He telleth the number of the stars, and calleth them all by their names. Ps. 147: 4
Isaiah 62: 1-5
1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet,
till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.
2 The nations will see your vindication, and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.
3 You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 No longer will they call you "Forsaken," or name your land "Desolate".
But you will be called "My Delight is in Her", and your land "Married";
for the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married.
5 As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you;
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.
I have always loved finding out the meaning of people’s names, and I actually have felt it was an indication of the
person’s sense of themselves if they were able to tell me. For, to be given a
name is to be given an identity, a hope for their character and a dream of who
they will be. A parent gives a child a name to express both how they feel about their
child and a hope for who their child will become. Thus, a person may receive a name
which is an old family name, showing their roots and solidarity with their clan
and people. Or they may receive a name that speaks of how special they are to
their parents, conceived in love and affection. Or they may receive a name
meant to inspire them to be something special or a blessing in the world. My
mother gave me the name “Jason” because she hoped I would be something in the
world, it means “healer” in Greek. And a few weeks before Christmas, I was
privileged to be part of a naming ceremony for Bamse and Grace’s new baby girl,
Harmony. In chatting with them, it was obvious they had named their
little girl out of the love they have for music, but also the hope they have
for her that she will be a blessing to her family, and the world, by bearing witness to the harmony and union of God with his creation.
God is no different in his love of naming things, including himself. In Genesis, he names humankind and the universe, calling them into existence. He gives the privilege of naming all the animals to Adam, his Image Bearer. He gives new names to his people: Abram becomes Abraham, “father of all nations”, and Jacob becomes Israel, “he who contends with God.” God Most High, El-Shaddai himself, says his name is important, it is Yahweh, or I AM. Jesus, too, calls Simon by a new name, “Peter”, the “rock” on whom he will build his church. To those who are faithful to the end, Christ says, “I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.” Names are important to God.
One frequent habit of God in the writings of the prophets is to name and rename Israel, as well, depending on how their relationship is going. When Israel had been idolatrous and
sinful, God gave them a new name to reflect that poor character and failure. God
tells Hosea to name his children Lo-Ruhamah and Lo-Ammi, which
mean “Unloved” and “Not my people.” In today’s reading from Isaiah, you find the
same thing, Israel had been renamed “Azubah”, which means “Forsaken”,
and “Shemamah”, which means “Desolate.” But with the coming of the Messiah,
comes God’s vindication and they are given the most beautiful names to depict
how God has taken his people back as a groom takes his bride: “You shall no
more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate;
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married;
for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married.”
Today is New Years day, and also the
Feast of the Naming of Jesus. We know from the Gospels that the angels tell
both Mary and Joseph that the Messiah will bear a very special name – Jesus.
In fact, Joseph is told to ensure that the child should be given that
name, and then in an amazing scene of prophecy, when Joseph and Mary take Jesus
to the temple to be named and circumcised on the eighth day after his birth,
Simeon and Anna burst into song at his naming. And Jesus’s name, of course, is
the most important part, because it is the name given to him, not by his earthly
parents, but his Heavenly Father, who has sent his only begotten Son for the
purpose of saving all his Image Bearers. The name Jesus means, quite
literally, “Yahweh saves.” The name of Jesus contains the name of God,
his Father, and lays out his destiny and purpose – salvation. Thus at
that naming ceremony Simeon would sing, “For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to
the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” (Luke 2:30-32)
New Years is a time of new beginning,
and of new names so I decided to give you two songs. One to rejoice in the name God has
given us, and one to rejoice in the name of Jesus, who is our salvation.
- Br. Jason Carroll
