Thursday, January 1, 2015 Name of Jesus

Thursday, January 1, 2015
The Feast of the Name of Jesus

 

In Holy Baptism we are joined to the one who came not to abolish the Law and the Prophets but rather the one who became to fulfill them. Jesus born of the Theotokos (The God bearer) was born under the law of Judaism. He came to bear witness, taking on our humanity, born under the law, born of a family in a time of Roman oppression, in the land of promise. He was born of a Jewish mother and thus in the flesh was Jewish. He came to die that God might accomplish a great victory though his resurrection. As we are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we are joined to the death, burial and resurrection of the one who came in the midst of human time, for our sake, to fulfill the words of challenge and promise (law and Gospel) first offered to the Jewish People in God’s promise. In baptism we are extended this promise first extended to the Hebrew people. We are anointed with the chrism (the oil) at the font that we might be called “little christs” (little anointed ones) and are joined to a royal priesthood to share the prophetic word in the world.

Today on the eighth day of Christmas as we commemorate the Feast of the Name of Jesus we contemplate the mystery of Jesus born of Mary, Mother of God and Theotokos. We contemplate that Jesus by his circumcision was a Jew. But we also remember that he bears the very name Jesus or Joshua in Hebrew which means savior; it was for this that he came to save us. In our baptism we share in his name and his title, and we share in the promise of his mission (his sending) for which he came into our world. Contemplating the mystery of these things is a very appropriate way to begin the calendar year.

Prayer of the Day

Eternal Father, you gave your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be a sign of our salvation. Plant in every heart the love of the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

First Reading

Numbers 6:22–27

²²The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: ²³Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them,
²⁴The LORD bless you and keep you;
²⁵the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
²⁶the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.
²⁷So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.

Psalm (ELW)

Psalm 8

¹O ^| LORD our Lord,

     how majestic is your name in ^| all the earth!—

²you whose glory is chanted above the heavens

out of the mouths of in- ^| fants and children;

     you have set up a fortress against your enemies,

     to silence the foe ^| and avenger.

³When I consider your heavens, the work ^| of your fingers,

     the moon and the stars you have set ^| in their courses,

⁴what are mere mortals that you should be mind- ^| ful of them,

     human beings that you should ^| care for them?   R

⁵Yet you have made them little less ^| than divine;

     with glory and hon- ^| or you crown them.

⁶You have made them rule over the works ^| of your hands;

     you have put all things un- ^| der their feet:

⁷all ^| flocks and cattle,

     even the wild beasts ^| of the field,

⁸the birds of the air, the fish ^| of the sea,

     and whatever passes along the paths ^| of the sea.

⁹O ^| LORD our Lord,

     how majestic is your name in ^| all the earth!   R

Second Reading

Galatians 4:4–7

⁴But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. ⁶And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" ⁷So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

Second Reading (Alternate)

Philippians 2:5–11

⁵Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
⁶who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
⁷but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
⁸he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death —
even death on a cross.
⁹Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Gospel

Luke 2:15–21

¹⁵When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." ¹⁶So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
²¹After 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.