JESUS MAFA. The birth of Jesus with shepherds, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.
Author: Bob von Trebra
Luke 2:1-20
Isaiah 9:6
For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Merry Christmas! In the traditional calendar of the Western Christian Church, Christmas Day is not the end of the Christmas season, but the beginning of the season which lasts for twelve days – until Epiphany on January 6.
During the seasons of Advent and Christmas, those writing these weekly devotionals have been asked to reflect on the themes of a devotional by A Sanctified Art that is being offered to the congregation.
Here is the link:
Words for the Beginning: An Advent Devotional (flippingbook.com)
The theme for Christmas Eve and the first week of the Christmas season is “Love Knows Your Name.”
What is your name? Does your name have a particular meaning or significance? Were you perhaps named for an ancestor or family member? I was named after my uncle Robert. My family name, von Trebra, means “from Trebra” in German. Some of my ancestors lived near the little village of Trebra in eastern Germany. My wife Jill and I were able to visit Trebra about a dozen years ago, and we stayed with some distant relatives who still live in that area.
I have also had various nicknames given to me over the years. My family called me “Bobby” as a child. The neighbor boys called me “Gernade” because of the awkward way I threw a football when we played in our yards. My high school basketball coach called me “Gazelle” because I was tall and lanky, but could jump pretty well.
What names have you been given? Are they names you like, or ones that have been hurtful?
As the story is told in the gospel of Luke, the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would give birth to a son and would name him Jesus (Luke 1:31). Jesus is a variation of the Hebrew name Joshua, which means “he saves.”
Jesus was also given many nicknames and titles during his lifetime. He is sometimes called “Emmanuel” – a Hebrew name that means “God with us.” In the passage from Isaiah above, the prophet originally wrote about a child prince of Israel who was given a series of “throne names” at his birth perhaps eight centuries before the time of Jesus – names that early Christians believed were appropriate for Jesus as well: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
I have always admired people who can learn and remember names the first time they meet someone. That has not been a gift of mine. I have to make an effort to remember names. It takes time for me. Since I have joined (and re-joined) First Congregational Church, I am still working to learn the names of many church members. But there is no better way to let someone know you care about them than to know their name, and, when you really get to know someone, maybe even their nickname. It is also a sign of care to know and honor a person’s new name if they decide to take one, and to use their preferred pronouns.
Of course, we can never get to know the names of all people. But we often fall into the pattern of thinking of people we don’t know as nameless members of some group: the homeless, migrants, followers of other religions or political parties. We make assumptions about them. But when we get to know them – when we learn their names – we often discover they are different than we might have assumed. They become real people; individuals with whom we can have a relationship.
After the baby Jesus grew up, he made friends and called followers. He learned their names, like Simon and Andrew, James and John, Mary and Martha. He even gave some of them nicknames (Jesus gave Simon the nickname Peter, which means “Rock”). Because an important first step to loving someone is to know and honor their name.
We may not be able to know everyone’s name, but God does. Love knows your name.
Do you ever hear God calling your name?