New Year’s Eve

Matthew 1: 18-21

December 31, 2002

What’s in a Name

(AJF)

Introduction:  There is value in a name.  Even the business world thinks so.  Pick up a magazine and see how all the advertisements stress the name of the product that the manufacturer wants to sell, whether it is an car, a computer, a can of soda or a place to eat.

            Among people names are considered important too.  Think of the prestige that comes with a name like Kennedy or Reagan.  The members of such families are proud of their families’ names because of the high place that it has in society.  Or people may be proud of their name because it is that of a man or woman once famous in history.  Wouldn’t you be pleased to say that you were a direct descendant of Martin Luther?  Or George Washington or Abraham Lincoln?  People search their family trees and they revel when they find someone famous in their ancestry.  Names do mean something.

            Our gospel reading for today tells us about the most important, the most precious, the most honored name in the world.  Our text tells us that an angel from the Lord came to Joseph in a dream and told him to him that Mary was going to have a baby and that he should call the baby Jesus, because he would save His people from their sins.  The name Jesus means Savior, so it was quite right that the One who came to save the world should be called Jesus or Savior.

            Because of what the name Jesus means and because it is the name of God’s own Son, we Christians dearly love this name.  Charles Wesley wrote a hymn called, “Jesus the Name High Over All,” the second stanza reads,  “Jesus!  The name to sinners dear, the name to sinners given; It scatters all their guilty fear; It turns their hell to heaven.”

            That is a very fine way of saying what the name of Jesus really means to us, for Jesus is the One who frees us from fear and opens for us the way to Heaven.  When we remember this we can understand why the church picked these verses about the naming of Jesus as the Gospel lesson for New Year’s Eve.  The reason is that at the beginning of a New Year we need to remember that what we need most of all in the New Year is Jesus, our Savior, with His grace and love, and guidance and peace.  As we enter upon this New Year we do not know what the next 365 days have in store for us – whether we shall have health or sickness, poverty or plenty.  But one thing we can know and hold on to and that is that as God’s own children, and in the name of Jesus we need not fear the coming of the New Year.  Jesus will take care of us.  He came from Heaven to save His people from their sins and fears and to supply all their needs.

            The more we think about the name Jesus the better we can understand why the Bible speaks of His name as, “The name, which is above every name.”  As Christians, His name has been given to us also.  Think of it this way.  As a Christian, you are a Jesus-boy or Jesus-girl, a Jesus-man or woman.  A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ, one who bears His name.  His name was given to us when we were baptized, as we were baptized into the name of Jesus.  We not only bear His name, we also approach our Heavenly Father in prayer.  We pray to the Father through His Son Jesus.  For Jesus sake our Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers.  We can count on God’s blessing for the sake of His precious name.

            In this life we have the opportunity to live in a way that will either honor or dishonor the name that is above every name.  We can all understands this.  After all we all have families and we all have known times when members of our families have made us exceptionally proud.  And we are pleased to be called by the family name.  Then, too, we all have known times of shame when family members have done things that have brought shame.  Sharing the family name we also share the shame.  We are to live in a way that gives honor to the name of Jesus.

            While this is our intent, to honor Jesus with our lives, we remember that we will often fail as we struggle against our sinful natures.  “The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”  Just as family members bear honor and the dishonor, our Lord Jesus came specifically to bear the our dishonor and our guilt and shame.  He did this as He died on the cross because we had dishonored God in our lives.  In return, by trusting in Him and His death for our forgiveness, He has given us His glory and honor suitable only to God.

Conclusion:  And we remember these words of Paul written to the Philippians, Jesus “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name, which is above every name:  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…  As we begin a New Year we begin it in the precious name of Jesus.  We bow down before Him to the glory of His Holy Name.  Amen.