{"id":558414,"date":"2021-01-01T11:18:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-01T16:18:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-07-15T11:06:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T15:06:35","slug":"the-semiotics-of-jesus-holy-name-day-january-1-2021","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/sermons\/the-semiotics-of-jesus-holy-name-day-january-1-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"The Semiotics of Jesus, Holy Name Day &#8211; 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/lectionary\/holy-name\/\">[RCL] Numbers 6:22-27; Psalm 8; Galatians 4:4-7 or Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 2:15-21<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-yellow-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-yellow-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm\/?e=DFMS8557741678&#038;light=true\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-yellow-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-yellow-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Holy-Name-2021-1024x536.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-208415\" style=\"width:512px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We put a lot of weight on names. Think about the importance that is conveyed when we use our complete name, middles and hyphens and Jr.\u2019s and all, in a vow or an oath. Or the exciting rush when a host at a restaurant calls your name\u2014your table is ready! Or when you hear your name called in a meeting or classroom when you haven\u2019t been paying attention. When someone you love yells your name in desperation or frustration. When you hear your name from a huddled group and can only think the worst. When one assumes a new name after a transformation, like living into their true gender identity. A nickname\u2014one that reminds of an inside joke, a good memory, or one that only one person, or a few, is allowed to use. Names carry power, emotion, and story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Names are not identity itself, but rather they reflect identity. It\u2019s the closest a limited language can get to describing a person, an object, or a feeling; a word is used as a vessel for the messy, complex, and contradictory. Ferdinand de Saussure, one of the founders of semiotics, used the terms \u201csignifier\u201d and \u201csignified\u201d to describe a sign \u2013 the plane of expression (signifier) which describes the plane of content (signified). It is interesting to think of a name as a sign, one with a signifier (or expression) of a signified (or content).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today we note not only the beginning of a new Gregorian calendar but the significance of the Holy Name of Christ. What happens when we apply the ideas of semiotics to this feast day, or to the Holy Name itself? Our collect of the day specifically identifies Jesus as a sign of our salvation. The signifier (Jesus) represents the signified (our salvation). The Holy Name we celebrate today isn\u2019t the 5 letters that make up the English-translated word of the name which we call Christ on Earth: Jesus, a name that tells its own story as an heir to the name of Joshua, or Yeshua. Instead, we celebrate what the name represents, the implications of Christ\u2019s birth and identity. And that\u2019s beyond anything our language, or any sign indeed, can truly grasp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The name we use to describe the Holy One is a significant theme in many of our faith stories of origin. For example, in the story from Numbers, we find Moses and his community prepping for a journey. They\u2019ve been camped out at Mt. Sinai (remember the 10 commandments and golden calf parts of the narrative) for about a year, and they\u2019re ready to travel \u2013 ready for the Promised Land! They know a lot of wilderness exists between Mt. Sinai and the Promised Land. In the very human move of institutionalizing faith, Aaron has just been consecrated high priest, and he and his sons serve as the \u201cofficial\u201d representatives of the Lord. Meanwhile, Moses assumes the role of the \u201cpersonal\u201d representative of the Lord and receives a blessing to pass on to Aaron to pass on to the people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, thousands of years of the game of telephone later, we receive the gift of this blessing for the Israelites through the passage in Numbers. It\u2019s a common benediction today, for good reason: The blessing sets the tone for a faithful journey. This is a journey in which there will be struggles, frustration, and failed expectations, but God\u2019s presence as well. In gifting the blessing to Moses, the Lord says, \u201cSo [Aaron and the priests] shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.\u201d The Name of the Lord is not just a name, not just a word, but a signifier of blessing. The Creator of the Universe, the Liberator of the Israelites, is with them through the wilderness\u2014all through a name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Continuously in our faith stories, the Name of the Lord is exalted \u2013 not because it\u2019s a beautiful name (which name shall we choose?) &#8211; but because of what it represents. How can we possibly use language to signify God? How could we find one word to describe the creation and destruction, mighty liberation and gentle comfort, anger and grace that is the power of the God of the universe? We are restricted to using a name, or a handful of them. And whatever name we land on in a particular moment, the most suitable vessel for the concept, we exalt the Name. The psalmist, using the word translated here as \u201cgovernor,\u201d contemplates the nature of God, and repeats, \u201cHow exalted is your Name in all the world!\u201d This passage from Psalm 8 tries in itself to use poetry, language, words, and names to describe both the majesty of the universe and the role of a Messiah, the son of man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During Christmas and Advent, we use many names to describe the son of man, Christ himself, some of which hearken back to Isaiah\u2019s prophecy: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. And in the Gospel passage today, we get a glimpse of the naming ceremony for the infant Jesus. Remember, the angel has named Jesus since even before conception, at the Annunciation. And today, 8 days after his birth, the community is celebrating Jesus\u2019 bris, or brit milah, a naming ceremony which includes the circumcision of the male infant. Luke is adamant about reminding us that Jesus was not \u201cChristian\u201d in the way we now use the term but decidedly Jewish, and his family is observing the Torah rituals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of the naming ceremony, the male child is marked with circumcision, a ritual that signifies unity with God and acceptance into the community of the chosen people. The circumcision of Jesus and the inclusion of it in the Gospel of Luke both establish for the reader his Jewishness and teach us about the nature of Christ. Jesus was completely divine, and so didn\u2019t need any ritual to bring him into unity with God. And Jesus was completely human and participated in human experiences. Jesus didn\u2019t need to be circumcised, didn\u2019t need to be hungry or thirsty or tempted or ridiculed. Jesus didn\u2019t need to die. But he did. Matthew Henry\u2019s Bible Commentary, written in the 1700s, says that Jesus\u2019 circumcision \u201cwas, in his case, a pledge of his future perfect obedience to the whole law, in the midst of sufferings and temptations, even unto death for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When we invoke the name of Jesus, this is the concept that cannot be embodied by language alone: that Jesus is one and the same with the Creator of the Universe, there since the beginning, and Jesus was born in a manger (not a throne, not even a clean, sweet-smelling place!), was visited by shepherds (neither distinguished nor so sweet-smelling), and lived a human life, of diaper rash and body odor, pain and sorrow, thirst and hunger, frustration and argument, and yes, bad smells. And he was called Jesus. The name of Jesus perhaps reconciles but more importantly marries the two truths of Jesus\u2019 nature \u2013 fully divine, fully human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Years later, after the execution and resurrection of this divine and human man, St. Paul is trying to tell the story of Jesus to new Christians in Philippi. He reminds them and us that even though Jesus was in the form of God, he chose to take the posture of humility. The posture of humanity, obedience, emptying of the self in generosity and sacrifice. It\u2019s the story \u2013 the signified \u2013 that causes every knee to bend in loyalty and humility. The name is merely a sign: The sign that \u201cJesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The name of Jesus is powerful, because of the story it invokes. Just as your name and story are powerful.&nbsp; You are more than the letters which make up your name, and you have the freedom to choose in what posture you write your story. How will you live through the struggles and suffering of human life? How might we assume the posture of humility, emptying ourselves, receiving radical grace and generosity in the way of Jesus? May we begin this year unified with the Creator through the Christ who saves \u2013 through the one we call Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This sermon was written by <strong>the Rev. Cn. Anna Sutterisch<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-d8db4f07-0cb1-49b3-93c5-776850774e7e\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/holy_name_day_-_english_-_sermon.docx\"><strong>holy_name_day_-_english_-_sermon<\/strong><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/holy_name_day_-_english_-_sermon.docx\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-d8db4f07-0cb1-49b3-93c5-776850774e7e\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-71ce2859-c6cf-4900-8974-511182a9d530\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/holy_name_day_-_english_-_sermon.pdf\"><strong>holy_name_day_-_english_-_sermon<\/strong><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/holy_name_day_-_english_-_sermon.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-71ce2859-c6cf-4900-8974-511182a9d530\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[RCL] Numbers 6:22-27; Psalm 8; Galatians 4:4-7 or Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 2:15-21 We put a lot of weight on names. Think about the importance that is conveyed when we use our complete name, middles and hyphens and Jr.\u2019s and all, in a vow or an oath. Or the exciting rush when a host at a&#8230;<\/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-558414","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\/558414","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":2,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/558414\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3473346,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/558414\/revisions\/3473346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=558414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=558414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=558414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}