Advent - What's in a Name?

 

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son,

and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

(Matthew 1:18-25 NLT)

‘'What's in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet'. Of course, many of you will recognize that line from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In this scene Juliet bemoans Romeo's last name of Montague…her family's sworn enemies.

What is in a name? Actually, everything. Often it is the first piece of information we have about a person. When I first saw Missy I wondered - “Who is this?!” I needed her name!

We hear someone’s name and, whether right or wrong, we form judgments about people very quickly. Don’t believe us, ask someone named Karen…Trump…or Biden.

Judgments on people - based on their names - can lead us in a positive or negative direction. And those first impressions can set the stage for future interactions.

Preceding our text today in the first chapter of Matthew we have a long list of names. A genealogy. Some of those names are hard to pronounce! But, each one meant something
and it was important to Matthew to give you their names. Why? Because they were all leading up to one Name. The “Name above all names.”

Jesus. His name caused immense, emotional reaction in the first century. It still does today.

Some say Jesus as a word of anger. Others use it in a moment of shock. Still others whisper it reverently when overcome with sadness.

Countless people take time each day to ask the Divine to intervene on their behalf. Those times are spoken in faith because they believe that the Name they are asking their requests in - well, he is listening and will respond.

Jesus. His name is derived from the Hebrew Yeshua - better known as Joshua. His name means “God saves.” Now that’s a Name.

As we enter the final few days of celebrating Christmas, traveling here, there and yonder…as we prepare for the new year and whatever it holds…let’s hold tight to that Name - Jesus.

May his name be a blessing on our lips. May it be a reminder of Who we belong to. May it guide us in all of our decisions. May it bring light during the often dark days. May the name of Jesus - bless you and bring peace to your heart.

Because we all have names it is important to remember: God knows you. He knows your name. We even read in Exodus, in speaking to Moses, God says: And the LORD said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name,” (Exodus 33:17).

Yet, greater still, is not that God knows our earthly names, but rather we know his Name. Psalm 91:14 states: “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.”

Jesus.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all. May the Name of Jesus bless, uphold and guide you through the rest of the days of your life.