The angel tells Joseph to name the baby Jesus, “Jehovah is salvation.” In an earlier era a prophet predicts a virgin will bear a son and the child will be called Emmanuel, “God with us.”
We can carry those two names as secret names we remember to remind ourselves to think about. These two names together tell us much about God. God is with us and also He is salvation. Together these names tell us where God is and what He can provide for us.
In the disclosure of God’s nearness to us we cannot help but understand that God wants salvation for us. Wants us to experience that nearness. Wants us to experience the salvation present in that nearness. Wants us to discover the essence and activity of the Holy Spirit.
Isn’t that something we want as well?
Ann Glover O'Dell 