The Fourth Sunday of Advent
22 August 2019
All Saints’ Episcopal Church
San Francisco, California
“A bridge of names“
Isaiah 7:10-16
Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18
Romans 1:1-7
St. Matthew 1:18-25
INI
The Importance of a Name
It happens from time to time, I’ll be in the grocery store, or somewhere out in public when I hear, “Michael!” I immediately turn around to see who is calling me, but then it’s not me, it’s some other Michael. But in my heart, I am the total Michael, the only Michael, the “who is like God” Michael (that’s what my name means). Names are important not only as a means of differentiation and identity, but also an indication of value and intent in life. It’s the first step in knowing and valuing ourselves, and allowing others to do the same. In an article in the importance of names, a blogger who goes by the name “Shakespeare’s Sister, writes on her experience with names as a teacher in the Denver area public schools. She reports that when she mispronounces a student’s name, as often happens since most of her students are students of color, the student will respond when asked for the correct pronunciation, “Whatever is fine.” She differs and spends the article on deciding why it is important to stand up for one’s name. She concludes her article with,
“I want them to know that people respect them, their culture, and their individuality. To know that their teachers are not colorblind, but that we SEE them—for their cultures, for their abilities, for their strengths and weaknesses, for their contributions to humanity. Most importantly, I want my students to know that I respect them for the whole person they are, including their beautiful names that are sometimes difficult to pronounce.”
It’s still Advent, although the world out there seems dismissive of that. It’s still a time of waiting for Jesus to come again, and for preparing our lives for his appearance among us. In the readings today, we have several names that can help us in this waiting for Jesus (not the baby Jesus, by the way, that happened a long time ago) but the Jesus who came and will come and usher us into the kingdom. Let’s start with Isaiah.
God’s Intent
Isaiah loved names. He used them to not only differentiate his sons, but to also send a message through them. The first born was names Shear-Jashub, meaning “a remnant shall return.” This name represented an important aspect of first Isaiah’s theology, namely that in spite of the faithlessness of Israel in their relationship with God, there would always be a remnant that would be faithful. The second son was named Maher-shalal-hash-baz, with the meaning “swift to the booty, speed to the pray”, a reminder that a time of destruction and exile were coming. It was a message to Israel to return to the Lord, and to be faithful to Israel’s God.
There is another name that appears in Isaiah, and in our first reading for this morning. Like the other names this one also signals a sign from God. “Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.” We know that name, God-with-us. But before we continue considering that name with our Christian sensibilities, let’s think a bit about what it meant to the people in Isaiah’s time. In his commentary on Isaiah, Brevard Childs notes the significance of sign, in prophetic material.
“A sign is a special event, either ordinary or miraculous, that serves as a pledge by which to confirm the prophetic word.”[1]
In spite of all the difficulties that surrounded them, and in spite of the prophet’s word that these difficulties were a sign of God’s judgment, the birth of a son to a young woman, an ordinary thing, was a sign of God’s continuing presence among and in the midst of God’s people. For Israel that had an immediate meaning related to their circumstances with the Assyrians. For us it is a sign of Jesus’ presence with us, in the midst of our difficulties. The psalm for today puts it differently, “Restore us, O God of hosts; show the light of our countenance, and we shall be saved.”
David
In the second lesson, we hear another name. Paul recalls that Jesus was “descended from David.” David’s name was probably really a title – “commander” or “leader” but it signified so much more than that. David was king, selected and anointed by God, whose house was blessed by God as he ruled over God’s people. The name and the role of David is linked to Jesus. He is the one who will be our prophet, speaking God’s present word to us now, priest, offering himself as victim on the cross, and king, ruling over his kingdom, the new Israel.
This lineage of David to Jesus is often depicted for us in the Jesse Tree in whose branches extending from Jesse’s loins are caught all sorts of men and women who participate in the lineage of Jesus. We catch a glimpse of that in both Matthew and Luke as they list the genealogy of Jesus as they understood it. Jesus is the culmination of the Davidic line, and God blesses both it and us through this tree of prophets, priests, and kings.
Jesus
That’s why in Luke’s Gospel Joseph brings the pregnant Mary to Bethlehem because Joseph was “of the house and lineage of David.” Bethlehem was the birthplace of David. Joseph, however, is in the midst of his own difficulties and troubles. He was betrothed to Mary – that is he was in the first stage of marriage to Mary, although they were not yet living together. Her pregnancy was the difficulty, and Joseph considers and then rejects divorce. Like his forebearer, Joseph of Egypt, the dreamer, this latter-day Joseph lies down to sleep and dreams. The annunciation in Matthew is to Joseph, not Mary, and the angel explains the situation to him. Thus Joseph does not put her away.
The important part of this annunciation is that the provision for a name, usually the prerogative of the father, is given by the angel. “You are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Yes, that’s the meaning of Jesus – Savior – the one-who-saves. So in these names we can begin to understand God’s intent – Immanuel God-with-us, the role that this young child shall play – David, leader and commander, and finally what the results of this divine intervention into human history will mean – Jesus, the one who saves us. The one we continually await in the Advent of our lives. Now perhaps here is the glue that brings this all together. I hope it will help you celebrate the Jesus who came, and who is to come. As Paul greeted the Romans, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
SDG
[1] Childs, B. (2000), Isaiah – A Commentary, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, Kindle edition, location 1959.
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