In the Name of “God Saves”

In the Name of “God Saves” 2019-01-01T09:56:10-05:00

How felicitous it is that the secular holiday New Yearโ€™s Day is also the day of the church year dedicated to the Name of Jesus!ย  Beginning the year in the name of Jesus is quite appropriate.

On the seventh day after His birth (hence, seven days after Christmas), the baby Jesus was circumcisedโ€“entering into the covenant of Godโ€™s people, an action parallel in the church to infant baptismโ€“whereupon He was officially given His name.

The angel was very specific when he told Mary what that name must be (Luke 1:31), and he told Joseph why:ย  โ€œYou shall call his name Jesus,ย for he will save his people from their sinsโ€ (Matthew 1:21).

The name โ€œJesusโ€ means โ€œGod saves.โ€ย  His very name is a confession of His deity and what He has accomplished for us.

This was pointed out to me by Rev. Dr. Lucas V. Woodford, now district President of the Minnesota South district, who was an associate pastor at First Immanuel Lutheran Church in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, when we were members there.ย  He preached about the Name of Jesus in a New Yearโ€™s service that I have always remembered.

He then went through the different references in the church and in the Scriptures to the things that we are to do โ€œin Jesusโ€™s name,โ€ giving the translation โ€œGod saves.โ€

We pray in Jesusโ€™s name.ย  That is, we pray in the name โ€œGod saves.โ€ย  That God has saved us through Jesus affects how we can approach God in prayer.

We are absolved of our sins โ€œin Jesusโ€™ name.โ€ย  That is, we are forgiven because โ€œGod saves.โ€

โ€œFor where two or three are gathered inย myย name [God saves], there am I among themโ€ (Matthew 18:20).ย  That โ€œGod savesโ€ means that He is present with us.

โ€œAt theย nameย ofย Jesusย [God saves] every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earthโ€ (Philippians 2:10).ย  That โ€œGod savesโ€ means that everyone should honor Him!ย  (What a mystery that so many people hate the God who wants to save them!)

โ€œWhatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in theย name ofย the Lordย Jesus [God saves], giving thanks to God the Father through himโ€ (Colossians 3:17).ย  We can do everything in light of โ€œGod saves,โ€ and that โ€œGod savesโ€ can fill us with gratitude.

There is a New Yearโ€™s resolution for you!ย  ย Not a burdensome law that you can never fulfill, but a reflection of the Gospel promise that you can bring to mind all through the year when you need it:ย  โ€œDo everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.โ€ย  That is, do everything in the conviction that God has saved you!

Illustration:ย  The IHS monogram [The Greek letters for โ€œJESusโ€] by AnonMoos (changes by Rabanus Flavus โ€“ File:JHS-IHS-Monogram-Name-Jesus.svg, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69649452

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