From the Vicar...
What's in a Name? Some thoughts on the Holy Name of Jesus
Names... In the Bible, names are important. They mean something. They are significant. Take Abraham, for instance. Abraham means "ancestor of many." Moses means "to draw out." Israel means, "He struggles with God" or (an interesting twist) "God struggles."
So, if our etymological skills are keen enough, at least from the point of view of the Hebrew Scriptures, we can figure out the purpose of a particular patriarch or matriarch simply by reading his or her name. Of course, Abraham did indeed become the father of many. Moses, after some trials and tribulations, did draw the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and led them to the land of promise.
Names mean not only who you are, but often what you do. Our identities have as much to do with what we do as they have to do with what we are called. Smith, Cartwright, Brewer, or Cooper - all fine last names - have their roots in professions. Or...take a name like mine: Robinson. Like Johnson or Richardson or Jacobson, my identity is wrapped up in being the son of...well, whoever Robin was long ago. I carry Robin's bloodlines, and perhaps have as part of my identity something of Robin's character, uniqueness, and individuality.
If Biblical names are so important in describing what purposes these august individuals served, then the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, which we celebrate on the day the secular world calls New Year's Day, certainly has a place in the Church's calendar. We hear that day from Paul's letter to the Philippians that Jesus was given "the name above all names." And Jesus' name means, "He saves." It is, of course, a rendition of the Hebrew name Joshua. And if names impart identity, then Jesus' identity is living into the fullness of his name - animating it and turning a concept like salvation into a living, breathing human being.
Mary and Joseph knew none of this as they stood with him all wrapped in swaddling clothes at the Temple, obediently presenting their first-born child for the Jewish rite of circumcision. They didn't know what would happen thirty-odd years later. They had no way of knowing how their son, born in such obscurity, would live into his name. How he would be the one upon whose shoulders all hopes had been placed for millennia. All they knew was what the angel Gabriel told them, that the child would be called Jesus.
The epistle to the Hebrews says Jesus is "the exact reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being." So answering the question, "What's in this Name, Jesus?" is to engage the divine on a human, and therefore unique, level. To know Jesus' name is to know something about God. And the thing we discover is that, as the Gospel of John tells us, "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
So celebrating the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus is about so much more than a ritual observed in a temple 2,000 years ago by a devout Jewish family. For we realize that in Jesus, we live vicariously through his victory over sin and death. It is not just a belief system. It is not just a way of life. It is a very change in our identities.
It all begins with a simple but powerful statement. You remember: "You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked and Christ's own forever." With that, we are given the grace to share in Jesus Christ's victory. We are given the grace of a whole new life. We are given the grace to be called children of God, who all share the same name: Christian.
Fr. Chip
Epiphany Feast of Lights
Wednesday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. at Trinity Church
The Feast of Lights is one of the oldest observances of the Christian Church dating back to the Fourth Century after Christ. Introduced here four years ago, it is a moving, candlelight service that celebrates the manifestation of Christ to the world.
As Epiphany falls on a Wednesday this year, we will celebrate it at 7 p.m. on Jan. 6 - with a festive "Twelfth Day" gathering to follow. Bring any "leftover" Christmas goodies to share.
If you have not yet experienced this service, you are in for a remarkable worship opportunity. Do plan to join us!
Official Notice of Annual Meetings
Know all persons by these presents that the Annual Meeting of Trinity Episcopal Church will be held on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016 at 10:15 a.m. in Hobbs Hall at Trinity Church and that the Annual Meeting of Christ Episcopal Church will be held on Sunday, Jan. 31 at 12:00 noon in the Christ Church Undercroft.
The purpose of these meetings shall be to receive the Reports of the Officers and Organizations of the Congregations; to elect Officers and Delegates for the terms specified for their offices as stated in the By-Laws of the Congregations; and to conduct such other business as may lawfully come before these meetings.
Any baptized person, sixteen (16) years of age or older, who acknowledges in writing the authority of the By-Laws of the Congregation her or she attends and who declares his or her intention to aid in maintaining public worship therein by regular attendance at such worship and who is a contributor of record, is entitled to voice and vote.
Craig Davis, Warden, Christ Church Patrice Wood, Senior Warden, Trinity Church
Suzanne George, Clerk, Christ Church Diana Jodoin, Clerk, Trinity Church
