1/1/2023 Holy Name Sunday

1/1/2023 – Jesus’ name Sunday

Collect: Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every heart, we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Good morning One River,

Today is another unique day on the liturgical calendar. Today we celebrate the Jesus name and all that that means. We’ve often heard of the meaning of Jesus name. We’ve heard there’s power in the name. But how often have we really looked into and examined the name Jesus?

How many of you all know your family history? How many of us know the origin of our names? Our last name is Sullivan. I’ve got an uncle that has taken it upon himself in his retirement to dig into our family genealogy and figure out the origin of our name and what it means.

It’s actually the third most popular surname in Northern Ireland. At one point he actually traced it back to Irish royalty. So we come from a line of Kings or at least nobility. But the name Sullivan in the original Galic also means “bad eye “or “black eye” or “one eye”. Apparently, the true meaning is a little unclear. So we’re possibly royalty, but we’re either shifty or blind.

My family has a lot of reverence for our name and family origins. We always have. It was something instilled in us growing up. But I remember having some conversations with friends at that age, and I got the feeling that we were unique in that regard. No one else I knew really had any idea about their family lineage.

I don’t think we often think about it in modern Western Society but there’s a lot of information packed into a name. The origin of the word. How common it was/is. And what it actually means.

I think we’ve probably all heard that Jesus means – God saves. But the name “Jesus,” was one of the most common in first century Israel, and can be transliterated Yeshua from both Hebrew and Aramaic and is written as Iesous in the Greek New Testament. In the Hebrew Bible, Yeshua (or Yehoshua) is often translated “Joshua,” as in the case of Moses’ protégé Joshua Son of Nun. The name is a combination of Ja or Ya, short for Yahweh (the name for Israel’s God; Ex 3:14), and the Hebrew verb yasha, meaning “to save” or “to help.” Hence Yeshua means “Yahweh saves.” It’s very specific to the Hebrew God Yahweh. Not just a generic term for God.

We’ve just concluded the Christmas story and we’ve read in both Matthew and Luke that an angel appeared independently to both of Jesus’ earthly parents and told them what his name would be. Very few people in scripture can say that God directly gave them their name. Jesus is one of those people. But it comes with some interesting information. We know from scripture that there are several other Jesus’ mentioned by name. Most of them are looked at as false prophets. But that’s not to say that everyone with that name was one. Yeshua was one of the most popular names in ancient Israelite culture. So Jesus, a man born of seemingly common origins, to an ordinary family, was born with a common name. This by itself tells part of Christ’s story.

Luke 2:8-11 - And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

That fact that God chose first to share His message with Shepard’s is telling. Jesus would go on to call himself the good shepherd. But shepherds were not well liked or held in high regard. They maintained a necessary roll in ancient life. But specifically in Israel they were not well liked. They were filthy from their work. They were almost never clean enough to worship at the temple. They always smelled and they were covered in cuts and scrapes from their work.

From a political prospective this would be like announcing the new president of the USA to the garbage men only. All this goes to further the notion that Jesus came from humble beginnings.

Paul finishes this though in 2 Corinthians 8:8-9 -8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

Intentional poverty. The family He chose was, at best, middle station in life. This tells us about the mission Jesus had before him. This tells us where he thought he could be most effective. Jesus started with the folks at the bottom and worked his ministry from there. The key to understanding this mission is in Jesus’ name.

So, let’s go back to the issue of a name for just a second. Names carry down with a family or people through the ages. When the kingdom of Israel split in two it took a second name from the 12 sons; Judah. Judah means “praise” or “to praise”. That wonderful name lasted more than a thousand years. But do you know what the singular form of that name is? Judas! How many of us name our children Judas? No one right? That name has been forever tainted. Names carry with them a power, an understanding. But they can also be transformed by one person, for worse or in Jesus’ case for better.

Jesus, Yeshua carries with it a power we have not spoken about yet. We’ve looked briefly at the construction of the word in its verb tense form. Yeshua, or Yehoshua means “Yahweh saves”. But as a noun, in its most basic construction form, Jesus means “Salvation”. This is how his name would have sounded to the average hearer.

What do I mean by this? I think most western names come from other languages, whether we know it or not. The kids have a cousin named Sofia. Sofia is koine Greek. It means “Wisdom”. Charise’s name is also Greek. It means “Grace”. But we also have a friend named Hope. Hope has already been translated right? Hope is an English word, and we already know what that means. No translation necessary.

Jesus means “Salvation” the way Hope means Hope in English, not the way Sofia means wisdom. His name and mission would have been front and center in every discussion he ever had.

When he would speak in public, when he would introduce himself. He would say “hello, welcome, I’m salvation.” Have we ever stopped and thought about that? That’s powerful. When God Yahweh The Almighty comes to earth and takes a name, He calls himself Salvation.

Numbers 6:22-27

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them,

The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;

the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

So they shall put my name (What’s the name? Salvation) on the Israelites, and I will bless them.

How about this one?

Psalm 8

1 O Lord our Governor,

how exalted is your Name (What’s the name? Salvation) in all the world!

2 Out of the mouths of infants and children

your majesty is praised above the heavens.

3 You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries,

to quell the enemy and the avenger.

4 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,

5 What is man that you should be mindful of him?

the son of man that you should seek him out?

6 You have made him but little lower than the angels;

you adorn him with glory and honor;

7 You give him mastery over the works of your hands;

you put all things under his feet:

8 All sheep and oxen,

even the wild beasts of the field,

9 The birds of the air, the fish of the sea,

and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea.

10 O Lord our Governor,

how exalted is your Name (Salvation) in all the world!

One more, in case I haven’t made my point.

Phil 2:

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to death—

even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Every tongue acknowledge that Jesus, the Christ, Salvation is the Messiah, and LORD. Philippians too shares with us Jesus’ thinking on the subject of his mission. He emptied himself. Left all power and glory behind and entered humanity at the bottom of the culture.

The scriptures that I’ve been reading span several thousand years. It’s almost like salvation was the plan. Remember a few weeks ago I asked you the question; Do you think Jesus was God’s backup plan? I got some non-committal no’s.

I’ve got one more scripture for you. Remember the Story of Zacchaeus? Luke 19:

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come (I have Come) to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

This is more noticeable in the source languages, but trust me, it’s there.

So, Let’s try this again. Is Jesus (salvation) the backup plan? Or is God’s plan for salvation, the incarnate deity, the Good Shepherd, the Light, the Way, a man, and God that God himself named Salvation? Might He have given us that clue?

Today is the day in the wider church that we celebrate the Holy Name of Jesus. A name given to him by God himself.

I think in the modern church we too often look past the name Jesus and go straight for the Christ part of the moniker. But Christ is actually not that special a title, and I say this with all due reverence, but when a man like Cyrus of Persia can be bestowed the title Christ, then the bloom is really off the rose. Christ means God’s anointed and Holy one. It means God set you aside for a specific purpose. Like Moses, or David, or Sampson, or God help us, King Cyrus. Was Jesus a Christ, absolutely. In fact, he was by far, the most important Messiah. But he was not the only one to have that title. It was not a one and done title. We should focus more on the Jesus name. It’s that name, which is actually a descriptor for the mission of God, that truly gives us his purpose.

Jesus’ message of salvation is clear, it’s crystal clear. If you want salvation, you must know him. You want salvation, He’s salvation. Not the bible, not church doctrine, not cannon law. HIM. Jesus is Salvation.

So, when we dedicate this day to the name of Jesus, the name above all names. We’re dedicating it to salvation. Our Salvation. The name of our LORD Jesus.

Many of you guys have probably been forced to witness my diatribe about the “sinners prayer” and how I think it’s often used to abdicate most of our Christian responsibility in leu of a quick one-and-done fire insurance proposal. The sinner’s prayer is not found in scripture. But I liken Psalm 51 to what it would be, if the earlier church had thought through the momentum of such a prayer.

As Vineyard we see prayer differently than many other segments of the church. When we pray, the Spirit moves and things happen. So I want to conclude this service with everyone reciting the first 17 verse of Psalm 51:

Take a moment, clear your mind, and focus your thoughts on Jesus our Salvation.

Psalm 51:1–17 (NIV)

1 Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash away all my iniquity

and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is always before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight;

so you are right in your verdict

and justified when you judge.

5 Surely I was sinful at birth,

sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;

you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins

and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

so that sinners will turn back to you.

14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,

you who are God my Savior,

and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

15 Open my lips, Lord,

and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart

you, God, will not despise.