Plymouth First United Methodist Church
Rev. Dr. Byron W. Kaiser
January 9, 2022
“What’s in a Name?”
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Franciscan Health announced a baby born as the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve. He is 6 pounds 10.5 ounces and 20 inches long and born to Alisha and Drew Eggers of Trafalgar. What would you name such a child – Atticus.
Atticus derives from the Greek Attikos, meaning "from Attica," the Ancient Greek region that contained Athens.
Atticus, with its trendy Roman feel combined with the upstanding, noble image of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, is a real winner among boy names. Though not in the top ten. The boys top ten are: Liam, Noah, Oliver, Elijah, William, James, Benjamin, Lucas, Henry, and Alexander. The girls are Olivia, Emma, Ava, Charlotte, Sophia, Amelia, Isabella, Mia, Evelyn, and Harper. (Naming Children. Social Security Administration. Top 10 Baby Names of 2020.)
But what about the most reviled name for a baby?
In 1999, there were eight baby Nevaehs born in the United States. The next year, there were 86 Nevaehs.
In 2000, Christian rock star Sonny Sandoval of P.O.D. appeared on MTV with his baby daughter. He announced that her name was Nevaeh: “Heaven spelled backward,” he explained. Now the name has meaning, uniqueness and star-connection.
In 2020, Nevaeh was the 83rd most popular girls name and 11900th most popular boy’s name.
LiveScience.com says it succinctly: “A quick track to baby-name fame seems to also trigger hate for that name.”
“The number one name that people dislike the most is Nevaeh… It’s a pretty name. People are getting worked up about it being “heaven spelled backwards” but it has a nice sound and look to it and I am sure if people didn’t realize where it came from, they’d think it was a very old Hebrew name. It sort of reminds me of Hebrew names like Moriah and Neriah.”
(https://lastfiascorun.com/faq/faq-how-common-is-nevaeh.html)
Pray with me.
There is only one Name that can mark our meaning, identity, and destiny. Whatever the eventual name of a child, the naming process has changed. In the past, the sound or popularity of a name was important. More often today, people are looking for unique names, or names with embedded meaning.
This was common in biblical times. If you read the footnotes of your Bible, they will often explain the meaning of various names. Aaron means “teacher” or “mountain of strength.” Isaac means “laughter.” John comes from “God is forgiving.”
Biblical names carried meaning. An identity. A hoped-for destiny.
“She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
Jesus means “salvation” or “the Lord saves.” His name and his life were one; they show his meaning, identity, and destiny.
Today’s text shows this in the public appearance and the baptism of Jesus, and it captures an element of his naming — the meaning, identity, and destiny for the Messiah
When you are baptized you are given a new name. You are Christened, given identity in Christ. In some churches, you are given a completely new name. The name in some cases is a secret never to be uttered on earth. Only to be called out by God in heaven after you come into glory. For most of us, our birth name is our Christened name. Why Christen, because giving a new name confirms your new identity in Christ. The tradition is as old as scripture and goes to John who Baptized in the banks of the Jordan river.
John was the forbearer, unfurling God’s ultimate plan for redemption. He was a freak of society — dressed in camel hair and eating locusts and wild honey. He had a wild look in his eyes that bore the divine authority of prophecy. He was a man on a mission.
He toured about the countryside, smashing their conventions. This redemption plan of God’s would not come through a redeemed religion or a redeemed ancestry. It would come through the very Epiphany of Redemption himself.
John went about “proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). He would be a righter of wrongs who would level the playing field between spiritual haves and have-nots (v. 5). All people could access this salvation from God (v. 6), and so even tax collectors — our terrorists and prostitutes and death-row murderers — even they came to be baptized by John and have their identity realigned (v. 12).
And so naturally, “the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah” (v. 15).
But he was no messiah. He wasn’t baptizing them in his name — in his identity — in his destiny. John knew what the Name meant.
The Name would become God’s reign — his power and purpose in this world: “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16).
As the people entered the waters with John, he baptized them into this reign of God. Into this Name which would one day arrive.
And then one day … the Name appeared.
The Name came to the Jordan to be baptized by John as well — a symbol of his inauguration of the kingdom — his identity as its King.
And the Father would not have an ordinary coming-out party for his Son. He made it spectacular.
As his Son emerges from the waters of baptism, God attended through a supernatural manifestation of his Spirit and through words each of us would be giddy to hear: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased” (v. 22).
“Salvation” is called “Beloved.”
So, while Jesus was being baptized, his Father named him Beloved and showered him with pleasure. Think of the implications then for us.
Public identification with the family is important and pleasing to God. The family we are talking about is the family of God, i.e., the family of faith. Are we willing to openly identify ourselves as belonging to this family?
Epiphany reminds us that God’s plan for reconciliation was to engage a broken world by taking on human flesh. His plan hasn’t changed, just the flesh. It was Jesus, and now it is you. As Paul points out in 2 Corinthians 5.
The new order with Jesus isn’t so much a political entity like the kingdoms of old, but a familial connection as in being kin to Jesus.
The family of God has business in the world. It has work to do and Jesus identified himself with all who would come, and we as well.
Jesus reminds the Twelve, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). He didn’t say distance yourself from Judas so they will know you aren’t whacky, too.
Our family name is “Beloved” and just like our human families, it has a few unsavory characters — relatives we wish would just go away, but don’t. Can we be a family known for loving our own and not dividing ourselves up?
The example of Jesus reminds us of what baptism is really meant to be. It isn’t a hoop to jump through and a box to check. It isn’t a spiritual security blanket for our children. It isn’t a religious routine that just goes with the territory.
Jesus goes into the waters of baptism to publicly affirm that he identifies who he is with whom God has made him to be. When we baptize people in the church, we recognize their place in the family. We agree with them that they are God’s and God is theirs. Our destiny as God’s eternal family is celebrated.
Jesus Christ models for us the only true place to find our approval.
Sometimes we can be such insecure, approval-seeking people. There is a call to each of us to remember that God grants us this new identity — we are his beloved children. And if we are good enough for God, we are good enough.
We follow the One named Beloved.
Salvation.
Beloved.
The Messiah.
Jesus.
And in following him, we are given his name — his meaning, his identity, his destiny.
Sisters and brothers, rise and bear the family Name - Beloved!
