It's All in the Name

Having the right name is very important. In some ways, it’s everything.

When the 1960s ended, San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district reverted to high rent, and many hippies moved down the coast to Santa Cruz. They had children and got married, too, but they didn't name their children Melissa or Brett. People in the mountains around Santa Cruz grew accustomed to their children playing Frisbee with little Time Warp or Spring Fever. And eventually Moonbeam, Earth, Love and Precious Promise all ended up in public school.

That's when the kindergarten teachers first met Fruit Stand. Every fall, according to tradition, parents bravely apply name tags to their children, kiss them good-bye and send them off to school on the bus. So it was for Fruit Stand. The teachers thought the boy's name was odd, but they tried to make the best of it.

"Would you like to play with the blocks, Fruit Stand?" they offered. And later, "Fruit Stand, how about a snack?" He accepted hesitantly. By the end of the day, his name didn't seem much stranger than Heather's or Sun Ray's.

At dismissal time, the teachers led the children out to the buses. "Fruit Stand, do you know which one is your bus?"

He didn't answer. That wasn't odd. He hadn't answered them all day. Lots of children are shy on the first day of school. It didn't matter. The teachers had instructed the parents to write the names of their children's bus stops on the reverse side of their name tags. The teacher simply turned over the tag. There, neatly printed, was the word "Anthony."

Yes, having the right name is very important. In some ways, it’s everything. Knowing that to be true, we are here this morning to begin the year 2012 in the name of Jesus.

Eight days after Jesus was born, he was circumcised, fulfilling the Law given under Moses. Count off eight days from December 25th, and you arrive at January 1st. So while the world celebrates a flip of the calendar, the Christian Church remembers that Jesus was circumcised, and when a son of Israel was circumcised, he was given his name. In this way our Lord was given His name. But it was no ordinary name. His name had literally been given from heaven, announced by an angel to both May and Joseph at the time of his conception: “You are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

And so this tiny bundle of humanity was given the strong name Jesus, which means, “The Lord saves.”And he grew up to totally fulfill his name. Everything that God’s holy Law said that you and I must do, Jesus did perfectly and completely. All the misery and punishment that you and I by our sins deserved, this Jesus suffered patiently and thoroughly. God the Father laid on Him the iniquity of us all, and it killed him. He experienced the cross and grave for you. He was also raised from the dead. No wonder the apostle Paul proclaimed, “God exalted [Jesus] to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2: 9—11)

The apostles preached that Name, and when hauled into court for it, they confessed, “There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4: 12)

We begin the Year of our Lord 2012 with mixed emotions. Excitement, fear, anticipation, dread, all jockey for position within us. Where will our leaders take our nation? Will this be the year the Middle East explodes? And on a personal level, what about my job? What about my family, my health, my security? What about the anxiety and turmoil that seems to crop up more and more. How will I handle that? How can I handle that?

We handle it with the name of Jesus. That’s how. There is nothing magical about the name of Jesus. Rather, the power of the name of Jesus is the power and authority of Jesus himself. Here’s the way it works:

When we pray in the name of Jesus, the Father hears our prayer as Jesus’ prayer. When God’s Word is preached in the name of Jesus, it’s the authority of Jesus himself that stands behind that Word. When we receive the forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name, our sins are forgiven by the authority and power of God’s own Son.

When a Christian does anything to help someone else—the Bible memorably calls that giving someone a cup of cold water in the name of Jesus—it is Jesus himself who provides for the physical needs of that person.

When we pray in the name of Jesus over the food set before us, it is Jesus himself who blesses that food to our benefit.

In the name of Jesus we come to be forgiven and renewed this morning. We began this service in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit—the name that was applied to you in Holy Baptism. Whether your name is Steve or Sally, Anthony or Fruit Stand, when you have the name of Jesus attached to you, you have total access to Him in every area of your life. Having his name on you is everything. His name does what it says. The Lord saves you. This is where to begin a new year—in Jesus’ name.