Normally part of being expectant parents is choosing a name for the child soon to be born into the family. This exercise can run the gamut of fun, amusing, challenging, or contentious.
The events leading up to the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ were anything but normal. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was visited by an angel with the news that she had been chosen to give birth to the promised Messiah. The conception of Jesus was a supernatural occurrence and did not involve a human father. Mary was betrothed to a man named Joseph. When he learned that his beloved Mary was expecting a child, he was confused and dismayed. Joseph then received an angelic visitation to explain the situation to him. Part of that message from the angel was to tell Joseph what to name the child. The angel said to him, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21, ESV)
