Advent Reader: What's in a Name?

Luke 1:57-66

In today’s passage, Elizabeth gives birth to a son just as the angel had said to Zechariah. It is clear from the passage that the cultural expectation at the time was that the baby would be named after his father or, at the very least, another relative.

The new parents break this convention and name the boy John, the name given to them by the angel, which means “God is gracious”.

If we are to follow God’s word, we won’t always conform to what the culture we live in expects from us. The things God calls us to do may be unexpected in small ways, like going against a naming convention, or they could be radically counter-cultural.

Elizabeth and Zechariah had every reason to believe that they would never have children but God had other plans for them and they trusted Him. If we put our trust in God and follow His way, we can be sure that He will do what He says He will.