Tag: christianity

The Holy Name of Jesus (Luke 2:15-21)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
Orthodox depiction of the circumcision and naming of Jesus

When 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.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them, and Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.

When the eighth day came, 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. (New Revised Standard Version)

“The Holy Name of Jesus” is a celebration, observed by some Christian traditions, each year on January 1 – which is the eighth day after the birth of Jesus, when he was named and circumcised at the temple in Jerusalem.

An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21, NRSV)

In the Law of Moses, all male infants are to be circumcised on the eighth day after their birth (Leviticus 12:3). Throughout most of the history of the Christian Church, January 1 has been celebrated as a feast day devoted to the naming of Jesus.

The name “Jesus” comes from the Hebrew Yeshuah (Joshua) which means “Yahweh will save.” It is a name fitting for the person and work of Christ.

Therefore God exalted him even more highly
    and gave him the name
    that is above every other name,
so that at the name given to Jesus
    every knee should bend,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
    that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11, NRSV)

Faith is always followed by obedience. So, the faith of Joseph and Mary in believing the words of the angel Gabriel, translated into the obedient naming of their son as “Jesus.” (Luke 1:31-32)

Jesus, bearing the name of savior, is holy in every way. Not only does the name of Jesus point to his divinity – because of his miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit – but it also directs us toward the special mission for which he entered this world.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and Son of Humanity, is God’s agent of deliverance for both Israel and the whole world.

“Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord….” (Luke 2:10-11, NRSV)

The Gospel writer Luke provides us with a birth narrative “pregnant” with theological information and importance:

  • Jesus has divine sonship, and possesses the status of king (Luke 1:31-35)
  • Jesus comes from the city of David, which is Bethlehem, not Jerusalem (Luke 2:4, 11)
  • Jesus is described by the angel Gabriel as Son of the Most High, Son of God, Savior, Messiah, and Lord; each of these titles direct us to his identity and mission (Luke 1:32, 35; 2:11)

I like the collective response of the shepherds, after they received heavenly good news from a group of angels.

They could have dismissed the entire thing as having drunk too much brandy on a brisk winter night. They could have kept the whole affair to themselves, reasoning that nobody would believe a bunch of stinky shepherds.

Instead, much like Mary who hurried off to Elizabeth after receiving the angelic message, the shepherds dropped everything to go and see the feeding trough with a newborn baby wrapped in swaddling cloth.

In other words, the shepherds belief in what they heard and experienced, quickly translated into action. It was only appropriate that it was shepherds who discovered the newborn king, the Son of David, himself a shepherd who was anointed by God.

The shepherds went and followed the signs given to them by the angel. And they believed. A motley group of shepherds returned to their fields, kicking up their heels, praising and glorifying God. They knew that things would never be the same again.

The name of Jesus is holy, simply because the Lord Jesus Christ is the Holy One. Christians recognize Jesus as Savior, the fulfillment of all God’s promises. His singular birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension is exactly, I believe, what this old fallen world is most in need of.

It is never too late to resolve knowing Jesus. At the beginning of this year, there is perhaps no better resolution to make, again and again, of knowing Jesus Christ and honoring his holy name.

Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation. Plant in our hearts the love of Jesus, truly God and truly human, and grant that we may praise and bless your Holy Name with our whole mind, heart, body, and spirit, that we may know your boundless compassion and mercy. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.

The Light of the World (John 8:12-19)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
The Light of the World, by the Jyoti Art Ashram

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” 

Then the Pharisees said to him, “You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.” 

Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is valid, for it is not I alone who judge but I and the Father who sent me. In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid. I testify on my own behalf, and the Father who sent me testifies on my behalf.” 

Then they said to him, “Where is your Father?”

Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” (New Revised Standard Version)

In this season of Christmastide, I am reminded that my own joy over the birth of Jesus as the incarnation of God upon this earth, is not shared by everyone. Where I see good news, there are others who feel threatened. As I bask in glorious light, some prefer to remain in the shadows.

Not everyone, of course, buys into this distinctively Christian way of seeing things – which is why it’s important for all Christians and Churches everywhere to be characterized by the Light and not by the darkness.

Humanity is a strange alchemy of both light and dark, hopefulness and hopelessness, awareness and ignorance, love and hate. We must acknowledge the light, bring it out, and let it shine.

Hiding the light only gives the dark forces of this world an opportunity to hold a sinister and shadowy grip of guilt and shame on the people of this world.

I find that most people want truth and authenticity. They want to discover, know, and be told the truth from a genuine place of care and attention.

There are, however, those few persons who only want what they want, and don’t care much about truth and authenticity, that is, unless they can use it as leverage for their personal agenda.

Jesus Christ, Light of the World, by William Holman Hunt (1827-1910)

One of the reasons I like Jesus so much, is that he lived and spoke truth from a good place, and actually worked to better the human condition in its most awful situation.

It doesn’t take a biblical scholar to see that most of the religious leaders, especially the Pharisees, rejected the words of Jesus. They brought up a legitimate legal issue (after all, they were the experts in the Mosaic law) of Jesus bearing witness to himself. How could Jesus possibly be Messiah without the proper testimony of two or three witnesses to his messiahship?

Put another way, why should anyone believe anything Jesus was saying? What stamp of authenticity is upon his ministry? The Pharisees wanted legal evidence, so they confronted Jesus. Most of all, they wanted to expose him as an illegal.

Christ’s response to the religious leaders was consistent with most all of his responses, whenever he was queried about his authenticity. And those responses rarely made sense to most of the people hearing it – largely because they were jerks to begin with.

What I’m getting at is that whenever our hearts are oriented toward humility, gentleness, empathy, good relations, mercy, and peacemaking, then Jesus makes a whole lot of sense.

But whenever the heart is full of shadows and darkness, the person is then driven by unconscious forces which never consciously understand what in the world Jesus is saying to them.

A well-oriented heart is a gift obtained from God. A disoriented heart and a fragmented mind are the result of arrogant pride and selfish agendas.

Therefore, what Jesus said makes perfect sense when he stated that, because of his divine connection, anything and everything he says and does is true, no matter what the issue is.

The problem with the Pharisees speaking with Jesus is that they were not familiar with the two witnesses which he provided for them. Since they didn’t know the Father, the Father’s witness meant nothing to the religious leaders.

Notice that in the banter between Jesus and the Pharisees, Christ seemed to understand that he was not going to convince the unconvinced.

That’s one of the reasons Christ spoke in parables and answered questions other than what people asked of him. Jesus was not going to waste his time with folks who already had their minds made up.

“Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you.”

Jesus (Matthew 7:6, NRSV)

Jesus wants people to make right judgments, instead of ignoring all of the epistemic knowledge which is available to them. If you desire the real deal, and want the truth, then open yourself to the means of authenticating it.

Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye. (Matthew 7:3-5, NRSV)

It’s hard to see the light whenever there is a problem with your eyesight. Jesus claims to be the Light of the World. In order to test that claim, you’d better first have your eyes examined.

For those with the eyes to see, the Light illumines the way. Trust the Light. Take it where it leads you.

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by Word and Sacrament, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory. May you bless us with the brightness of Christ’s glory! And, may you enable us to keep seeking the light of Christ. Amen.

Stay Awake (Mark 13:32-37)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment

“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert, because you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 

“Therefore, keep awake, for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening or at midnight or at cockcrow or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.” (New Revised Standard Version)

I would make a terrible night watchman. If I lived in the ancient world, and had to keep watch and stay awake at night (or even during the day) on the top of some city wall, I’d give myself 5 minutes; maybe 10 minutes top, then I’d be asleep.

It would clearly be on me if the enemy scaled the wall. I’d probably even sleep through the battle going on all around me. And nobody would kill me, because everyone would think I’m already dead.

But thank the Lord that this is not the sort of keeping watch that Jesus was talking about to his disciples. Today’s lesson is all about staying alert, remaining vigilant, and being savvy to the spiritual realities unfolding in front of us, so that we are not caught off guard.

By Unknown Artist

We must stay ready so that we don’t have to get ready. We need to be prepared. So, what exactly are we to be on our guard about and be ready for? Here is what Jesus has also said:

“Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14:38, NRSV)

“Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” (Luke 12:15, NRSV)

“Be on your guard! If a brother or sister sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive.” (Luke 17:3, NRSV)

“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life and that day does not catch you unexpectedly.” (Luke 21:34, NRSV)

“See, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and is clothed, not going about naked and exposed to shame.” (Revelation 16:15, NRSV)

Stay awake and stay alert so that we can be on guard for Christ’s return.

Jesus issued a call to a particular way of life. This sort of life is germinated in the soil of Christ’s imminent return. Our Christian discipleship is an urgent undertaking, because we aren’t sure how much time we actually have before our Lord comes back.

Today’s Gospel lesson may seem a bit confusing, coming to us in the season of Christmastide, in which we are to be joyful and celebrate the coming of Christ.

Yet, always in the back of our minds, while we are appropriately partying because of Christ’s incarnation, we are to remain vigilant that Christ’s return is inevitable, and likely imminent.

We have to be ready, at all times, no matter what the occasion is.

Today is today. Tomorrow is tomorrow. You and I have enough on our plate to try and figure out for today. Tomorrow has enough worries of its own, so leave it alone.

Putting energy into trying to predict the future, or control upcoming events, seems to me like an old man walking around with a white civil defense pith helmet on his head. He’s doing a lot of effort directing people for nothing that’s actually helping anyone today, and for something that might not even happen at all.

It’s no good to keep yourself in a continual state of stress and tension about the future. Dumping a bunch of adrenaline into your system for a situation we are not even in yet, is a one way road to burnout, or burning up in a place you won’t like.

Staying awake and remaining alert is more akin to praying continually, or always maintaining a clear conscience. (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Acts 24:16)

Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.

John 7:6, NRSV

We manage to stay awake spiritually by giving ourselves to one another (and God!) and working together toward our shared purpose of preparing for Christ’s return.

Everyone has their job to do, their spiritual gift to exercise, and their help to offer. The household is ready for the master’s return, simply because each person is working together so that they can collectively receive him when he shows up.

We can do a lot of things individually. But most things require the entire community’s effort.

In this Christmastide, we stay awake by celebrating together, and sharing our joy with one another. When the seasons change, our approach will change with it, in order to stay alert, yet our need for the community of the redeemed never changes.

Nobody has to figure out anything alone. We’ll figure it out together. We will find a way to deal with today while preparing for tomorrow.

As for me, I’ll need a nap, before I’m of any help to anyone.

Direct me, O Lord, with your grace and mercy in everything I do this day. Help me to persevere with your great benevolence, so that in all my work today I may glorify your holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

First Sunday after Christmas Day – Where Is Jesus? (Luke 2:41-52)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
The Boy Jesus In the Temple, by He Qi

Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents were unaware of this. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey.

Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 

When his parents saw him they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously looking for you.” 

He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. 

Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them, and his mother treasured all these things in her heart.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years and in divine and human favor. (New Revised Standard Version)

Luke is the only New Testament Evangelist who included a story of Jesus’s childhood. It provides us some interesting biographical information. Yet, more importantly, the story gives us a sense of Christ’s destiny, of why Jesus grew up to  engage in his unique earthly ministry.

In many ways, Jesus was a typical Jewish boy, in a non-descript pious Jewish family. The family was careful to be observant, and annually made their pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Passover.

Joseph and his family traveled in a large caravan of people, which was common for that day. They were on their camels an entire day before they discovered Jesus was missing.

Mary likely assumed Jesus was riding on the other camel with Uncle Zechariah and his cousin John. 

But Jesus was neither with them nor with Aunt Elizabeth. So, the second day, Joseph and Mary backtracked to Jerusalem, hoping and praying they wouldn’t find Jesus in the ditch, like in the story of the Good Samaritan.

Having not found their son along the road, Joseph and Mary spent the third day scouring Jerusalem in search of Jesus. 

It seems to me that far too many people go about their daily lives without realizing Jesus is even missing. They simply assume he’s here. But he isn’t.

So, let’s search for him. And in finding him, may we see Jesus as we have never seen him before, so that our faith in God might be strengthened, and so that we do not end up losing him yet again.

Turns out, the entire time, Jesus was at the temple. As a parent and grandparent myself, I’m not a bit surprised that a twelve-year-old stayed behind and thought nothing of it. 

Jesus was curious and inquisitive with the rabbis at the temple. Those ancient teachers taught in a different way than Christians preachers today. They gave instruction more like a modern day counselor or therapist.

The rabbis didn’t just impart information; they asked questions to help people discover truth for themselves. And the rabbis were amazed at Jesus’s ability to discover truth.

Keep in mind that Jesus was not a thirty-year-old adult in a twelve-year-old body. Christ was sinless, indeed; but still immature.

The human experience involves growth and maturation. Jesus shared fully in our humanity, not partially. When Christ was born, he was not a fully aware adult looking through the eyes of a baby.

Because Jesus is fully human, he had to grow up just like us and learn in every way, just like us. (Hebrews 4:15; 5:8)

Staying in Jerusalem was not a rebellious act by Jesus. It was typical. Twelve-year-old’s do all kinds of things without saying anything to their parents.

There’s a world of difference between defiant rebellion, and just plain old garden variety immaturity. It’s unwise for adults to expect adult behavior from adolescent kids.

Jesus felt a deep need to stay and talk with the rabbis. As a human boy, he had to go through the process of self-discovery… of finding out that he was the Son of God… of reading the scriptures for himself and learning… and finding that he was reading about himself! 

To say that Jesus simply knew everything because he was God is to fall into a heresy the early church condemned at the Council of Nicaea called Docetism – a belief that Jesus is fully God and only appeared to be human.

No, the Nicaean Council said, Jesus is really a human being and did not simply appear to be one. He is like us, in every way, except sin.

Well, of course, Joseph and Mary finally found Jesus. And Jesus got the third degree from his mother: “What do you mean putting your father and I through this? I gave you birth, and you treat us like this?  What were you thinking?  What part of meeting at the two-humped camel at 9:00 don’t you understand!?”

Since Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and others, how much more do we need to put ourselves in a position to grow and learn and develop and mature? 

There is no spiritual machine in which God miraculously zaps into our brains all the wisdom and knowledge we need.

Rather, emulating our Lord, we must learn, grow, read, pray, ask questions, struggle, and dialogue about the good news of Jesus Christ with each other. In short, we must discover the truth of God.

Perhaps Jesus is asking us, as he did to Mary and Joseph, “Why were you searching for me?  Didn’t you know that I had to be in my Father’s house?” 

The answer of Jesus to his parents’ anxious searching of him points to Christ’s growing self-awareness about his messianic mission. The story centers around Jesus, as all stories do in the Gospel narratives, and not so much around the others.

Since Christ is the proper middle to everything for the Christian, we will, like Joseph and Mary, struggle to know where in the heck Jesus is, and why he is where he is, whenever we find him.

But it isn’t really all that hard to find Jesus, at least, once you know where to look, and where he typically hangs out.

When looking for Jesus, he will be doing the things of his Father. In the Gospel of Luke, those things are clearly connected to the prophet Isaiah’s description:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
        to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
        to set free those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19, NRSV; cf. Isaiah 61:1-2)

The ones rejoicing at Christ’s birth, and why they were filled with such joy, is very much connected to the messianic mission of Jesus. They understood that freedom and deliverance had just been born.

O God, from our mother’s womb you have known us. You call us to follow you every single day of our lives. And you seek us out whenever we wander from you. As we grow up and grow older, clothe us with your love, so that we may mature in grace and find favor in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Amen.