Luke 2:15-21 (NRSV)
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
The designation of this day as the Feast of the Holy Name is new to the 1979 revision of the Prayer Book. Previous Anglican Prayer Books called it the Feast of the Circumcision. January first is, of course, the eighth day after Christmas Day, and the Gospel according to Luke records that eight days after his birth the child was circumcised and given the name Jesus.
The Law of Moses required that every male child be circumcised on the eighth day from his birth (Leviticus 12:3); and it had long been the custom to make of it a festive occasion, when family and friends come together to witness the naming of the child.
The liturgical commemoration of the Circumcision is of Gallican origin, and a Council in Tours in 567 enacted the day was to be kept as a fast day to counteract pagan festivities connected with the beginning of the new year. In the Roman tradition, January first was observed as the octave day of Christmas, and it was specially devoted to the Virgin Mother.
The early preachers of the Gospel lay stress on the name as showing that Jesus was a man of flesh and blood, though also the Son of God, who died a human death, and whom God raised from death to be the Savior (Acts 2:32; 4:12). The name was given to Jesus, as the angel explained to Joseph, because he would "save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). (The word means "Savior" or "Deliverer" in Hebrew).
Then as now, people longed to be freed from evils: political, social, and spiritual. The name of Jesus calls to mind the true freedom which is ours through Jesus the Christ. (Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, page 150).
I am particularly taken by the last paragraph above. "Then as now, people longed to be freed from evils: political, social, and spiritual." One of the biggest errors of conservative dogmatic Christianity is the idea of the Name of Jesus delivering us spiritually only. One of the bigger errors of progressive Christians is that we risk advancing forward with excellent inclusive spiritualities, while forgetting that it is the theology of Christian history that allows us to continue to form and reform the diverse spirituality of our present time. Progressive Christianity finds its fulfillment by using the best of Christian history with newer understandings of what we are learning today.
The Name of Jesus Christ is so incredibly awesome that "every knee shall bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Philippians 2:10-11). The Name of Jesus should do more for Christians that just make us all warm and fuzzy inside. The Name of Jesus should also inspire us to a more inclusive and equal society and Church. Ironically, a lot of Christ followers enjoy using the Name of Jesus to inspire fear, prejudice and an apocalyptic paralyzing of diversity and equality. This is the kind of fear that is often used by Christianists and arch-conservative Catholics towards any individual who is not white, male, heterosexual, American/European, Christian, able to speak English/Latin or any other language, wealthy, orthodox/conservative and any of the above. Even God fearing and Mary respecting Catholics love to use Marian Apparitions to scare women over the issue of abortion and LGBT people about same-sex marriage. American Evangelicals with their anti-gay message have exported hate into the countries of Uganda and beyond suggesting that the creation and passage of a bill that would imprison and execute known homosexuals is somehow "better" than allowing their culture to create an equal and inclusive society for sexual and gender diversity. These and many other examples hardly reverence the Name of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. Instilling violence, panic and wide spread fear to any group of people is not what the Name of Jesus Christ represents.
As we begin the Year 2011, I want to call upon all Christians and individuals of good will to pray and work so that Christians will give the Name of Jesus Christ a good name among all the earth. We need to call right wing Christians and Catholics on the carpet for using the Name of Jesus to scapegoat any person or group of people. In 2010 we saw an unjust and evil assault on the Islam people waged by Christians. We continue to see horrible acts of violent rhetoric and behavior towards women, LGBT individuals, couples and families, people of varying races, economic conditions etc. If all Christians and people of good will would commit themselves to helping to advance a Church and society where we honor all individuals, and allow no person or group of people to be scapegoated without speaking up about it, we will see a change for the better. We will have successes and failures. There will be moments when speaking up on behalf of marginalized people will challenge our own comfort zones. But because of the Name of Jesus Christ, being a voice for the socially and politically oppressed is the right thing to do, we will be doing the work and mission of Christ in our time and world.
The Name of Jesus Christ is not only our Savior, but also the Liberator of all who are oppressed by political, social and religious individuals and groups. We need to spend our own time with Jesus as our Savior to help liberate others. Daily prayer and time with the One who came to change the world by reforming each of us from the inside out. The Name of Jesus is an opportunity for us to rest in God's presence, while by the Holy Spirit taking Jesus to the world around us. We do not transform our world and create a good Name for Jesus by spreading a world of darkness. When we create a society that just cannot help the lowly, discriminated and the dying because it simply costs us too much money or too much of our reputation, we live in a world of darkness and wealth control. Jesus Christ came to help recreate this world and call his followers to be part of that transformation. We are called to transform our world from darkness to light, hate to love, exclusion to inclusion. That is what the Name of Jesus Christ is suppose to do.
May 2011 be the year when Christians and all people of good will truly rise to be part of the transformation that the Name of Jesus Christ was given to do.
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. (Collect for the Holy Name of Jesus, Book of Common Prayer, page 213).
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Human Family, Book of Common Prayer, page 815).
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