The Lord is Jesus Christ

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9-11

Will you pray with me? Will you ask God to show the splendor of his majesty?

In many ways, that is what this whole passage has done. It demonstrated the power of Jesus to humbly submit to the will of his Father and be humiliated for our sake, but the grandeur of the story is in the recognition that his name is above all others.
What’s the big deal about the name?

Unlike our day, a name carries with it position, authority, status, and character. Paul says that when this name is announced all will bow and state the truth that the Lord is Jesus Christ. This is another way of saying that God is Jesus the Savior.

Many of us are embarrassed by this truth and we live as if Jesus isn’t Lord. We meditate on the humanity of Jesus and are thankful for the saving work of Christ, but in big and little ways we defy his supreme authority.
But the whole point of this section is that we are to conduct ourselves in light of the humble exalted authority of Jesus. He is not only the example of sacrificial love we are to employ in our care for one another as Christians and in our witness to the world, he is also the radiant power that makes this renunciation of self possible.

When we remember his name, when we remember that the Lord is Jesus the Christ, we know that our witness, our community, and worship are flowing from reality and not the faulty powers of this age.

O God,
We thank you for this beautiful passage that shows the scope of Jesus’s power and gift to us. Help us to love and serve one another out of reverence for the name that is above all names. Let this meditation change every interaction and thought we have, so that we bring you glory and all know of your magnificence. Amen