The Name Of Names
Sermon
THE VICTORY OF FAITH
New Testament Sermons For Lent And Easter
Mark -- warlike
Shirley -- bright meadow
Jennifer -- fair lady
Jeffrey -- God's peace
Jesus -- God saves
What's in a name? Ever since God gave Adam the privilege of naming all the creatures, humankind has had a fascination with names. Names are important. Parents take great care when they select a name for their baby. They know the name will be with this new person for a lifetime and will identify him or her to other people.
We look at the panorama of history and give different names to the ages: Ice Age, Stone Age, Bronze Age, Dark Ages, Middle Ages, Modern Age, Post-Modern Age. The names help us distinguish periods of time and cultural growth or decline. The names, carefully chosen, give us a sense of where we fit in, regarding the development of civilization.
We characterize events with names, so that we can understand their nature and remember what they were like: the Depression, the Holocaust, the Civil Rights Movement, the Space Race.
What's in a name? An awful lot! Names help us have a handle on reality. Names help us identify, understand, and remember.
The writer to the Ephesian Christians says that the name of Jesus the Christ is "above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come." Jesus is Lord! There is no one, no power, no experience that can overshadow, or outdistance, or overcome what Jesus has done for you and for all. Jesus is raised from the dead and seated at the right hand of God. He is the head over all things. His name is above every other named reality. The name of Jesus means "God saves."
For Christians all things find their meaning, their context, their purpose, their value as they relate to Jesus. Paul advised his fellow Christians to live in such a way that whatever they said or did would be done in the name of Jesus.
What's in a name? Everything! For Christians the name of Jesus identifies the center of all meaning: the love of God through Jesus. For Christians the name of Jesus helps us understand how God expresses his love for us: through this crucified and risen one. For Christians the name of Jesus helps us remember that God is still with us in all his power to save. He said, "Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." We live, naming the name of names.
Knowing his name gives us a power in life! If I'm in a dark room, I have a distinct advantage if I know where the light switch is, if I can call forth the light. The gospel writer John names Jesus as the light of the world. "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it."
As Christians we can name the light that dispels the fearsome shadows and dark corners of our human existence: Jesus, that name of names.
Let us lift up his name and carry it boldly into our world. Life is to be lived fully in the name of Jesus through what we say and through what we do; for, through Jesus, God saves.
In the ascension story in scripture, we read that Jesus was "lifted up," and "was carried up into heaven." The suffering, crucified and buried Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, victorious over the evil dark that would engulf this world. Jesus rules! This is what is meant by the scriptures when Jesus is portrayed sitting at the right hand of the Father. We acknowledge his lordship when we confess in the Apostles' Creed that "he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father." We name Jesus as the Lord of life in whose power we dare to face the challenges of each day.
We name his name and we are named by his name. Among the artists of Japan it was common for the master artist to give a new name to an exceptional student, forming this name by using a portion of his own name in the new name for the student. Genyemon Ando received the name Hiroshige from his master instructor Toyohiro. Hiroshige's woodblock prints are world-famous, influencing other great artists, like French impressionist Claude Monet. Anyone familiar with Hiroshige's work would, by his name, be reminded of his master, Toyohiro, a part of whose name he bore.
Christians bear the name of Jesus, as we are called by his name: Christ's ones. We are identified with him. We are one body with him, himself as the head. As part of him, we share in his victory, his power, his rule. He is ascended and he lifts up those who call upon his name. As the Psalmist expresses it, "Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you."
A curious Sunday School student asked one morning in class, "If Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, who is seated on the left?" The answer to that straightforward question is "We are!" We have been called to share in the immeasurable greatness of his power over sin, death and all evil. As the writer to the Ephesians states, "You may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power."
Richard was recently afflicted with a prolonged and painful illness shortly after the death of his wife of 25 years. When asked how he was bearing up under the grief and disappointments, he replied, "It sure ain't easy. There are times when it is hard to get out of bed in the morning to start the day. But, my Lord is with me and he will give me the strength I need for each day. I simply have to trust in him and get on with it." In the midst of adversity, Richard was drawing on his inheritance, which empowered him to deal with his situation.
Charles Dickens begins his celebrated A Tale of Two Cities with this sentence: "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times."
There will always be those "worst of times" as we face hardships, unemployment, war, poverty, injustice, hunger, sin and guilt, heartache, disappointments, setbacks, and death. But for Christians it is at the same time "the best of times," as we name the name of Jesus and by the power of his love are lifted up with courage and hope, strength and patience, forgiveness and kindness to live in the light of God's new day. The night has no power to overcome us, for all things have been put under Jesus' feet, like a footrest for the emperor who sits on the throne.
Live each day with the knowledge that Jesus is ascended. Jesus rules. His name is above all names. By his name you are called. Through his name you are saved. In his name you are blessed. Do not be afraid. Take heart. Be of good cheer. Pray boldly and live more boldly still. Amen.
Shirley -- bright meadow
Jennifer -- fair lady
Jeffrey -- God's peace
Jesus -- God saves
What's in a name? Ever since God gave Adam the privilege of naming all the creatures, humankind has had a fascination with names. Names are important. Parents take great care when they select a name for their baby. They know the name will be with this new person for a lifetime and will identify him or her to other people.
We look at the panorama of history and give different names to the ages: Ice Age, Stone Age, Bronze Age, Dark Ages, Middle Ages, Modern Age, Post-Modern Age. The names help us distinguish periods of time and cultural growth or decline. The names, carefully chosen, give us a sense of where we fit in, regarding the development of civilization.
We characterize events with names, so that we can understand their nature and remember what they were like: the Depression, the Holocaust, the Civil Rights Movement, the Space Race.
What's in a name? An awful lot! Names help us have a handle on reality. Names help us identify, understand, and remember.
The writer to the Ephesian Christians says that the name of Jesus the Christ is "above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come." Jesus is Lord! There is no one, no power, no experience that can overshadow, or outdistance, or overcome what Jesus has done for you and for all. Jesus is raised from the dead and seated at the right hand of God. He is the head over all things. His name is above every other named reality. The name of Jesus means "God saves."
For Christians all things find their meaning, their context, their purpose, their value as they relate to Jesus. Paul advised his fellow Christians to live in such a way that whatever they said or did would be done in the name of Jesus.
What's in a name? Everything! For Christians the name of Jesus identifies the center of all meaning: the love of God through Jesus. For Christians the name of Jesus helps us understand how God expresses his love for us: through this crucified and risen one. For Christians the name of Jesus helps us remember that God is still with us in all his power to save. He said, "Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." We live, naming the name of names.
Knowing his name gives us a power in life! If I'm in a dark room, I have a distinct advantage if I know where the light switch is, if I can call forth the light. The gospel writer John names Jesus as the light of the world. "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it."
As Christians we can name the light that dispels the fearsome shadows and dark corners of our human existence: Jesus, that name of names.
Let us lift up his name and carry it boldly into our world. Life is to be lived fully in the name of Jesus through what we say and through what we do; for, through Jesus, God saves.
In the ascension story in scripture, we read that Jesus was "lifted up," and "was carried up into heaven." The suffering, crucified and buried Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, victorious over the evil dark that would engulf this world. Jesus rules! This is what is meant by the scriptures when Jesus is portrayed sitting at the right hand of the Father. We acknowledge his lordship when we confess in the Apostles' Creed that "he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father." We name Jesus as the Lord of life in whose power we dare to face the challenges of each day.
We name his name and we are named by his name. Among the artists of Japan it was common for the master artist to give a new name to an exceptional student, forming this name by using a portion of his own name in the new name for the student. Genyemon Ando received the name Hiroshige from his master instructor Toyohiro. Hiroshige's woodblock prints are world-famous, influencing other great artists, like French impressionist Claude Monet. Anyone familiar with Hiroshige's work would, by his name, be reminded of his master, Toyohiro, a part of whose name he bore.
Christians bear the name of Jesus, as we are called by his name: Christ's ones. We are identified with him. We are one body with him, himself as the head. As part of him, we share in his victory, his power, his rule. He is ascended and he lifts up those who call upon his name. As the Psalmist expresses it, "Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you."
A curious Sunday School student asked one morning in class, "If Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, who is seated on the left?" The answer to that straightforward question is "We are!" We have been called to share in the immeasurable greatness of his power over sin, death and all evil. As the writer to the Ephesians states, "You may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power."
Richard was recently afflicted with a prolonged and painful illness shortly after the death of his wife of 25 years. When asked how he was bearing up under the grief and disappointments, he replied, "It sure ain't easy. There are times when it is hard to get out of bed in the morning to start the day. But, my Lord is with me and he will give me the strength I need for each day. I simply have to trust in him and get on with it." In the midst of adversity, Richard was drawing on his inheritance, which empowered him to deal with his situation.
Charles Dickens begins his celebrated A Tale of Two Cities with this sentence: "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times."
There will always be those "worst of times" as we face hardships, unemployment, war, poverty, injustice, hunger, sin and guilt, heartache, disappointments, setbacks, and death. But for Christians it is at the same time "the best of times," as we name the name of Jesus and by the power of his love are lifted up with courage and hope, strength and patience, forgiveness and kindness to live in the light of God's new day. The night has no power to overcome us, for all things have been put under Jesus' feet, like a footrest for the emperor who sits on the throne.
Live each day with the knowledge that Jesus is ascended. Jesus rules. His name is above all names. By his name you are called. Through his name you are saved. In his name you are blessed. Do not be afraid. Take heart. Be of good cheer. Pray boldly and live more boldly still. Amen.
