This is Holy Name Sunday-- a celebration of our Savior and Lord as a little human baby, being named-"Jesus." And it is first day of the year-- Happy New Year!
Have you made resolutions for the New Year? Have you named the things that you hope to change, or to accomplish, or to happen? I have--I haven't broken too many of them yet, but the day's young. . . .
I've been thinking about resolutions as I've been thinking about this sermon, because both of them involve "naming." What is it about "naming" a thing that sometimes seems so important? Every year, I make Ron go through an exercise of naming the best and worst things of the year-- and we name the things we look forward to, and those we want to leave behind; and we name all kinds of things-- the most happy moment, the saddest, the most challenging . . . there's something about naming events and their importance that helps me to put them to bed-- ascribe a place to them. Do you do this? Do you wonder why it makes a difference?
Isn't it true, as Shakespeare said, that A rose by any other name would smell as sweet? I know many parents who don't think so-they spend hours poring over names, trying to find just the "right one." In Sudan, when a person becomes a Christian, they take a new name-a biblically based name, usually-- and they'll spend months before the baptism searching for just the right name. They know there is something about the name that makes a difference . . . . they want the right name.
Do you remember Roots-- it was a series that changed our culture forever by naming a wrong-- slavery-- in a way that touched our hearts and minds powerfully. As I remember the story, there is a young man, Kunta Kinte, who is captured in Africa, and taken in a slave-ship to America. The year is 1767, and that year, Kunta Kinte is sold into slavery. His owner tries to call him by a new name-- Toby-- but Kunta Kinte won't accept that name-- and he won't accept slavery; he tries to escape. His foot is chopped so that he can't run, but still he tries to get away. Kunta Kinte then falls in love, and he and his wife have a baby; He is torn-- slaves were not allowed to stay together just because they were families, and many black families were torn apart by selling of family members. Trouble slaves, and runaway risks such as Kunta Kinte, were likely candidates to be sold. So Kunta Kinte gives up his dream to run away to freedom.Instead, in a scene that I remember clearly to this day, he takes the baby to a place away from the huts and under the stars, and holds her up to God and names her-- and gives her the name Kizzy-- "stay put."
Alex Haley, who wrote Roots, says that Kunta Kinte never accepted his slave name of Toby in private-- there, he was always Kunta Kinte. "Heirs kept his heroic defiance alive, whispering the name of Kunta Kinte from one generation to the next" until it reached a young boy growing up in Tennessee-- Alex Haley. And Alex Haley proclaimed Kunta Kinte's name to the world. There was power in Kunta Kinte's name, and power in the telling of the story.
Names mean something. The great epistemologist Ludwig Wittgenstein tells us that we can only come to know and understand the things we have names for. The names may be insufficient, but the more names we can give to denote differences, the more differences we can discern. (Eskimos have a hundred names for snow-and they discern the difference in those 100 kinds-- where the language doesn't have words, the differences are not noted). Without naming, and putting words to describe a thing, we can't know it or use it or convey its meaning.
God cares about names, too-- in fact, the first job he gave man to do was to name the animals; and he named Adam and then Eve; and the naming recorded in the Bible shows us that God changed the names of people to show important changes in their relationships with him. He changed Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah, as indication of the covenant with them; he changed Jacob's name to Israel to show that Jacob would become the spiritual father of a people of God; Jesus changed Simon's name to Peter to show his change from a disciple to a close follower who he would call the rock of the church; and Revelation tells us that we all will have new names, known only to God, when in heaven.
To prepare the way for the birth of God the Son, to be named Jesus, Gabriel first told Zechariah to name the baby he and Elizabeth would have, John, (meaning, "Yahweh has shown favor")-- and then told Mary to name her child of the Holy Spirit Jesus (which means "God Saves").
God declared that it was by the name of Jesus that his son would be known. "Jesus" was not an uncommon name at the time-- rather like Michael now-- but, just as Wittgenstein noted for snow, the name of Jesus gives rise to many more names to begin to describe the attributes that that one name denotes: just think of the Messiah choruses-- and his name shall be called: Wonderful Counselor; the Mighty God; Everlasting Father; Prince of Peace-- and from the Hallelujah chorus: King of Kings; Lord of Lords!
My concordance lists 102 titles and names for Jesus, including, Alpha and Omega; Author of our Salvation; Bread of Life; Chief Shepherd; Deliverer; Eternal Father; Head of the Church; Holy and Righteous One; Immanuel; Lord of All; Light of the World; Morning Star; Rose of Sharon; Word of God.
102 phrases or terms used to stand for the name Jesus! Think how many words would be needed to list adjectives and attributes-- Sweet Jesus, Loving Jesus, Jesus my Lord and savior! And the one name, Jesus, stands for all of these! Truly the name Jesus really is "name above all names."
Philippians says that "at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bend." It is because in the name "Jesus" all the attributes and titles that we've just gone over-- and countless more besides-- are conveyed. Have you ever been told just to say the name "Jesus" when you're in danger, or depressed, or seeking a closer relationship with God in prayer?
I have. I was told once that to say the name "Jesus" aloud would cause evil spirits to flee from me. I didn't actually believe that, but I did note that just saying the name Jesus made me feel better-- refocused my mind. Then I read about a man who is now a Methodist minister in Texas. His testimony is that he was a confirmed atheist and a hateful, greedy person. He suffered a massive heart attack in Paris, and died on a stretcher in the hospital. He had a "near-death" experience in which he saw his body, knew it had died, and found himself in a dense grey fog-like state. He didn't know what to do, but he knew he couldn't get back to the body. He heard his name called, and followed until he was in a dark place, where creatures began to pull at him, prod, and shriek; they became more insistent as he became more resistant; he suddenly knew he was going to hell.
He despaired; but he suddenly remembered a song from his childhood: and in great sadness he began to sing: Jesus loves me, this I know . . . At the name of Jesus, the beings let go of him and screamed for him to stop singing. He repeated Jesus loves me-- and at every mention of Jesus, the beings moved farther away, until at length, he was alone. In that pitiable state, as he thought of his life, death, and now his future, he came to say a very brief prayer: Jesus, I'm sorry. Please help me. And with those words, he saw a pinprick of light a great distance away-- and then, just as suddenly as the light appeared, it was with him, and he was filled with warmth, and love and joy-- and he knew he was with Jesus. He wanted nothing more than to stay there, but Jesus told him he must return to earth; when the man said, he could not go back and be as he was before, Jesus assured him he would not be. And he has not been. But he has preached and made known the powerful name and most loving person of Jesus ever since.
Jesus. The Lord. In His name is power and strength; in His name is fullness of love and joy; in His name is salvation. I invite us all to think on His name today-- to put words to his name, words that put his name above all names; let us reflect and name the attributes that express and give life to who he is to ME.
My words will include naming him as my friend-- my strength and my redeemer-- What words will you use?
Let us end by praying in the words of our collect:
Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every heart, we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.