Isaiah 61:10-62:3
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Galatians 4:4-7
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Luke 2:22-40
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Grace, Mercy and
Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our text today is from the Gospel lesson just
read, especially these words, “On the eighth day, when it was time to
circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he
had been conceived.” Thus far our
text.
Dear friends in
Christ. “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name
would still smell as sweet.” We have all
heard this line, spoken by Juliet to her star crossed lover Romeo, in that
classic Shakespeare classic that so many of us had to read in our high school English classes. Juliet speaks these words to Romeo to tell
him that even though his last name is one which her family hates, that she will
love him anyways, and even marry him.
For to her, the name doesn’t mean anything, it is the person who has the
name that she loves.
So often in our
world today, that is the way we view things.
Celebrities have named their kids ridiculous things – and yes these are
real celebrity kids names. Like Pilot
Inspektor – with a k in Inspektor or Moon Unit Zappa, or even Moxy Crimefighter
Gillette. They have the idea that names
don’t mean anything, so why not have some fun with them. Anyways, their children can just change them
later on in life to something more normal.
And so it seems that Shakespeare was write (ha ha ha) what is in a name?
But in our text
today, we see the power of a name, the importance of a name in God’s eyes. FOR TO GOD, NAMES REALLY MEAN SOMETHING. When God gives a name, it is for a purpose,
and He will see that name out.
God uses names
throughout the bible. Adam was named
after the dirt of the ground. Abraham’s
name means father of many peoples.
Israel’s name means struggles with God.
God changes people’s names left and right to tell us what they are going
to do in their lives. That is why our text today is so important.
We often read the
words in all of the Gospels that say, “He was named Jesus” and don’t think about
what that means. But in ancient Israel,
it was important. And in our text today
it is especially important, for the baby in the manger is named and circumcised
all on the eighth day. Three important
things happening all in one sentence of scripture and all for your
salvation.
It is the eighth
day, the day of eternity, the day of recreation. The number eight stood for recreation for
Ancient Israelites. God created
everything in seven days, and here on this day, the eighth day of his human
life, God begins his work of recreating the world of sin.
And how does God
plan to recreate this world of sin? We
all know the answer, through the shedding of blood, by which he purchases and
wins each of us from this world. And so
God made Flesh, Immanuel sheds his very first blood as he is circumcised. Already, at only eight days old, the very
blood of God is shed.
It is only fitting
then that he receives an important name.
He receives the name Jesus, the name that means, “The Lord Saves.” For that is exactly what he is doing. The Lord Saves his people. And in our text today, we see a preview of
why he has come, we see a beginning to the work for your salvation. We see God’s plan. We see your rescue.
For you are in a
difficult situation. You are not able to
save yourselves. Scripture gives us
horrible names that describe our sin.
God has his prophets give us the name “Lo Ammi” which means “not my
people”, for we are not his people in our sin.
We receive the name “Lo Ruhamah, which means not pitied, for God has no
sympathy for those in sin, they are sinners because of their fault, their own
fault, their own most grevious fault.
Right after our Old Testament lesson today, we hear that because of our
sin, we are called Desolate, and Deserted.
We are Foresaken. We have these
names and we deserve them because of our sin.
For we truly have sinned in throught word and deed.
How good then,
that God sends someone name, “The Lord Saves”
How wonderful that God sends Immaneul, God with us. And that in our text today, he sheds his
blood as he receives this name, all on the day of re-creation.
Dear friends in
Christ. Jesus will save you. He will give you a new name, a name that is
not Desolate, for Jesus is come. A name
that is not Forsaken, for you have been saved.
A name that is not sinner, or pittied, or any other despicable
thing. But instead you have been renamed
with a name that means something. For
Jesus has saved you from your sin. He
has shed his blood for you. And he gives
you a new name, Forgiven.
He gave you that
name, as you were baptized into the holy name of the Trinity, Father Son and
Holy Spirit. You received God’s name
upon you, marking you as one belonging to him, as one receiving his benefits,
as inseparable from him. You receive
God’s name and are rescued from you sin.
That is what our text is about a name that really means something. The Lord Saves – Jesus – the name above all
names. The name of your savior, the name
of your rescue from sin.
Names mean
something with God. Jesus name means
something, you are God’s now. Amen.
