25 Names of Jesus: {Day 1} Advocate

Every year I like to do some sort of Christmas Countdown here on the blog, to help us focus on the true meaning of Christmas, the real reason for the season...Jesus!

I saw a cool idea floating around Pinterest where a family made 25 advent ornaments, each with one of Jesus' names written on it, and every day in December leading up to Christmas, they hung one ornament on their Christmas tree together. You can read about it here.

I thought I would take it one step further and discuss the meaning behind the names, showing where they are found in scripture. I will discuss one name a day, December 1-25, and will link them all back to this post, so that you can find them in one place to discuss with your family. Jesus actually has more than 25 names but these are the ones I have narrowed it to...

{Day 1}: Advocate

{Day 2}: Alpha & Omega

{Day 3}: Ancient of Days

{Day 4}: Author of Life

{Day 5}: Bread of Life

{Day 6}: Bright & Morning Star

{Day 7}: Chief Cornerstone

{Day 8}: Emmanuel

{Day 9}: Good Shepherd

{Day 10}: Great Physician

{Day 11}: Head of the Church

{Day 12}: High Priest

{Day 13}: King of Kings & Lord of Lords

{Day 14}: Lamb of God

{Day 15}: Light of the World

{Day 16}: Lion of Judah

{Day 17}: Living Water

{Day 18}: Lord of Glory

{Day 19}: Prince of Peace

{Day 20}: Rock of Ages

{Day 21}: Savior

{Day 22}: The Way, The Truth & The Life

{Day 23}: The Word

{Day 24}: True Vine

{Day 25}: Wonderful Counselor

Feel free to make your own ornaments and follow along! 

Or if you are the non-crafty type (like me), you can download these free printables from Cap Creations to hang instead! Each one has the name of Jesus on the front and the corresponding scripture on the back. She even shows you here how to make them into a fabulous Christmas garland!

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense – Jesus Christ, The Righteous One.” 1 John 2:1

An advocate is defined as...

noun

1.

a person who speaks or writes in support or defense of a person, cause, etc. (usually followed by of ): an advocate of peace.

2.

a person who pleads for or in behalf of another; intercessor.

3.

a person who pleads the cause of another in a court of law.

And that is exactly what Jesus does for those who are trusting Him for their salvation.  If we have put our faith and trust in Him, then His blood covers our sin and He stands in our defense before God when we sin, rendering a "not guilty" verdict because the punishment for our sin has already been paid in full by Him on the cross. "It is finished." (John 19:30)

You see, when Jesus died on the cross, He took our  my place. He endured the wrath of God, the wrath that we I deserved, so that our  my sins would not be counted against us me and so that we I would not have to spend eternity separated from God when we I die. 

Go here to find out how you can have salvation in Christ too, allowing you to have a personal relationship with God and eternal life in Heaven. And be sure to spend some time today, on this beautiful 1st day of December, thanking Jesus for taking your place and for speaking in your defense!

Stop back by every day through Christmas to read about His other names and check out our Christmas Pin Board for more ways to Keep Christ in Christmas! Feel free to leave the links to your own Christmas ideas and I will pin them to my board as well.

Happy December, friends! It's the most wonderful time of the year! :)

About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.