The Holy Name Of Jesus Series

On January 1, Moses tells the people how Aaron and his following high priests should bless them. The strange phrase, “so shall they place my name upon the people of Israel” is part of the direction. In Hebrew, the word “name” (hashem) stands for the person and the person’s power and authority. The second commandment of the Decalogue given to Moses recognizes the reverence due not only the person of God but also God’s name, YHWH or just Ya. “Thou shalt not take the name of YHWH your God in vain” tells us the importance of reserving our use of the divine name to sacred time and sacred study and prayer. It is so critical a part of Jewish-Christian piety that many Jews write “G-d” instead of the whole word with the vowel. And some, to build a kind of wall about the name, will use the word “hashem” instead of YHWH or G-d.

Now we don’t need to be that strict, but we must be reverent in our own way. We should acknowledge that the Lord’s name is misused in ordinary speech and text messages. One of our resolutions for the new year should be to restore reverence for the name of Jesus among our families. In this world that so often succumbs to misery and despair, we should memorize and pray often the words of today's psalm, "Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for thou dost judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth." Share the words with a friend and perhaps you can stimulate a conversation about what brings you joy when so many things are going bad. It's a simple story, "when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children of God." If I am a child of God, how can I be anything but grateful to Him. If that same adoption is free for the asking, why would we keep the story to ourselves?

Fittingly, when the mohel (circumciser) was called by Joseph and Mary to their temporary residence in Bethlehem, eight days into the life of their child, at His bris (circumcision), He was named “Yah-shua” (Joshua or Jesus), the name given by the angel to both Joseph and Mary. The name means “Yah saves,” because His life, death and resurrection is the instrument whereby we are saved from sin and death. This is what we commemorate every time we gather for Eucharist.

Let’s lift the name of Jesus in prayer every day of our new year 2022, and always be alert to opportunities to tell others of His love and power to change our lives.