When we name a thing, it develops a personality. Old cars take on a familiar name, ‘specially when they won’t start. My father-in-law, a farmer, cautioned against naming any of the animals that would someday appear on the dinner table. So it is with our children: giving a name sets them apart from everyone else, and marks them as unique. More than a number. More than anonymous cannon-fodder. With a name, persons acquire a character and often a heritage. I’m proud to be the fourth “Horace” in five generations. Names matter.
The Baby as a Sign (Isaiah 7:10-16). God, through Isaiah, confronted King Ahaz of Judah, who was panicked by the saber-rattling of Israel and Syria. Isaiah’s message was basically, “Trust in God, ‘The Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel'”–God With Us. By canonizing this child with a holy name, Ahaz/Judah will acknowledge his unique role among the nations. What expectations do we have of God as we celebrate the birth of Immanuel/God With Us? Perhaps more germane, what PANICS can we move beyond?
The Baby as a Statement (Romans 1:1-7). In the midst of Paul’s run-on sentences and heady terms, we read about Jesus Christ who “was declared to be Son of God…” As we count down to Christmas, it’s good to be greeted with news of a special Holy Child. Those who would explore this Epistle further need to carry this greeting with them through Paul’s development of basic Christology. This Advent season is but a beginning of a life-changing journey.
The Baby as a Savior (Matthew 1:18-25). Joseph had some life-changing decisions of his own: he loved Mary, but…where did this baby come from?? Fortunately for the world, he gave importance to dreams, especially when an angel told him to name–that is, own — the child: “You are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Daniel Harris writes in FEASTING on the WORD, “Sin is the choice to minister to ourselves, rather than allow the savior to minister to us…. Some people choose to minister to themselves through chemical dependency, others thorough acquiring money, shopping, gambling, addiction to work, or simply by going it alone. [Advent] invites us to ask whether we have managed to save ourselves in any of these ways.” (A 1:97)
It’s a hectic Season for time- and spirit-constraints. The ChristChild often is buried not in swaddling cloths but in wrapping-paper of anger and guilt. We tend to forget that The Baby has a meaningful Name, even as we drag him forth to center our creches on Christmas Eve. My church at Fly Creek NY had the lovely tradition in which the children who were in worship on Christmas Eve would bear the lifesize-plus statue of Baby Jesus to it’s honored spot in the outdoor creche. Almost every year, one of those theologians-in- training would exclaim, “Wow, that’s HEAVY!” — and Christmas would begin.
God Bless Us, Every One Horace Brown King
Join me every Tuesday as I ponder the Scripture lessons for the upcoming weekend–found at this spot on Facebook, or at horacebrownking.com
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