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Christmas Message
Moravian Lovefeast - December 17, 2006
Rev. Tonya Arnesen

When my Dad was in college, he and his friends entertained themselves by collecting funny names they found in the local newspaper. Names like “Merniceena Bowslowse” and “Huggum and Kissum Grissom” gave them hours of laughs. (These are REAL names, my friends!) There was a couple whose last name was Naze – and they named their daughter May Ann Naze. Dad even clipped a birth announcement about Mr. and Mrs. Hogg – who named their twin girls, “Ima and Ura.” What were those parents thinking?!?

A name is not just a label or a listing in the telephone book – it becomes our identity. And parents would do well to choose their children’s names with great care! We did: our daughter’s name, “Sarah” is from the Old Testament and means “princess” in Hebrew. And yes, Sarah lives up to her name! “David” is also a Hebrew name which means, “Beloved of God.” And he is. I wonder if my parents knew the meaning of my name, “Tonya.” It’s Latin in origin and means, “Worthy of Praise.” Well, well. . .

A name can influence a life: I’ve seen folks who literally grew into the shape and significance of their name. My grade school friend, Robin Birdsong, became a high school music teacher. (I suppose it’s a good thing her last name wasn’t Banks – she’d be Robin Banks by now!) There’s something powerful about a name – especially when we live up to the name we’re given.

Tonight, I want to remind you of the name above all other names – Jesus. And if you don’t know the person and his name, then you don’t understand the meaning of Christmas.

You remember the story: young Mary has just discovered that she’s to be the mother to God’s baby boy. Beyond that, Mary doesn’t know much. She doesn’t know why God chose her. She doesn’t have clue how she’s going to explain her pregnancy to her parents – or to her fiancé Joseph. Mary can only imagine how the gossip will fly through her small town of Nazareth.

Mary’s future may be more full of questions, than answers. But she DOES know her son’s name. The angel says, “You will bear a son, and you will name him…Jesus.”

Jesus. Before Mary has a baby, God has a name. The name is not Mary’s or Joseph’s idea. Their child won’t be named after a granddad or an uncle or an old fraternity brother. This name is God’s idea: “You WILL name him Jesus.”   With her future looming dark with uncertainty – the name Jesus will be like a candle in the darkness for Mary.

Why? Because the name “Jesus” is packed with power and hope! It was a name that had deep meaning for the Jewish people. You see, “Jesus” is the Greek form of the Hebrew name, “Yeshua” (or “Joshua.)” In the Old Testament, Joshua was the mighty leader who brought God’s people into the Promised Land after they had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. The significance of Jesus’ name would not have been lost on Mary, or anyone who heard it in those days. It would be like our naming a child Martin Luther King, Jr. or Nelson Mandela, today.

And what does the name “Jesus” mean? It means “God saves.” That’s the literal translation. God saves. The angel says, “You will bear a son, and you will name him…’God saves.’”

That name says it all, doesn’t it? “God saves” – is what Jesus’ name means. But more than that, that’s what Jesus’ LIFE meant. Because you see, Jesus lived up to his name!

Friends, it’s so important for us to understand that God had a specific purpose in sending Jesus. God is not primarily concerned about our personal agendas, our comfort and ease or our self-esteem. God is focused on our salvation. God is intent on pulling us out of the death spiral of self-centeredness, self-destruction, self-satisfaction, self-abasement, self-aggrandizement and self-hatred. In other words, God sent Jesus to save us from ourselves!

That little baby lying in a manger reminds us that God is profoundly concerned about folks who need to be saved – from spiritual blindness or unbelief, from hopeless poverty, from destructive family dynamics, from addictions, illness or depression, from greed and pride. Jesus is living proof that God cares enough to save us from ourselves. So God sent Jesus – and his name tells us everything we need to know about who he is and why he came. There is power and hope in the name.

At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of the one named “God saves,” and we remember that Jesus lived up to his name! But that good news just gets better – because we also remember that through Jesus, God changes OUR name as well! At our baptism, we are adopted into the family of Christ and given a new name – “Christian.” In other words, we become the spiritual namesakes of Jesus the Christ. Once, we were called “sinners,” and “enemies of God.” Now we are called “forgiven – beloved children of God.” John 1 says, “To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.”

There is something powerful about a name – especially when we live up to the name we’re given. Do you remember Cervantes’ story of Don Quixote – the Man of La Mancha? Quixote pictures himself as a chivalrous knight. He sets out to right all the wrongs of the world and take it by storm. But Don Quixote doesn’t live in the “real world.” He lives in a world of impossible dreams. Truth is, his armor is shabby, his horse is sagging, and he rides for a fair lady whom he calls Dulcinea — which means, Sweetness.”

But Dulcinea is far from a fair lady. She is a prostitute in a country tavern, whose real name is Aldonza. She characterizes herself as “the most casual bride of the murderous scum of the earth” and resents Quixote’s intrusion in her life. But the Don persists, saying “And still thou art my lady.” He tells her he sees heaven when he sees her, while all she sees in herself, is a hopeless case.

Don Quixote’s family doesn’t understand or share his dream. They’re convinced he is deluded, so they try to shock him into facing reality. And they succeed in unmasking his fantasy. But in doing so – they break his spirit and his health.

The Don lays on his sickbed, ready to give up his impossible dream, until Aldonza comes into his room. With love and appreciation, she says to her champion, “You looked at me and called me by another name — Dulcinea.” And before Quixote stands a true, fair LADY. He is no longer living in a fantasy world – for in reality, Dulcinea has lived up to her new name. Her life has been transformed by Quixote’s belief in her.

Friends, God dares to dream the impossible dream for YOUR life! And while you may not always believe in God, never forget that GOD BELIEVES in YOU! He knows who and what you are, yet God insists on giving you a new name. You are a “child of God!” The treasure of His heart, the object of His love, the joy of His eternal life.

You may call yourself a loser, but God calls you WORTHY. You may imagine you are beyond mercy, but God names you FORGIVEN. You may think your life is desperate, but God calls you, HOPE. You may consider yourself an outcast, but calls you FRIEND. You may call yourself “sorrowful,” but God calls you COMFORTED. You may feel tired and worn out by life, but God calls you a NEW CREATION.

What a marvelous and transforming imagination God has! How full of love is the heart of God. How powerful is His Spirit, to take our failures and give us a future. How marvelous of God to take people who were headed nowhere and use them to fulfill his plan for the world. How gracious of God to recognize our self-destruction – and send us a Savior, who“. . . is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being. . . .”

Dear friends, I wish you a Merry Christmas. And as you celebrate this holy season, I encourage you to remember that Jesus – the “One who saves” – lived up to his name. And he gives you a new name, as well: your Christ’s namesake – a beloved child of God. Praise be to God! Amen.

Rev. Tonya Arnesen

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