Sermon for the Naming and Circumcision of Christ (Christmas 1, Year B)

TEXTS: Numbers 6:22-27; Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 2:15-21

Today’s theme is that of the Holy Family. Not a twee, cute family, but one that could hardly believe what was happening to them. Mary and Joseph and the infant Jesus provide a powerful example for us, not only for cute Christmas card scenes, but for the realities of life, of our faith life.

In the first 40 days of Jesus’ life, Mary and Joseph did three things with and for Jesus, things that bound them, with him, closer to God, closer to the people of God, and closer to one another:

1) They presented Jesus in the Temple, as the Law demanded – as it does with so many of the ‘first’ things – first fruits. Mary and Joseph recognized Jesus as holy, and they sought to nurture that holiness, and offer it back to God in sacrifice and in their desire to seek true holiness.

Not a bad way to begin a life – not a bad way to begin a year.

2) Mary and Joseph made Jesus part of the family of God. Families have done that in this community for generations, and will no doubt continue to do so: but making people part of the family demands responsibilities as well as bestows rights. This comes as a shock to some!

Mary and Joseph made Jesus part of the family of God, and this bound them closer to God – and closer to God’s people – and closer to one another. Not a bad way to begin a life – or a new year. Not a bad way to live.

3) Mary and Joseph named Jesus as Saviour. They believed in what they had been told in a vision of God and they obeyed. This bound them closer to God – closer to Jesus – and closer to one another. Sharing a vision draws us into a special intimacy, and living by that vision creates a special community. Not a bad way to begin life, a new year, for your family, or your church family.

So, today the Church remembers the naming and circumcision of Jesus. In today’s gospel text there is a declaration of Jesus’ name. This is the name revealed by Gabriel to Mary when the angel made his annunciation to her. The name “Jesus” means “God saves.” The Hebrew rendering is “Joshua.” It is not an unusual name. It is, in fact, a quite common name. The most extraordinary birth in history comes wrapped in a very ordinary name. The One whose name is above every name (Phil.2:9) is given a common name.

But “Jesus” is not this child’s only name.

Immediately after Jesus’ name is declared in the temple, Simeon reveals another name for this child: “the Lord’s Messiah.” Along with the identity of “Messiah” comes a host of other new names.

In Isaiah, this hoped-for child is named “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

In Matthew’s gospel Joseph is told the child will be known as “Emmanuel” (“God is with us”) and “Saviour.”

John the Baptist names Jesus the “Lamb of God” (John 1:29).

In Revelation (2:17) there is a reference to yet another name, a secret name “a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.”

When expecting a new baby in the family, at some point most of us get sucked into buying one of those baby-naming books or consulting one of those baby-names websites. Not only do they provide huge, long lists of names, from the common to the crazy, but they also give the linguistic origins of the names.

We all have the name given to us by our parents or by our friends. A family name with roots and history can give us a sense of who we are. A derogatory name, given by cruel children, can keep us trapped in one place all our life. Names can shape our lives, for good or ill.

Our public names are public knowledge. But each one of us also has a “soul name,” a name that God has given us as a guard and guide through our lives. Our secret name is the name we grow into, the name we learn to inhabit, the name that awakens in us as our soul grows and as we live our lives.

There is the name the world has given you: your “real” name. Then there is the name God has given you: your “soul” name.

What if this year your #1 resolution in 2012 was to find out what your soul name might be?

You won’t find out your soul name by going inward, by navel-gazing and being focused and fixed on yourself. Instead, throw yourself into the needs of the world. Let loose your compassion. As you do so, throw yourself into your passion. For it is your passion along with your compassion that will most likely reveal your “soul name.”

So this year, as we – like Jesus – take our place in the family of God, and have our lives presented to God as a living sacrifice, may we also seek to know Jesus better, make him better known, and discover our soul names as we go – with passion and compassion as we work for the coming of God’s Kingdom. Not a bad way to begin a New Year!

May 2012 bring blessings to you and to all those for whom you pray. Amen.

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