There are over 3,000 names recorded in my Dad’s Family Tree
Maker, 71 of them are my direct ancestors, grandmothers and fathers going back
12 generations. We also have an
extensive collection of photographs, letters and other traces of their
lives. Yet for many all we know is their
name, spouse, children and birth/death dates.
Even so, they are remembered, if only with a few lines in our tree.
Somehow don’t we all hope that we are remembered well after our passing?
I wonder about that as I walk up and down the rows of old
cemeteries looking for grave markers for those recorded in our family
tree. I have seen many markers so badly
deteriorated that names and inscriptions are no long visible and many stones
have broken off or tumbled over. I
imagine family members standing around the open grave, mourning the passing of
a loved one and yet now the memory of their once vibrant life has faded and
perhaps has even been forgotten with the passing of generations.
Genealogy is important to God too, as evidenced by the
record of Jesus’ ancestry in books of Matthew and Luke. So also, names are
important to God. In biblical times, the
meaning of names held much more importance and reflected something about the
person’s character or purpose.
Several hundred years before Christ, Isaiah foretold His
coming and even then, assigned him the name of Immanuel. “…the Lord himself will give you the sign.
Look! The virgin will
conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel
(which means ‘God is with us’). Isaiah
7:14 NLT
My
name is important to God too. So is yours.
The psalmist writes, “You saw me before I was
born/ Every day of my life was recorded in your book/ Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed. Psalm 139:16 NLT
This song entitled
“He knows my name” speaks to the reality of His watch over our lives:
I have a Maker
He
Formed My Heart
before even time began
my life was in his hands
He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
and
hears me when I call
I have a Father
He
calls me his own
He'll never leave me
no matter where I go.
(Song lyrics by Tommy Walker)
The opening pages of the book of Matthew shows us that Jesus’ name also carried special meaning as “Saviour.” “And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 NLT
The opening pages of the book of Matthew shows us that Jesus’ name also carried special meaning as “Saviour.” “And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 NLT
God loves families as well. Even before He made
the world, God devised a plan, a way for us to become part of His
family. “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own
family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted
to do, and it gave him great pleasure….”
Ephesians 1: 5 NLT
And now God’s plan has been fulfilled in Jesus,
Saviour, Immanuel. You are invited to meet Him at the manger, follow Him to the
cross and receive his most gracious and generous gift poured out for you
there.
Deborah Phillips
Christmas 2014
