Holy Name Day - or - New Year's Day

Today is Holy Name Day - or as some know it - New Year's Day.

It's called Holy Name Day because it's the eighth day of Christmas, and in Jesus' time, the eighth day after birth of a boy was the day for his circumcision and the giving of his name.

"After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb." (Luke 2:15-21)

For a Christian, the name of Jesus is a special and sacred name. "How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds in a believer's ear!" (Hymnal 644)

The very meaning of name Jesus is, "God saves", and for us to say the name Jesus is to call upon the one who saves us. What a beautiful name to have on our lips!

Jesus said, "Very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." (John 16:23) So there's something very special about praying with Jesus' name. Occasionally I will pray the repetitive "Jesus Prayer": "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner." Or, to abbreviate the prayer, "Jesus, mercy."

Sometimes I think we don't say the name Jesus enough. When we say someone's name, it means we know them very well. How often do we put the name of Jesus on our lips? Maybe if we used his name more often, we would know him better.
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