{"id":510991,"date":"2010-01-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-01-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/episcopalchurch:8888\/sermon\/sharing-the-name-christian-holy-name-day-2010\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T09:12:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T13:12:36","slug":"sharing-the-name-christian-holy-name-day-2010","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/sermons\/sharing-the-name-christian-holy-name-day-2010\/","title":{"rendered":"Sharing the Name Christian, Holy Name Day – 2010"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Abraham <\/em>means \u201cAncestor of many.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moses <\/em>means \u201cto draw out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel <\/em>means, either \u201che struggles with God\u201d or \u201cGod struggles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, if our etymological skills are keen enough, at least from an Old Testament point of view, we can figure out the purpose of a particular patriarch or matriarch simply by reading his or her name. Of course, Abraham did indeed become the father of many. Moses, after some trials and tribulations, did draw the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and led them to the land of promise. And Israel, Jacob\u2019s other name, given to him as he wrestled with God at Peniel, was the moniker that would be indicative of all of his descendants\u2019 relationship with God for generations upon generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So with all of this said, it is safe to say names mean much more than simply that by which one is called. Names mean not only who you are, but often what you do. Our identities have as much to do with what we do as they have to do with what we are called. Smith, Cartwright, Brewer, or Cooper \u2013 all fine last names \u2013 have their roots in professions. Long ago, individuals who worked at these professions came to be so closely associated with them that what they did defined who they were \u2013 literally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Identity means character, uniqueness, and individuality. And in our society, much of who we are and how we are perceived hasn\u2019t changed all that much from antiquity. Upon meeting someone for the first time we inevitably ask and answer the all-important \u201cSo, what do you do?\u201d It is a means by which we convey to others our identity. In short, where we spend the majority of our time and energy defines who we are as human beings. Who knows? Someday before too long someone may have the last name of Processor or Byte.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Biblical names are so important in describing what purposes these august individuals served, then the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus certainly has a place in the Church\u2019s calendar. We heard in Paul\u2019s letter to the Philippians that Jesus was given \u201cthe name above all names.\u201d And Jesus\u2019 name means, \u201cHe saves.\u201d It is, of course, a rendition of the Hebrew name Joshua. And if names impart identity, then Jesus\u2019 identity is living into the fullness of his name \u2013 animating it and turning a concept like salvation into a living, breathing human being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mary and Joseph knew none of this as they stood with him all wrapped in swaddling clothes at the Temple, obediently presenting their first-born child for the rite of circumcision. They didn\u2019t know what would happen thirty-some-odd years later. They had no way of knowing how their son, born in such obscurity, would live into his name. How he would be the one upon whose shoulders all hopes had been placed for millennia. All they knew was what the angel Gabriel told them, that the child would be called Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christology is the study of Jesus Christ. And although there are vastly different approaches to Christology, most scholars agree that to answer the question \u201cWho is Jesus?\u201d we must first answer a foundational question: \u201cWhat does Jesus do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Identity and purpose take on even more complex meanings when we delve into the second person of the Trinity. And as scripture tells us, it is precisely because of Jesus that God is revealed in God\u2019s fullest. The uniqueness of the en-fleshment of God is to reveal God\u2019s identity in a way never before seen prior to the incarnation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The epistle to the Hebrews says Jesus is \u201cthe exact reflection of God\u2019s glory and the exact imprint of God\u2019s very being.\u201d So answering the question, \u201cWho is Jesus?\u201d is to engage the divine on a human, and therefore unique, level. To know Jesus\u2019 name is to know something about God. And the thing we discover is that, as the Gospel of John tells us, \u201cGod so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through Jesus, God brought to fulfillment God\u2019s promises of atonement or \u201cat-one-ment\u201d of humanity with God\u2019s self. Through Jesus, God pioneered a pathway to the very gates of heaven that heretofore had been unassailable by humankind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So celebrating the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus is about so much more than a ritual observed in a temple 2,000 years ago by a devout Jewish family. For we realize that in Jesus, we live vicariously through his victory over sin and death. It is not just a belief system. It is not just a way of life. It is a very change in our identities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It all begins with a simple but powerful statement. You remember: \u201cYou are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked and Christ\u2019s own forever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that, we are given the grace to share in Jesus Christ\u2019s victory. We are given the grace of a whole new life. We are given the grace to be called children of God, who all share the same name: Christian.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Abraham means \u201cAncestor of many.\u201d Moses means \u201cto draw out.\u201d Israel means, either \u201che struggles with God\u201d or \u201cGod struggles.\u201d So, if our etymological skills are keen enough, at least from an Old Testament point of view, we can figure out the purpose of a particular patriarch or matriarch simply by reading his or her name. Of course,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":201212,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[16,43,52,3],"tags":[463],"class_list":["post-510991","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christmas","category-sermons","category-sermons-that-work","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-feast-of-the-holy-name"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":16,"label":"Christmas"},{"value":43,"label":"Sermons"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":3,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":463,"label":"Feast of the Holy Name"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/510991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/sermon"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/510991\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":950805,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/510991\/revisions\/950805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=510991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=510991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=510991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}