Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Happy Seventh Day of Christmas (Dec. 31). Happy New Year. Blessed Holy Name of Jesus.
The Holy Name of Jesus is a new celebration in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. January 1 marks 8 days since the birth of Jesus. According to the Law of Moses, all male infants were to be circumcised on the 8th day of their life. At this time the family would also name the child. He was “called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb” (Lk 2:21).
“The name “Jesus” is from the Hebrew Joshua, or Yehoshuah, “Yahweh is salvation” or “Yahweh will save.” Devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus is particularly derived from Phil 2:9-11, which states that God highly exalted Jesus “and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” This scriptural devotion is paraphrased by the hymn “At the name of Jesus” (Hymn 435) in The Hymnal 1982” (from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors).
We celebrate the salvation come to earth in the form of an infant named, Jesus. A gift celebrated every day in this season of Christmas.
Come, receive the gift of God this Sunday. Come your salvation has arrived! God is with us.
Blessed Christmas, everyone.
Father Dave+