The Power in the Names of Christ at Christmas
- Gary L Ellis
- Dec 20, 2025
- 4 min read
The safest way to avoid being transformed by Jesus is to keep him in the manger.
Small. Quiet. Manageable.
A baby. Peaceful. Contained.
But the names given to Him in Scripture make that impossible.The Scripture won’t cooperate with that version. Maybe you already know (or don’t) the Christmas story doesn’t introduce Jesus. It reveals him.
And it does so by the names it reveals.
Names Are Never Just Names
In the ancient world, names weren’t nicknames or placeholders. They were declarations.
A name told you who someone was, what authority they carried, and what they were sent to do. To know a name was to understand that person’s calling.
So when Scripture keeps piling names onto Jesus, it’s not being poetic. It’s being precise.
Each name pulls back another layer. Christmas isn’t God saying, “Here’s a baby.” It’s God saying, “Here’s who’s been with you all along.”
We Call Him Jesus — And Miss How Powerful That Is
“Jesus” comes from Yeshua. It means “The Lord saves.”
That’s not a hopeful wish. It’s a job description.
The angel doesn’t say, “Name him Jesus because he’s sweet.”Instead, “Name him Jesus because he will save his people.”
Not advise them. Not inspire them. Save them.
Every time we say the name Jesus, we’re saying the problem is real — and so is the rescue.
We Say “Christ” Like It’s a Last Name
Christ isn’t a surname. It’s a title. It means “The Anointed One.”
In Israel, prophets were anointed. Priests were anointed. Kings were anointed.
Jesus is all three — at once.
He speaks truth. He absorbs sacrifice. He reigns.
Before anyone rocked him to sleep, heaven had already crowned him.
Emmanuel Was Not a Sentimental Idea
Emmanuel means “God with us.”
Not God watching.Not God sending instructions. But, God with us
God who knew hunger, being tired, misunderstood, tempted, full of joy and also grieving.
Christmas isn’t about God visiting humanity for a weekend.It’s about God moving in.
If Emmanuel is true, then God knows your fear from the inside — not as an observer, but as a participant.
Prince of Peace Doesn’t Mean “Everything Is Fine”
We hear Prince of Peace and think quiet, calm, and peaceful.
That’s not what peace means in Scripture.
Peace — shalom — means wholeness. Broken things put back together.
Jesus doesn’t promise a trouble-free life. He promises God’s presence inside the trouble. That’s not decorative peace. That’s miracle-working peace.
Savior and Redeemer
Here’s the reality: a Savior rescues what can’t rescue itself.
A redeemer — in Hebrew — is someone who buys back a family member from bondage.
Redemption isn’t God tolerating you.It’s God claiming you.
The Real Lamb of God
A lamb doesn’t conquer by force. It submits. That’s the scandal.
Think about this for a moment: Jesus doesn’t overpower evil. He absorbs it. And somehow — against all instinct — that’s how it loses.
If that doesn’t mess with our definitions of power, we’re not paying attention.
The Light of The World
Light exposes. It reveals. It disrupts darkness by existing. Jesus doesn’t just make life warmer. He makes it clearer.
That’s good news — unless you prefer shadows, and I don’t think you do. Not really.
Christmas Was Never Meant to Be Small
The problem isn’t that we celebrate the baby.
It’s that we stop there.
The manger isn’t the point. It’s the doorway.
This child is Savior, Redeemer, Light, Advocate, and King.
He’s the same yesterday, today (right now at this moment in the circumstances of your life), and Forever.
And every year, the story invites us to let him be as big as his names say he is.
The Bottom Line
Christmas doesn’t ask us to admire a baby.It asks us to reckon with a Savior.
The names given to Jesus don’t exist to decorate the season or soften the story. They confront us with who actually showed up.
Savior means we needed rescuing. Redeemer means we were in bondage. Prince of Peace means our lives are fractured. Light of the World means there is real darkness. Lamb of God means salvation costs something.
If we reduce Christmas to sentiment, we avoid the implications. But if we take the names seriously, they offer our response. You don’t casually sing about a King. You don’t politely nod at a Redeemer. You don’t remain unchanged after meeting Emmanuel — God with YOU.
The Christmas story isn’t meant to make us feel warm. It’s meant to make us honest, humble, and vulnerable. It’s meant to point to the full scope of abundant life.
Because if Jesus truly is who his names declare him to be, then Christmas isn’t something we observe once a year. It’s something we choose, daily.
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