What a name!

‘You killed the one who leads to life, but God raised him from death – and we are witnesses to this. It was the power of his name that gave strength to this lame man. What you see and know was done by faith in his name; it was faith in Jesus that has made him well, as you can all see.’ (verses 15, 16)

Read Acts 3:11-26

Do you know the meaning of your name? My Christian name comes from a Greek word which means ‘watchman’ – not a person who builds timepieces but someone who keeps a lookout for danger. All names mean something. Especially in traditional cultures names are extremely important. They have power inherent in them, they are the means of access to particular individuals and they represent the person’s identity.

When they were asked by what name they had healed the crippled man, Peter replied that they had done it with the name of Jesus.

This is the name God’s Son received when he became a human being. Jesus means saviour. Through this name we have access to God. It is a name that has power. It is a wonderful name, because it is the name by which we are saved.

Dear Jesus, thank you for making your name known to me so that I can have peace with God through you. Amen.

by Greg Graham, in ‘Guidance for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2002)

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