The Rev. Robert Lundquist Holy Name 1/1/06 St Paul’s, Ft Collins

Names mean something. Or at least they should. My own name, Lundquist, is Swedish, meaning “a twig in the forest.” I learned a few years ago that I was almost a “Timothy” rather than a Robert. Me being her first child, my mother shared her choice of name with her mother-in-law. It seems my grandmother had a sharp dislike for the name “Timothy,” which led to the change. My mother learned – never let anyone know the name before the birth certificate is final! My four younger brothers were heir to that wisdom…

Each of us has a name, which is more or less unique. In these times you can “Google” yourself online. You type your name into a search engine to find out where you – or your namesake – appears on web pages around the world. When I googled myself I found that I share my name with, among others, a physicist in Seattle…

But your name, even if it is not absolutely unique, is like a map coordinate. It captures something of the culture and the family from which you come. Interestingly, studies have found that children named for an ancestor, even one deceased, tend to take on similar traits. This is puzzling. Family expectations? Some might even speak of guardian angels…

And then there is the custom of patron saints. I don’t believe that we are “St Paul’s” by accident! There were reasons to name this congregation for Paul nearly 50 years ago. A patron is chosen for their attributes, identifying the hopes and dreams of the founding members for the life and development of the parish. What are some of the attributes of St Paul? He was headstrong and stubborn; able and willing to turn his life around 180 degrees (going from persecuting Christians to becoming the foremost spokesman for the faith); he was eloquent, passionate, persuasive and fearless… What do these say to us in our ministry?

Jesus’ name, which we celebrate today – it means “Yahweh saves.” It is a common name in Hebrew – Joshua. Or in Aramaic – Yeshua. It is an angel that gives the name to both Mary (in Luke) and to Joseph (in Matthew, in a dream). He is not to be named the equivalent of “Joe Jr.” or “Little Joe.” But he shall be called “God saves.” Jesus.

Names are powerful. In Genesis we find the story of Jacob wrestling at Peniel http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=3912102 Jacob is encamped by the river Jabbok, having sent his family on ahead of him. “A man” came and wrestled with him through the night. Jacob is injured, but does not give in. He asks for, and receives, a blessing. He also receives a new name, “Israel,” because he had “striven with God…” When he asks for the name of his opponent, he is refused. To know another’s name is to have power over them.

The significance of today’s observance of the Holy Name is that in Jesus, God become flesh, Emmanuel – in Jesus God becomes namable. And this is done, according to scripture and tradition. In Genesis http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=3912587 we learn that every Jewish male was to be circumcised on the eighth day after birth. Thus was the blood of Jesus first spilt. The instructions in Leviticus http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=3912686 , Exodus http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=3912778 , and Numbers http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=3912842 spell out the requirements for the firstborn infant, to which Mary and Joseph were obedient.

For Jews the circumcision is the physical bond of the covenant. This covenant with God is cut into the flesh, a permanent sign of the relationship between God and God’s people. The practice was banned by the Romans, who considered it barbaric. But it was the mark given at the naming of Jesus. Though our customs and practices today are different, the focus today is on the obedience and faithfulness of Mary and Joseph to God.

And that Name itself? “Jesus” is found more than 600 times in the four Gospels. “Jesus Christ” is found but four times, and the designation “Lord Jesus” appears twice. In the time when the Gospels were recorded the faithful related to Jesus the man rather than a lofty Lord, the Door, the Light of the world or the great Mediator. There was no distance. There was immediacy and intimacy. “God saves” is in our midst.

Remember that we as his followers are baptized into his Name. Baptism is not merely a ritual, but it is a placing of one’s self wholly within the life of God. To be baptized into the Name of Jesus is to bear Jesus, carry Jesus into the world each day, every day. Names are important. Names are powerful. We have been given a Name – Jesus – that tells the world how much God loves. AMEN.

A Parish For All People!