As the season of Christmas continues, yes, it is still Christmas time. Today is a holiday on two calendars. Happy New Year! On the church calendar, today is also the Feast of The Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Have you ever thought about what your name means? Do you know what your name means. Google it, if you don't. Those of us with particularly unique names may have to dig a little deeper to get down to the surface as to how and why we inherited our names. The church celebrates the Holy Name of Jesus as a means to commemorate the day that Jesus' parents presented him to the temple to be both named and circumcised. The name Jesus simply means yahweh saves or salvation.
The first chapter of the Gospel of John is a very beautifully written account of the incarnation of Christ, or Jesus becoming human. Kirk Franklin has a somewhat popular song "Now behold the Lamb," in this song there is a line that sums up the incarnation or enfleshment of Jesus: "born into sin that we may live again, he's the precious lamb of God." John 1:16 reads: From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. From the fullness of Christ, we have received grace upon grace. Grace defined is simply unmerited divine assistance given to someone.
Beloved, as we celebrate the new year and ponder all that 2013 has in store for us, take time to remember that God has sought you out by name and through the fullness of his only begotten son given you grace upon grace. My wish for you during 2013 and beyond, is that you experience the fullness of Christ and rest in the grace upon grace freely given to us. We are called to be a human expression of the grace of God. Happy 2013! Keep the faith, continue to grow in grace. The world awaits you.
Peace,
Karsten
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