Easter 5

Easter 5 Something About That Name 4/21 & 24/05 “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! There’s just something about that name! Master, Savior, Jesus! Like the fragrance after the

rain; Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! Let all heaven and earth proclaim: Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, But there’s something about that name! Another great song shares these words: “Jesus, name above all names, beautiful Savior, glorious Lord…Emmanuel, God is with us, blessed Redeemer, living Word.”

God loves each of us enough to give us His name! God comes to us who, in our human limitations, are not able to come to Him, and speaks to us, revealing to us His name! One of the great acts of divine grace is this: God gives us His name! To follow Jesus is to learn his name, to learn how to call upon him by name, and to allow him---yea, invite him---to teach us the significance of his name for our world! Regarding his name, don’t miss Jesus’ promise for our praying, recorded in vss. 13-14 of our Gospel. To pray in Jesus’ name means to pray as Jesus prayed…to come before the Father as Jesus did… obediently, expectantly, and open to God’s divine will for our living and dying.

Author, pastor, and professor William H. Willimon is named after his grandfather, who was named for his father. When his mother pronounced her son’s name while standing before a clerk at the Department of Motor Vehicles, the clerk muttered: “What was his mama thinking?!” She responded, “It is an old family name!” The clerk looked up and remarked, “Still don’t make it right!”

Names are significant. Our world has just experienced the selection of the Pope and one of his first responsibilities was the selection of his name. He is not Pope Ratzinger, but, rather, Pope Benedict XVI, the name chosen by 15 other men before him…the second most popular name selected by these men over the many centuries. His choice of name symbolizes and sets the course for his time in this position of spiritual leadership. His name identifies who he is and what he will strive to do. Giving of names is especially significant in the Roman Catholic Church, with the name of a saint given to the person at baptism and the first celebration of Holy Communion. My wife, raised within the Catholic Church, was named Jill Diane at birth. In that there are no saints---I mean before Jill!---by the names of Jill or Diane, she was given the name of “Mary” upon her Baptism and “Elizabeth” upon her first Communion. Thus, my wife’s full name is Jill Diane Mary Elizabeth Powell.

Jesus is called Jesus because that’s what the angel told Joseph to call him. Really, it’s Joshua, which literally means “he will save people from their sins.” Jesus is also called Christ, meaning “Messiah” and “the anointed One.” Jesus is the deliverer, Savior, sent from God. Jesus is our friend, as we sing “What a friend we have in Jesus.” Jesus, though is more than simply one who cares. Jesus moves, acts, and saves. Jesus is the Christ, sent from God, and our Lord! There is something about that name!

When we claim Jesus as Lord---Christus Victor---we proclaim that Jesus is the victorious conqueror over evil. When Christ’s followers proclaim “Jesus is Lord,” we announce that no one nor thing will occupy this place in our lives. Accepting Christ’s lordship over our lives is essential to our daily walk, but it is easier to proclaim than to practice! Christ’s lordship is central in Holy Communion, as Jesus offers his very body and blood to pay the exorbitant ransom for the sins of the world. The lifelong process of salvation is based on the conviction that by his sacrifice Jesus has defeated the powers of evil. Our conversion to Christ is a turning away from any allegiance to evil and choosing to live under the lordship of Christ.

In Baptism we ask: “Do you renounce all the forces of evil, the devil, and all his empty promises?” With this renunciation, we move immediately into our confession of faith we know as The Apostles’ Creed. Within the Orthodox Church, when the one being baptized rejects Satan, he/she turns toward the west (the symbolic domain of Satan) and actually spits in the face of the devil…a powerful way to symbolize the termination of that prior relationship! God claims us in the name of Jesus, but satan does not surrender willingly. As the powers of evil stake claim to your life, call upon the name of Jesus! “There’s just something about that name!” Amen.