Name of Jesus
Luke 2:15-21; Numbers 6:22-27, Philippians 2:5-11
It was years ago now. I was a young student pastor interning on the north side of Chicago. The meeting was a cluster of interns and pastors meeting with professors from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. As we gathered, I found myself sitting next to Dr. Norquist, a New Testament professor who Chris knew but I had never met. The leader of our group suggested that we begin by telling what history we could about our names. As we went around the group, each person told how they had been named for some famous person or favorite family relative or for the meaning their name had in a certain language. When it came my turn I noted that my first name was Douglas which given when I was born was likely the result of the high press profile for General Douglas McArthur and at the movies the popularity of Douglas Fairbanks and Kirk Douglas. I noted that my middle name was LeRoy, the same as my father's middle name but I really didn't like it because it sounded so silly. I then tuned to my right as Dr. Norquist introduced himself, Dr. Leroy Norquist. Years later I found out that Leroy was Dr. Norquist's middle name also. He hadn't liked his first name of Nils. Most of us don't have a lot to say about the name we have although we often make assumptions about people based on their name sometimes even without meeting them. Some names seem ironic or even funny. One of Pastor Chris' classmates was named Larry Sexe which meant that after his ordination he was Pastor Sexe (his middle name by the way was Leroy). Another friend of ours from college was named Michel (pronounced Michelle) Desiree Clark. HE stood 6'2" and easily weighed 200 pounds. He was named after French Canadian ancestors. No one ever called him Michel. We called him "Mike."
Names give identity and often carry reputation. There are some family names that instantly cause us to have certain feelings or expectations. Certainly the names Kennedy and Bush have now been established in the political vocabulary of our country. Some names instantly cause us to think in terms of negatives like the name Hitler or more recently in western society, Osama. Some names mean differently at differing times in history. Judas Maccabbee was one of the great leaders of the Jewish faith in the 2nd century before Christ. The Maccabbean family is still remembered in the Jewish community to this day for their leadership and important role in bringing light and hope to the Jewish nation in fighting the Roman army occupation. It was the Maccabees who reclaimed the Temple in Jerusalem and during the purification ritual established the observance of Chanukah. But after the time of Christ the name Judas became associated with the disciple who betrayed Jesus--Judas Iscariot. As Christianity spread, the name Judas became increasingly despised. To call someone a Judas came to mean that person could not be trusted, they were a betrayer.
Today is celebrated in the church as "The name of Jesus Sunday." It is a day that recalls ancient ritual and connects Old and New Testament. We must begin by remembering that every Jewish baby born in the first century, much like today, would be circumcised and named on the 8 th day after birth. This was according to the most respected Mitzvah or teaching of the Jewish faith as established in the book of Genesis. According to the first book of the Bible, God establishes a covenant with Abraham and his descendents and directs that there be an everlasting sign of this relationship. The 8 th day was the moment when the covenant was established with each new born male of the faith. It comes down to us thousands of years later through simple addition. If we celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25 then the 8 th day after his birth is January 1. The new year is begun with a reminder of the covenant God established of old with humanity. The new year is begun with a fulfillment of ancient ritual in the form of God's new creation for all humanity--a baby named Jesus. The name had been revealed by the angels to Mary and Joseph. That, of course, is not exactly what the angel said since we assume that the name was a Hebrew name. The name that we use is Jesus, which is actually the Latin form of the Greek name transliterated from the Hebrew. The Hebrew name would have been Jeshua or Joshua which means God is Salvation or God saves his people. This was a popular name recalling the great leader of the Israelites who followed Moses and led the people into the promised land. We know that at least four of the high priests of the first century shared this name as did Jesus Barabbas, the criminal who was released on Good Friday when Jesus of Nazareth was crucified.
What's in a name? We remember Shakespeare's Juliet reflecting on this question and concluding that a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet. Yet the power of a name can divide families and cultures. The name of God is an ultimate point of division. Whole religions have been conceived around the "correct" identification of God. Certainly the Christian, Jewish and Moslem communities mark as one of their defining characteristics the name or names that each community chooses to use for God. We love to name things. From the earliest stories of the Bible we recognize that one of the distinguishing marks of humanity is the need and desire to name things. The first man and woman had among other duties, the naming of each creature God created. The name and identity are somehow connected. The ancients believed that to know the name of something was to have power over that thing. It is true even today. Anyone who has ever been hospitalized knows that the first thing the medical staff does is try to name the disease or condition you have. We run tests and take biopsies seeking to name the illness. We are a product of the 19th century which saw science defined in large part by its ability to catalog and name the known world. Every rock, plant; insect and animal was carefully observed and named. To get the name right.
Do you remember the first time you discovered in biology class that there was a bird that was a member of the Animalia kingdom, phylum Chordata, Subphylum Vertebrata, Class Aves, Order Passeriformes, Family Turdidae, Genus Turdis, Species Turdus migratorius which up to that time you had always thought was just a robin. And so the quest was on to name everything in creation. We name our pets, our cars, our schools, our companies, our cities, our buildings, our discoveries, our hurricanes, our ships, our children, and ultimately we want to name our God.. Not surprisingly, the chronicles of faith are expansive in naming our God. Consider a short list compiled from this Advent season and the Christmas cards we received. Each name is more descriptive. There is Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Wonderful Counselor, Holy One, Lamb of God, Prince of Life, Lord God Almighty, Lion of Judah, Root of David, Word of Life, Advocate, The Way, Dayspring, Lord of All, I Am, Son of God, Good shepherd, Messiah, The Truth, Savior, Chief Cornerstone, King of Kings, Righteous Judge, Light of the World, Head of the Church, Morning Star, Sun of Righteousness, Lord Jesus Christ, Resurrection and Life, The Alpha and Omega.
But on this day we call him Jesus for that is what he represents. Jesus--Joshua--he who saves. If we can name it we want to believe that we can control it. That is why we worry so about identity theft. Our name and reputation can be stolen and misused. And we know how hard it is to regain one's name and reputation. We want to protect ourselves against such evil. To hold on to who we are. A name. The name. God's name. Protected by a commandment yet so often abused. To know the name of God is no small thing. Actually to know anyone's name is no small thing. Psychologists tell us that the average person can retain in their active memory (the place where you have instant recall) only about 4-500 names. For every name that enters your active memory one name slips out the back door. I sometimes start to do the names calculations. There are 33 members of my family and 53 aunts, uncles, cousins and their families that I can actually name up in Minnesota plus nine more members of Chris's family plus our son's girlfriends and their families plus around 650 members and friends of this congregation and immediately I begin to hear the backdoor of my brain banging as name after name exits. What if one of the names exiting is the name of God--the name of Jesus? Is it possible to forget God's name?
That is the reason for the covenant. The promise God makes with us this day. It is called a benediction--a blessing. It takes many forms but the most familiar is probably that of our first lesson for today where Moses is given the familiar words of blessing. What we often fail to realize is that a blessing is not a wish or desire. The benediction as given to Moses was a declaration of fact. It was the placing of God's name on the people. "The Lord bless you and keep you " It is not a request of God but an affirmation that this is what God has done and will continue to do. "the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you"-- Yes, this is the promise of a coming year--Life in God's smile--life lived by grace. "the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace " This is a promise of something more than a happy new year for God says that they who receive this benediction shall put on my name and I will bless them. To wear God's name. Of all the fashion logos we wear--the Abercrombie and Old Navy. All the team colors we sport--be it Bears or Sox or Cubs or Bulls--universities or colleges. All the names that we wear each day. There is one name above all others--the mark of the benediction, the blessing of grace and peace, the name that marks this day--the name of Jesus. It is not ours to put on. It is the mark that has been placed on us. The sign of the cross received in baptism. All we can do is affirm its presence, remember its place in our lives and live in the certainty of its presence.
Who are you? There are so many ways to answer that question, but the simplest is with our name. Our whole name--the name by which we were baptized and claimed as a member of God's family. We bear the name of Christian. There is great history in that name--great tradition--great meaning. On this Name of Jesus Sunday we are invited once more to celebrate the power of this name--to celebrate the name of Jesus
Amen