[RCL]: Numbers 6:22-27; Psalm 8; Galatians 4:4-7 or Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 2:15-21 In Act II of William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, the lovestruck Juliet ponders a difficult circumstance: she, a Capulet, has fallen in love with a man who bears the name of her family’s sworn enemies—the name of Montague. Passionately and hopefully, with youthful…

“After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” – Luke 2:21 January 1, the Feast of the Holy Name, is a day when we encounter an interweaving of spiritual traditions: a mystical attachment…

Abraham means “Ancestor of many.” Moses means “to draw out.” Israel means, either “he struggles with God” or “God struggles.” So, if our etymological skills are keen enough, at least from an Old Testament point of view, we can figure out the purpose of a particular patriarch or matriarch simply by reading his or her name. Of course,…

The ancient Romans had among their pantheon a god of doorways. His name was Janus. With two faces, one looking forward and the other looking back, he was the god of beginnings as well as endings. He gives his name, of course, to this month, “January,” and to “janitors,” the keepers of doorways. And so,…

A few days ago we celebrated the day on which the Lord was born. We talked about the City of Bethlehem, and the Angels, and Mary and Joseph and a tiny baby. Today we will talk about how that tiny baby was named by God. On Christmas Day we celebrated the birth of a child,…

Our theme is the Holy Name of Jesus, and God’s unconditional, personal love for each of us. In the covenant relationship that God has with each one of us, God loves us first; we are precious in His sight. He gives us the gift of his son, Jesus, who takes the first step to come…