And They Named Him Jesus

A sermon for the Feast of the Holy Name
January 1, 2026, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Hot Springs, AR

Readings: Numbers 6:22-27; Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 2:15-21

It seems like a throw-away line, something so simple and easy to overlook. After the angels and shepherds, Luke in the gospel writes today, “After 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.” It doesn’t seem like a significant line. It seems routine, ordinary. But this name, the name of Jesus, the name given to the Son of God by the angel before he was conceived in the womb–this is the name above all names. As St. Paul says, at this name, “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.” 

It is an ordinary moment, the moment when parents name a child. Ordinary, and yet loaded with significance. This is the name that the child will be stuck with. Does the name come with any family attachments–will we name him after your dad or my uncle? Your grandmother or my mother? Will the other side of the family get jealous, or will someone despise us for stealing the family name they wanted? These are ordinary concerns loaded with significance. Does the name have any obvious nicknames? After all, we don’t want it rhyming too easily with epithets of ridicule for playground bullies. Does the name sound right, without too many harsh consonants close together to make it difficult to learn? And what if the child has trouble with her L’s or R’s? These are the ordinary questions parents ask when naming a child–ordinary and important things. 

But for dear Mary and Joseph, without the help of baby books or family histories, the choice is much simpler. The angel said his name would be Jesus–or Joshua, it’s all the same name. It’s a common name of the era. The kids on the playground won’t pick on him, and the rabbi won’t have trouble pronouncing it at school. In obedience to God, they name him Jesus. It’s an ordinary name. But it’s loaded with significance. 

The name Jesus, or Joshua, means “The Lord Saves,” or “Yahweh is Salvation.” In a time and place like first century Palestine, it is a good name to take. The people are living under Roman occupation; they have few if any rights; they yearn for God to save. It’s a good name–and assuming they don’t know the story of his birth (you know, the story that few people believe about how this child came about), the mothers in the park will nod with approval. They will say: “We thought about naming ours Jesus, too. It’s such a good name, and we wait for God’s salvation. But my sister named hers Joshua last summer, and besides, my husband insisted that we name this one after his father who died last year.” 

In naming him Jesus, in obedience to God, Mary and Joseph are making a prophetic act. They are declaring not only that God Saves, but that God Saves right now, and here he is in the flesh. They are proclaiming that the yoke of sin and death is soon to be lifted through this little one, this Jesus, “Yahweh is Salvation.” They are announcing to the world that the deliverance of God has come, and it has come in this small child, 100% human and 100% God, who will save his people from their sins. It’s an ordinary act–an ordinary prophetic act that says God is among us. Take heart. 

The promise of Christmas is found in this name. The promise is that we are not left alone, abandoned to our own devices to save ourselves. The promise is that God saves us himself; that he comes among us in Jesus Christ to do what we cannot do. The promise is that God has taken on our flesh in order to restore us and all things by his grace. God saves, and he saves even you. Your rescue party is here. And every time that name is spoken, the powers of evil and darkness are put on notice. Every time the name is spoken, even in just a whisper, the promise is reaffirmed. Every time the name is spoken, heaven and earth rejoice, for they hear again the good news: God saves. Yahweh is Salvation.