Rectors Reflections January 2006

What’s in a Name?

January 1 is the Feast of the Holy Name, the occasion when we remember the naming of Jesus (of Nazareth) by his parents, Joseph and Mary. This would have occurred at a ceremony of circumcision, eight days after his birth. His circumcision also marked him as a Hebrew child, that is, a child of the people who had a long-standing Covenant with God.

The people of the Covenant took naming very seriously. Frequently, a life changing experience meant a change in one’s name: such as Abram becoming Abraham, Sarai becoming Sarah, and Jacob becoming Israel. Names were important because they conveyed power; to know someone’s name meant that a person had a claim on the other person. The name of God (Hebrew: YHWH) was considered so holy and so powerful, that it was never spoken, except by the High Priest, once a year, on Yom Kippur. Observant Jews, to this day, do not pronounce the name of YHWH, substituting another word, such as ADONAI. We can only guess at how it might sound, since written Hebrew does not include vowels. Most contemporary scholars write it as Yahweh, although in the past, it also was rendered as Jehovah.

“Jesus” is not the name that Jesus heard when he was growing up, since that is the English translation of the Aramaic word. His name in Aramaic was Yeshu’a, which means “God saves” or “God is saving”. (Yeshua is related to Joshua.) Jesus’ parents were told by Divine Beings that he would “Save his people.” Imagine pondering the meaning of that prophecy when they named him! Surely, they felt great joy. But they would never have imagined the cost he would pay, not just to save his people, but all people.

Naming is a uniquely human activity, giving words and sounds as signs for the things and people around us. When Helen Keller lost her sight and hearing before she was able to talk, her world became chaotic and confusing. But when Anne Sullivan showed her how to create finger signs that stood for things (and people and events), order and beauty and meaning began to come into Helen’s life.

God has called each of us by name. Yet, we must learn to listen, in order to hear God speak our name. Sometimes God speaks to us in a small, still voice when we pray. Sometimes God speaks to us through other people, when we hear our name spoken with love.

When we join the Christian community we gain a new name, the name of “Christian”, and then we become a part of Jesus’ name. We become “God is saving” people. Like Jesus, we are called to love everyone, just as God first loved us. We are called to forgive and to seek reconciliation and to serve those in need. But we are not asked to do anything without help, the help which comes when we call upon the name of Jesus.

How fitting that the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus is celebrated on the first day of the secular New Year, a time when we once again try to bring new order into our sometimes chaotic and confused lives. Maybe the best resolution is to try to learn more about this Jesus of Nazareth, by speaking the name of Jesus as part of your own.

Canon Meredith Hunt