in Christ, an intimate relationship with God is possible. Believers now have permanent access to God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Immanuel (Emmanuel), “God with us,” is a significant name because God in Christ walked this earth with us and as a result is able to fully identify with the human condition and empathize with us on every level. The names we will mull over this week reflect the miraculous child that forever changed the unfolding events of human history when He was born over two thousand years ago in a Bethlehem cave.
“We sing, Immanuel, Thy praise, Thou Prince of life and Fount of grace, Thou Flower of heaven and Star of morn, Thou Lord of lords, Thou virgin born. Hallelujah!”
—Paul Gerhardt, 1653
Day 22 - Sunday, December 21
Title: Jesus | Savior
Scripture #1: Matthew 1:21 (NKJV)
“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Scripture #2: Luke 2:11–12 (NKJV)
“For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
Scripture #3: John 4:42 (NKJV)
Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
Poetry & Poet:
“Lachrimae Amantis”
by Geoffrey Hill
What is there in my heart that you should sue
so fiercely for its love? What kind of care
brings you as though a stranger to my door
through the long night and in the icy dew
seeking the heart that will not harbour you,
that keeps itself religiously secure?
At this dark solstice filled with frost and fire
your passion’s ancient wounds must bleed anew.
So many nights the angel of my house
has fed such urgent comfort through a dream,
whispered “your lord is coming, he is close”
that I have drowsed half-faithful for a time
bathed in pure tones of promise and remorse:
“tomorrow I shall wake to welcome him.”
Jesus the Savior
Before Jesus ever drew His first breath, His name burst into the world like light splitting the darkness. It is difficult to fathom the earth-shaking implications of that moment when an angel stood before Joseph and declared a miracle with a single sentence: “You shall call His name Jesus.” Yeshua. The Lord is salvation.
How glorious that moment when a weary world first learned that a Savior would be born, the hope foretold by prophets for thousands of years.
With that proclamation, the angel announced more than a birth. He announced the beginning of a rescue plan that the earth had longed for since Eden. As Paul wrote, “All creation has been groaning… waiting eagerly for redemption” (Romans 8:22–23).
For generations, the world lay dormant, yet God had not forgotten His promise: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:2). And in the fullness of time, God sent His son to reconcile all people to Himself forever.
The name of Jesus marked the dawn of redemption, as heaven unveiled its rescue plan: God Himself stepping into humanity to take on the sins of the world.
Jesus is the name that calms storms, heals the brokenhearted, and raises the dead. Jesus awakens our hope where none remains. Jesus: our peace, our salvation, and our friend.
This Savior was not only for the righteous, but for every heart that has wandered, doubted, or grown weary. He is a Savior for all who have sinned and all who have suffered. He is a Savior for you, and you are invited into relationship with Him.
At the heart of Christmas is a God who comes close. A God who saves. A man named Jesus, heaven’s greatest gift.
Today, let us meditate with great joy on the name of Jesus, the Savior of the whole world.
Prayer
Jesus, Savior of the world, thank You for entering our darkness with Your light. Thank You for bearing our sin in Your love beyond measure. Awaken our hearts today to the wonder of Your name. May Your grace transform us, and Your presence draw us near to You. Amen.
Erica Curtis
Adjunct Professor
English Department
Biola University
About the Artwork #1:
Names of Jesus #614
Timothy Botts
Calligraphy
Limited edition of 250 - signed and numbered
Printed on fine art paper with archival pigment-based inks
Image size appx. 10.75 x 13.75 in.
Used with permission from the artist
About the Artist #1:
Timothy R. Botts is an American artist who has focused on the art of calligraphy. He is well known for his transformation of Bible verses into pieces of art. Throughout his career, Botts has formed his own font, or what he refers to as a visual language with the use of colors, letter styles, letter paths, contrast, and repetition. Botts has painted on walls of churches and other places of worship with murals of Scripture that can be found at Good Shepherd Lutheran, Cornerstone Church, Naperville Bible Church, Trinity Church of the Nazarene, St. Francis House High School in Wheaton, and Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove. He hosts weekend calligraphy workshops throughout the United States as well as at the International Calligraphy Convention. Botts is quoted as saying, "Historically, the tradition of calligraphy has been to celebrate the text by embellishing it. In addition to that worthy goal, I seek to portray the words so that the meaning is expressed visually––what I call word pictures. I make use of the principles of graphic design to aid in this communication––color, style, contrast, depth, symbolism and movement—to name a few."
https://www.timbottscalligraphy.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Botts
https://www.eyekons.com/tim_botts/timothy_r_botts_home
About the Artwork #2:
The Nativity with a Torch (overall and detail views)
Le Nain Brothers
1635–40
Oil on canvas
118 x 148 cm
Private Collection
Public Domain
About the Artists #2:
The brothers Le Nain—Antoine, Louis, and Mathieu—flourished in Paris, France, during the second quarter of the seventeenth century and are renowned for their sympathetic portrayals of poor and rural laborers. Famed during their lifetime, the brothers were forgotten in the eighteenth century but were rediscovered two hundred years after their deaths by critics and artists of the nineteenth-century realist school of art, who appreciated their subjects and their complex, sensitive portrayals of working-class people. Until recently, their work has been shrouded in mystery. Little is known of their lives, and the attribution of their paintings to the hands of the individual brothers has been hotly debated.
https://kimbellart.org/exhibition/brothers-le-nain
About the Music #1: “That Beautiful Name” from the album Hark! The Herald Angels
Lyrics #1:
I know of a Name, a beautiful Name,
That angels brought down to earth.
They whispered it low one night, long ago,
To a maiden of lowly birth.
That beautiful Name, that beautiful Name.
From sin has power to free us
That beautiful Name, that wonderful Name,
That matchless Name is Jesus.
That beautiful Name, that beautiful Name
From sin has power to free us
That beautiful Name, that wonderful Name,
That matchless Name is Jesus.
About the Composers #1: Lyrics by Jean Perry, music by Mabel Johnston Camp
Dave and Jean Perry have been writing and publishing their songs for schools and churches for nearly thirty years. Their music has been performed by choirs in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, North America, and Australia. They have over two hundred fifty songs in print and are recipients of special composer awards from ASCAP. Jean Perry began her music education studies at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas, and completed her degree in choral music education at Arizona State University. She spent seventeen years as a junior high choral director and eight years as an elementary general music specialist and choir director before retiring in 2002. Jean now devotes a majority of her time to writing and composing. She travels throughout the United States working with choirs in clinic situations, presenting interest sessions to fellow teachers, and directing regional honor choirs.
https://www.halleonard.com/biography/367/dave-jean-perry
Mabel Johnston Camp (1871–1937) was an American contralto soloist and accomplished pianist. Mabel married a lawyer and they both converted to Christianity following their marriage. They were involved with the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois, and some of her songs first appeared in Moody publications. She often wrote both words and music, and sometimes only the music. When her husband became a traveling evangelist, Mabel stayed home in Chicago and raised money for underprivileged children. In 1920 she wrote an article entitled "And Today" for The Latter Rain Evangel, a popular Pentecostal magazine published by the Stone Church in Chicago, describing her recovery from a number of serious medical problems.
https://hymnary.org/person/Camp_MJ
https://conjubilant.blogspot.com/2008/11/mabel-johnston-camp.html
About the Performer #1:
George Beverly Shea (1909–2013) was a Canadian-born American gospel singer and hymn composer. Shea was often described as "America's beloved gospel singer" and was considered "the first international singing 'star' of the gospel world" as a consequence of his solos at Billy Graham Crusades and his exposure on radio, records, and television. Because of the large attendance at Graham's Crusades, it is estimated that Shea sang live before more people than anyone else in history.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Beverly_Shea
About the Music #2: “There’s Something about That Name” from the album Glorious
Lyrics #2:
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus;
There's just something about that name.
Master, Savior, Jesus,
Like the fragrance after the rain.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Let all Heaven and earth proclaim.
Kings and kingdoms will all pass away,
But there's something about that name.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus;
There's just something about that name.
Master, Savior, Jesus,
Like the fragrance after the rain.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus;
Let all Heaven and earth proclaim.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
There's just something about that name.
There's just something about that name.
There's just something about that name.
About the Composers #2: Bill and Gloria Gaither
William James Gaither (b. 1936) is an American singer-songwriter of Southern gospel and contemporary Christian music. Together with his wife Gloria (b. 1942), he has written more than seven hundred songs, including "The Longer I Serve Him," "Because He Lives," "The King Is Coming," "Sinner Saved By Grace," "Something Beautiful," "He Touched Me," "It Is Finished," "Jesus, There's Something About That Name," "I'm Gonna Sing," and "Let's Just Praise The Lord." Bill and Gloria’s songs have been performed by Christian artists including David Crowder Band, Carman, the Imperials, Sandi Patty, the Cathedral Quartet, the Speers, and the Heritage Singers; country singers including the Oak Ridge Boys and the Statler Brothers; and pop artists such as Elvis Presley. Gloria often writes the lyrics while Bill writes the music, although composing is usually a collaborative project between the two. In 2000, Bill and Gloria were named Christian Songwriters of the Century by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), an award based on which songwriters have had the most songs recorded over the past one hundred years. Also on their long list of special honors with Grammy Awards and Dove Awards, was their induction into Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Gaither
https://gaither.com/artists/gloria-gaither/
About the Performers #2: Rachel Jackson and Christ for the Nations Worship
Rachel Jackson is a professional singer, songwriter, and speaker. She is passionate about God and people and desires to bring healing, deliverance, restoration, and salvation through Jesus Christ to her audience. Jackson serves in many areas of Mobile Missions Network and Church Inside Out. She was nominated for Christian Artist of the Year by the Tulsa Music Awards. She writes music with an evangelistic heart to bring healing to the hurting. Rachel has served in missions, concerts, praise and worship encounters, outreaches, special events, camps, church services, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes events.
https://www.racheljacksonmusic.com/
Christ for the Nations Institute (CFNI) has been consistent in producing and releasing a live worship recording every year since 1974. CFNI has been a pioneer of live worship recording for many decades. A desire of CFNI is to corporately and individually encounter the presence of Jesus Christ, training students to become creative and worship out of their relationship with Him. Having been translated and recorded in various languages, the dynamic praise and intimate worship of CFNI continues to encourage and impact the people of God throughout the world.
https://cfni.org/worship/
About the Poetry & Poet:
Sir Geoffrey William Hill (1932–2016) was an English poet, professor emeritus of English literature and religion, and former co-director of the Editorial Institute at Boston University. Hill has been considered to be among the most distinguished poets of his generation and was called the "greatest living poet in the English language." From 2010 to 2015, he held the position of professor of poetry in the University of Oxford. Following his receiving the Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism in 2009 for his Collected Critical Writings, Hill was recognized as one of the principal contributors to poetry and criticism in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Hill
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/geoffrey-hill
About the Devotion Author:
Erica Curtis
Adjunct Professor
English Department
Biola University
Erica Curtis holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing and teaches English at Biola University and a Southern California community college. She is passionate about exploring the intersection of faith and storytelling, examining how narratives shape belief and identity. Above all, her most cherished role is being a mom to her four-year-old son.