In the name of God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Amen.
“What’s
in a name? That which we call a rose / by any other name would smell as sweet.”
That famous line, spoken by Juliet, is a question that philosophers and
linguists have wrestled with for centuries. I come down on the side that
believes that language shapes our experience of the world. Some languages are
constructed differently and therefore shape their cultures in substantive ways.
If you’ve studied a foreign language, you know that in addition to learning
vocabulary and grammar, if you’re going to be proficient, you must also learn
the worldview of the language. So I would disagree with Juliet, and as Romeo and Juliet plays out, it becomes
clear that, indeed, names do matter.
Today
we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Name. Most years, when you come to church on
a Sunday in the Christmas season we celebrate either the First or the Second
Sunday of Christmas. But not this year, as January 1 falls on a Sunday. As the Prayer Book directs, the Feast of the
Holy Name takes precedence over the regular Sunday readings. Perhaps you came
this morning, excited to sing more Christmas hymns. And we will sing a couple
during Communion, but the emphasis of this day is on the name of Jesus. As I
often tell people, if the Church won’t keep its own calendar, we can’t expect
society to do it for us. So, today our attention is turned to the name that is
above all names: Jesus.
This
feast is rooted in Scripture, though there is only one verse about it – as we
heard read: “After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and
he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the
womb.” It was, and still is, the common practice to circumcise Jewish males on
the 8th day after their birth. For those of you keeping track, that
makes this the 8th day of Christmas. In addition to the
circumcision, the child was named. In older traditions, this day was called the
Feast of the Circumcision. But that name isn’t at all the most appealing of
names. If I had advertised this service as the “Feast of the Circumcision,” you
might have attended with a bit more trepidation.
But
both aspects are important to our keeping this feast. The fact that Jesus was
circumcised on the 8th day, as prescribed by Leviticus, firmly
cements Jesus’ identity as Jewish. Since Abraham, the sign of the covenant for
Jews has been male circumcision. Now, this isn’t a sermon on circumcision – if
you want to read more about it, and why scholars think it became a custom of
the Jewish people, then feel free to read up on it. Rather, the focus is the
theology of circumcision. The practice, quite literally, makes Jewish males
different, physically different.
We
don’t know why it is, but God chooses to save all people through one people.
Through the Jewish people and the nation of Israel, God becomes intimately
known and God’s salvation for the world comes through them. This was a shock in
the time of the Old Testament – as each nation had its own god who would
provide for them, but there wasn’t really a focus on people beyond their tribe.
But the God of Israel is different. As God tells Abraham, “I will make of you a
great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will
be a blessing… in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Through
one specific people, God chooses to save all people.
This
is what Jesus’ circumcision is about – linking him to this promise of God.
Jesus does not come to abolish, supersede, or supplant the Torah and the Prophets,
but rather to bring them to fuller fruition. So it is crucial to remember that
Jesus is a part of God’s on-going salvation for the world through Israel. And
we see this same dynamic in Jesus – that God chooses to save all people through
one person.
This
is what Jesus’ name means: “God saves.” “Jesus” is the translation of the
Hebrew name “Joshua” into Greek. And that name is built with two Hebrew words – Ya, which is part of God’s proper name;
and yasha, which means to “save” or
“help.” When Jesus is given this name, it fulfills a promise. The angel comes
to Mary and tells her that they are to name the child Jesus. By doing so, it
signals that Mary and Joseph are faithful and obedient to God. And the name
also signals that Jesus is a part of the on-going salvation of God.
There
is, of course, great power in Jesus’ name. That name has been used for
thousands of years in exorcisms and prayers against evil spirits. Nearly every
prayer that is used concludes with some version of “this we prayer in Jesus’
name.” Jesus’ name is indeed a powerful one; though he goes by many other names
in Scripture: Lamb of God, Emmanuel, King of kings, Son of God, Lord of lords,
Bread of Life, Word, Lord, Alpha and Omega, Good Shepherd, Light of the World,
Great Physician, Prince of Peace, Messiah, Christ, Rabbi, Cornerstone, Savior,
Great High Priest, Prophet, the Resurrection and Life, the Way, Truth, and
Life. Which resonates most deeply with you? I invite you to ponder those names
of Jesus this week, seeing which is the most helpful and true to you. Think
about why that particular name of Jesus strikes you. Pray to God for the
guidance and wisdom to go deeper into that name.
Whichever
name of Jesus is the most meaningful, today we celebrate his given name. It is
a powerful name. You might know that most Jews and many Christians do not
pronounce the proper name of God, which God spoke to Moses. Instead of pronouncing
that name, they say “Lord.” But as God comes to us in Jesus, God becomes more
fully known, and God’s name becomes pronounceable – Jesus. And this is a name
that isn’t just a nice symbol, or a name full of theological depth, but Jesus’
name is operative. That is, Jesus’ name actually saves. To turn Shakespeare’s
phrase, a Messiah by any other name wouldn’t be as sweet.
Do
you know the story of your name? Why were you named your name? In the worldview
of the Bible, names are extremely important. Names mean something, they are
even prescriptive. So, for example, “Abraham” means “father of many;” “Moses”
means “drawn out,” alluding both to how he was drawn out of a basket in the
Nile and how he would draw out the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt; and
“Ruth” means “companion,” as she was a companion to Naomi.
Names
in Scripture are much more than names, they are blessings. A blessing in the
Bible isn’t at all what we think of when we think of a blessing. A Biblical
blessing isn’t wishing someone well, it isn’t giving them permission, and it
isn’t an affirmation. Rather, a blessing is the passing on of power and
prosperity. Think of Jacob and Esau and how their father, Isaac, only has one
blessing to give. Blessings aren’t unlimited because they actually bestow
something.
What
makes the name of Jesus so powerful is that his name, and therefore the
blessing of God’s salvation, is given to each of us in Baptism. It’s why we
Baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit. It’s why in the book of
Acts when it becomes known that a group
of people was baptized in John the Baptist’s community, but not in the name of
Jesus, they are immediately baptized again in the name of Jesus. And so Jesus’
name becomes a blessing for us – because in it we take on God’s name.
We
see this idea of names and blessings going together in the reading from
Numbers. God says “So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will
bless them.” You probably recognized that blessing, as it’s one that I often
use. It’s called the “Priestly blessing,” as it is given by God to Moses to
give to Aaron, the priest, to say over the people. This blessing is actually
the oldest bit of the Bible that we’ve ever found. That isn’t to say it’s the
oldest part of the Bible, but of all the fragments of Scripture that we’ve
discovered, the oldest one is this blessing – showing just how important this
blessing has been to the faithful through the generations.
The
blessing indicates that God will bless us and keep us – protecting us, being
with us, giving us our daily bread. The blessing shows that God bestows upon us
the light of revelation, joy, and warmth and this gives us the grace of God’s
mercy, love, and forgiveness. And the blessing tells us that God lifts up his
countenance, that is, his gaze, upon us. God sees us, and this gives us peace.
It’s a beautiful blessing, and it all comes to be because it puts God’s name on
us.
This
is what Jesus’ name does for us through our Baptism – it actually makes us a
part of God, and through that, we are blessed. Again, this blessing might not
be what the world calls a “blessing,” that is, only good and pleasant things.
But it is the blessing of salvation, a blessing that promises God’s presence at
all times, a blessing that means that joy can be found in brokenness, a
blessing that is built upon God’s faithfulness.
I
want to conclude by giving you a bit of homework, and since today is New Year’s
Day, I strongly commend it to you as a resolution for this near year. As a way
to reflect on the name of Jesus, to know more fully the blessings of your
Baptism, to be aware of God’s faithful promises of peace and joy, I commend the
Jesus Prayer to you. The Jesus Prayer dates back to the 5th century
in Egypt. It’s a very short prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me. There
are some variations to it, if you like. You can lengthen it by including one or
more extra phrases, such as “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have
mercy on me, a sinner.” But even at its shortest form it is a prayer used by
Christians all over the world.
The
way to use the prayer is simply to repeat it to yourself, constantly. As you
sit in traffic, as you approach the altar for Communion, as you run on the
treadmill, as you walk the dog, as you cook dinner, as a part of your prayer
life and meditation. Just whisper to yourself “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on
me.” If you want do it in a more contemplative fashion, you can say “Lord Jesus
Christ” as you breathe in, inviting God more fully into your life, and as you
breathe out, you can say “have mercy on me,” indicating your prayer for mercy
throughout your life and world.
The
Jesus Prayer is a great way to meditate on the Holy Name, and to internalize
God’s love, peace, and joy. Some who have used this prayer say that by using it
regularly, it becomes second nature, that God “happens” in you. A well-known
proponent of his prayer is the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams,
who has said “It is not a magical invocation, but a vehicle to detach you from
distraction and draws you into the mind of Christ.” If you want to learn more
about the prayer, the book The Way of the
Pilgrim is based on it.
This
year, if you seek to go deeper in your faith, if you seek to know more fully
the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, if you seek God’s blessings
for you and those around you, if you want to experience the power of Jesus’
name, I commend to you the Jesus Prayer. Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.
Try it out, so that the same mind will be in you that was in Christ Jesus.
Amen.
