My mom once, somewhat jokingly, told me that I was named for the season in which I was born. For those who don’t know, can you guess when I was born? My birthday was yesterday. So, yeah, Chris, Christmas – it does work. How about other folks, do we know how we got our names and what they mean?
Names are a gift that provides a meaningful way to identify our children, our fur babies, and indeed our world. Through names we can create connections to families and traditions or create new ones. Names can be a way of sharing our hopes and dreams about those we name. We may choose names that reflect characteristics we hope will be embodied or perhaps already see. We may choose names that have a special significance for us. We may choose names that are unique in the hopes that our children will make their own way in the world. There are a lot of things to consider when we gift children, fur babies, and indeed, all aspects of our world with names.
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.
When the time came for Joseph and Mary to name their child, the choice was pretty simple. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Joseph heard in a dream that the child was to be named Jesus. According to the Gospel of Luke, Mary was told by the angel Gabriel to name him Jesus. The work had been done for them. Choosing to listen to the angels, Jesus became the earthly name, the name that echoed throughout the region as he travelled, and preached, the name that brought hope and challenges, the name that was placed above him on the cross, but this is not the only name by which we know him.
Jesus is his earthly name. There are other names which offer descriptions of who he was and is for us in this world. In the proclamation to Mary, Gabriel says, he will be called Son of God. The angel says to Joseph that he is called Jesus because he will save his people from their sins. This leads to other names: Messiah, the Christ, and Saviour. He is Emmanual, God with us. On Christmas Day, we read from the Gospel of John and were reminded that Jesus is the Word made flesh. He is Light of the World, Prince of Peace, and the Good Shepherd – a wonderful parallel to the shepherds who visited at the beginning of our passage today. On the cross, he is called King of the Jews.
There are so many different names that point to Jesus providing us with insights into how God, through Jesus, longs to be in relationship with us, indeed, the depths God will go to in order to be in relationship with us. There is gift in this too. It is up to us to decide what we want to do with this gift, how we want to engage with Jesus in all of the ways we know and meet Jesus, Emmanual, God with us.
Names are a gift that provides a meaningful way to connect us to those around us and our world. May we treasure the names we use for Jesus, trusting that these offer insights into how we understand our relationship to God yesterday, today, and for eternity. This we pray as we sing: (SNC) 43 Holy Child Within the Manger