Exodus 34:1-8

Psalm 8

Romans 1:1-7

LUKE 2:15-21

Holy Name Day – January 1, 2006

Naming the Baby

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“. . . and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” (Luke 2:21)

As I grew up, I heard the stories of the naming of many babies of relatives and members of my father’s church. The ways of choosing a name and the sources of babies’ names were myriad. At the time, couples did not know the sex of the baby that was coming (even if the mother had some ideas). In some cases, it turned out that they did not even know the number of babies that were coming. So how were they to name the baby? For some it was a source of much discussion and planning. If it is a boy, it will be named “this”. If it is a girl, we are going to name it “this”. Some waited until the baby was born to start the process. In a few cases, names seemed to have been picked beforehand, but then they were replaced when the child was born. The naming processes were often studies in family history and functioning. In some cases, it was just mysterious. Why would you ever name a baby that? Sometimes the process was joyous; sometimes it was a series of compromises or even a power struggle within the family.

The story of how I got my name has always been one of my favorite stories. It said so much about my mother. She was a wonderful, loving person, but she was definitely not to be taken lightly. She had a way of getting her way when she thought it was important. It definitely said something about how things got done in my family.

Having lived for most of my life with the process where there was always an element of at least some surprise when it came time to naming the baby, I found it rather surreal when my nephew and his wife were recently going to have a baby(ies). Within a few weeks of conception, they knew that they would have twins. Not too long after that, they knew that one was a boy and one was a girl. By the end of the second trimester, the babies were named. I am sure that the babies knew their names well before they were born.

The sources of babies’ names are as myriad as the processes by which they get them. The names of parents, relatives and friends are certainly a common source. A lot of babies get their names from celebrities. Places from which the families came or the names of the families that owned the family when they were surfs or slaves are also common among family names as well as the occupations or trades of the families. Most names have a history and a meaning even if most of us are unaware of them.

For all of us, our names are important – whether we like them or not. Generally we like to be addressed by our names. Although I have known a few people who never wanted to be addressed by their names. Seldom though do we believe that names reveal the character, nature or purpose of a person. For the Hebrew/Jewish people of the Biblical period, a person’s name carried such importance and power. The name often was considered to reveal the very character and identity of the person. For this reason, God’s name was considered so sacred that by the time of the exile it was never pronounced. Sometime during or after the exile, its pronunciation was forgotten. We no longer know the primary name of the God of Israel. We only know the four consonants of the name but not the vowels. Yahweh is just a guess.

For the people of the Old and New Testaments, the meaning of the baby’s name was generally the very reason for the name. In fact many of the names that lectors wrestle with when reading the Old Testament lessons are translatable sentences. The majority of names found in the Old Testament and among Semitic peoples of the time were compound names that included some form of the name of God or title or form of address for God. Here are the translations for some of the names you hear in the Old Testament: ‘gift of Yahweh’, ‘God has given’, ‘Yahweh has heard’, ‘May Yahweh bless this child’, ‘May God strengthen this child’ and ‘Yahweh is my strength’.

So when in today’s lesson from Exodus, God stands with Moses on the mountain and proclaims His name as: “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation,” it is a bit long. But it certainly is not at all unusual for the Old Testament, though, as far as its form and its revelation of God’s character. I am sure that Carolyn is glad that it was translated in today’s lesson rather than being left in its original Hebrew form.

“. . . and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” (Luke 2:21)

Until the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, one of the first sentences in the rite of baptism was “Name this child.” In some cases, the child’s actual name was given. In other traditions, a “Christian” or “religious” name was given or added. The naming of the child was a part of the bringing of the child into the salvation community.

The action described in the last part of today’s Gospel lesson is similar. Circumcision was a rite given to Abraham and the Children of Israel by God, long before Israel was. It was the rite given for setting aside and dedicating male children to God and bringing them into the faith community. It was also the time that the child was given its name.

In today’s lesson, the name given is the one given by the angel: “Jesus”. This name, a form of Joshua in Hebrew and Aramaic, the language of Jesus and his people, was not all that unusual at the time. And like most Hebrew names, it had a meaning – “salvation”.

At the beginning of today’s Gospel and during the Gospel lessons of the past few Sundays and of the Christmas celebration, we have heard some pretty strange and miraculous stories. It has been interesting to observe the response of all of those involved to the various events described. For Mary, her response to the angel’s announcement was one of courage and obedience. For Joseph, his response to the angel was one of obedience, faith and caring for the mother and the child. For the shepherds, it was one of awe and curiosity. For those who heard the story that the shepherds told of what they had seen, the response was one of wonder.

In the part of Luke that immediately follows today’s lesson, Mary, Joseph and Jesus go to the Temple for the purification. While there, they are met by Simeon, a devout and righteous man who had looked for Israel’s consolation. Led by the Holy Spirit, when he sees the child, he praises God and says:

“Master, now you are dismissing

your servant in peace,

according to your word;

for my eyes have seen your

salvation,

which you have prepared in

the presence of all peoples,

a light for revelation to the

Gentiles

and for glory to your people

Israel.”

And they were amazed. But then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed – and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:22-35)

They are then met by Anna, who, at 84, had for years “never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day.” When she saw them, she “began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:37-38)

The response, though, in all of these stories that has always given me pause was Mary’s after the shepherd’s left. “But Mary treasured all of these words and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19) Faith was born – not full grown. She kept it all; considered it all; let it all shape her life and response to the child. Neither she nor Joseph went out and immediately did anything unusual. They were good, devout Jews. They did what good, devout Jews did. They obeyed the law, raised their child in the ways of their God and of their people. They prayed; they listened for God and looked for God’s direction. They taught Jesus the scripture and traditions. They protected him and cared for him.

They did not get it all. They did not understand it all immediately. They did not have it all figured out. Despite all that they had heard and seen and all that had happened, it was still a journey of faith and obedience to the end. They were still to know joy, expectation, fear, pain and confusion – all of the experiences and emotions of human life. They were still human. They were still learning the full meaning of the name “Jesus”.

In the beginning of his letter to the Christians in Rome, Paul says that he “has been called to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all of the nations.” (Romans 1:5) In his last letter, probably written from Rome, his letter to the Philippians, he says “that every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)

The New Testament is clear that some will find the name, the essence, the nature, the being of Jesus, the life, the message of Jesus to be the way of salvation. To others it will be foolishness or a stone for stumbling.

At the beginning of this New Year, what does the name of “Jesus” mean to you? Who is he for you and your life? What have the encounters that you have had done to your life? What is it that you keep in your heart and ponder? What is it that you wait for and long for? In what way is the name of “Jesus” the salvation of God for you and how do you live it out in your life?

Treasure the name and all of the words in your heart. Meet Jesus again with fresh eyes and ears, and let his name, his story and words again come anew to you in this year.

The Rev. William O. Breedlove

St. Barnabas Episcopal Church

Monmouth Junction, NJ