Do You Go By Any Other Names?

January 1, 2023 + The Name of Jesus + Pr. Craig Mueller

I didn’t expect the question. I was downtown to renew my Global Entry application. Which is a way to expedite the process when returning to the US after an international trip. Though the bureaucracy at government, state, and city offices can make these kind of things unpleasant experiences, this appointment was actually enjoyable. Show my passport and driver’s license. A little travel small talk. And then the question: have you ever gone by other names?

No, I don’t think so, I said. Sure, when I was a kid, I flirted with going with my middle name, Michael. I had a smidgeon of envy for names that could be shortened or lengthened. David to Dave. William to Bill or Will. Susan to Sue. Martin to Mart or Marty. And the variety in my household: Ernest, Ernesto, Ernestico, and the banned “Ernie.” A few people have occasionally called me Craiger. And some “sweeties” are occasionally thrown me by one particular person. But I can’t say I’ve gone by another name.

This day, January 1, goes by different names. Everybody knows it’s New Year’s Day. And It’s Sunday. It’s also the octave, the eighth day of Christmas. On our calendar, it is the feast of the Name of Jesus. It is “Mary, Mother of God” for Roman Catholics. And then there is the older name for January 1: “The Circumcision of our Lord.” Yet modern have made us shy away from that name for the day.

Jesus is given his name eight days after his birth. The passive “he was called Jesus” suggests that his name comes not from his parents, but from God. The name Jesus means “Yahweh saves.” It refers to his conception by the Holy Spirit and the mission of this child: to be an agent of God’s salvation for Israel, through Israel, and for the whole world.

Christians pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. You can see how some could believe that Christ is Jesus’ last name. When Christ actually means Messiah or the Anointed One.

But what of the “Jesus H. Christ” phenomenon?  Is it even in use today? It is a mild expletive? Some say H. is a middle initial. Some joke it stands for Harold. To my surprise, this whole name conundrum is rooted in the monogram that uses the first three Greek letters of the name Jesus. Some less knowledgeable Americans who only knew the Latin alphabet mistook IHC for JHC. Which to them, must mean Jesus H. Christ. This whole name thing took off a bit in the 1800’s. Even by Mark Twain.

Name trivia, indeed. But back to my question: does Jesus go by other names?  Do a Bible search in your mind. We think of Emmanuel. Son of God. Son of Man. Son of David. Word of God. Savior. Redeemer. Good shepherd. Lamb of God. King. Man of sorrows. Morning star. Root of David. Friend of sinners. Master. Rabbi. High priest. And more! Oh, what a plethora of names!

There are so many scripture passages about the name of Jesus. Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. God has exalted Jesus and given him the name above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knew should bend, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father.

Speaking of names, don’t forget the Holy Trinity, the name of this church. We baptize in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Some theologians even say that for Christians, the Trinity is our name for God.

Our first reading from Deuteronomy talks about God’s name being put on the Israelites as a blessing. It’s the most used benediction in Lutheran churches. “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord’s face shine upon you with grace and mercy. The Lord look upon you favor and give you peace.” Though this passage isn’t about the Trinity, we can hear it that way. God the Father blesses and keeps us. God the Son is the very face God, grace embodied. God the Spirit bestows on the community divine peace.

But what of the other names for God in other religions, other traditions? Does God go by other names? There certainly are and have been followers of Jesus that have professed that it is only through Jesus’ name that one truly knows God or is saved. Maybe you grew up with that sentiment. Yet others have insisted that for Christians, the name of Jesus is our salvation, life, and hope. But there are other names for other traditions. Buddha. Allah. To name a few.

Such a theology seems to be reflected in a new hymn in our purple supplement.

Bring many names, beautiful and good.

Though for Christians, we see the face of God in Jesus, the last stanza hymn has these profound and expansive words:

Great, living God, never fully known,

joyful darkness far beyond our seeing,

closer yet than breathing.

We use images and metaphors to name a God beyond naming, beyond our limited grasping to express a great and wonderful mystery. A God we can only name as Love. Peace. Mercy. Justice.

Have you ever gone by other names? Perhaps you have been called derogatory names. Over ten years ago we had a naming ceremony for a transgender person taking on a new name and identity. Perhaps your name was changed in marriage. Or for some other reason.

You may be forgetting one of your other names. In baptism you are given the name Child of God. You are God’s beloved.

Today we greet a new year. We name it 2023. Who knows what will be in store for us. What delights and disappointments. What joys and sorrows. What surprises and setbacks.

Welcome each new day. In the name of Jesus. Named “child of God,” join with Martin Luther in beautiful words from our hymn of the day. May it be your prayer for the coming year:

Ah, dearest Jesus, holy child,

prepare a bed, soft undefiled,

a quiet chamber in my heart,

that you and I may never part.