What's in a name?

 

Luke 2:15-21

 Yeshua, Jesus (ihsous) in Greek, is Salvation for us, what His name means in Hebrew. 

 According to Hoyle and Levitical Law, Jesus was circumcised.  He is called Rabbi.  He is Jewish to the day that He dies.  But His way of being Jewish is different from the traditional way.  His mission is to be salvation for all people.  He is Messiah.

 And it is the night shift of shepherds who get the announcement, like lowly Elizabeth and Mary before, and like ordinary Joseph.  Jesus is born in human form with a very huge mission for humanity.  Jesus comes into our existence to give us HIS existence.

 Philippians is beautiful in telling us that Jesus left His glory to give us hope.

Jesus lowered Himself to our level and even died our death to give us HIS Glory.

Jesus reached into our lives to give us life, life abundant and life forever.

 And we are called, even commanded to have that same mind in ourselves that was in Christ Jesus.

We are called and commanded to live that same agaph with one another, in emptying ourselves for the sake of the other, in order that all might be elevated.

 We are given child-ship, according to Galatians, even made heirs of the promise because of Jesus and His love.

We are important enough for God to reach into these lowly, mundane lives to elevate us to that child-ship.

 I believe that all of any faithful following of Jesus is in the living of agaph in the world.

I believe that any hope that we have in this world is in the living of that love to transform the world in it.

I believe that when we live that love as Jesus lived it in the world, we will see the repair of the world.

I believe that when we submit our wills to Jesus’ Will, we will know sustainable life.

I believe that when we live our lives in Jesus’ Way of agaph, we will know the beloved community and the peaceable Kingdom of God.

I believe with all my heart that this is possible, if those who claim Jesus’ name would only live as Jesus taught,commanded and modeled for us to live, as we have witness in the Gospels.

I believe with all my heart that Tikkun Olam, world repair, can happen if we show others a better way, Jesus’ Way of living in the world together.

And when the church sees itself as the movement of agaph in the world, instead of an institution to be served and preserved in the world, then it will be realized.

When the church sees its mission as the discipling in agaph of all in the world, rather than the indoctrination of people into OUR WAY of identifying with Jesus, we will see the Glory of God.

When the church sees beyond itself to the living of agaph in order to transform individuals, societies and the world, then we will now Justice and we will know Peace, because we will truly know Jesus.

When the church gets its nose out of “personal salvation” and “prosperity” and “growth in numbers, wealth and power”, and follows Jesus’ Way, we will find our faithfulness in having the same mind in ourselves as our Lord did in sacrificing for the sake of humanity.

Jesus’ name, Yeshua, means SALVATION – the salvation of the world, not only for eternal life, but for life here and now, in this part of God’s Kingdom.

Jesus’ name means saving the world and its hope for life here and now, out of the living of agaph.