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| AGW Welcome | The Witness Magazine |
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Prayer and NamingLectionary Reflections for the Feast of the Holy Name (A)By Paul Colbert
Readings for Feast of the Holy Name, Year A, Jan. 1, 2005 Numbers 6:22-27
The Feast celebrated in the Episcopal Church on January 1st is the Holy Name of Jesus. It will have been eight days since the birth of Christ and Scripture tells us that the Holy Family kept Jewish tradition in naming Jesus on the eighth day. We do not really grasp the significance of naming in American culture today. There is power in knowing a name or in naming something. The closest we often get to that power in modern American life is recognizing the power of identity theft. With your name and social security number, I gain some power over you – to become you. We do not really grasp the significance of naming in American culture today. There is power in knowing a name or in naming something. The closest we often get to that power in modern American life is recognizing the power of identity theft. With your name and social security number, I gain some power over you – to become you. The ancient Jewish community had several names and descriptions of God. Ultimately though, God was revealed to Moses with THE NAME, a name considered so holy that it is not said or pronounced. Jews today still will simply use the term Lord in place of the name – or will say Hashem, the word for Name. For Christians, we have the name “Jesus” to call on. To me, this helps show the both/and nature of God – a God who is both so powerful and mighty and remote that we do not say the name, but yet so much like us that we can call on the name Jesus – God saves. The use of the name Jesus has led to different meditations on the name. I use prayer beads and pray the Jesus Prayer with them. It is a way of calling on the name of Jesus and recalling his presence and recalling my presence in God's creation. Last year, on December 31st I was part of an Interfaith Prayer Pilgrimage through downtown Las Vegas. As I walked through the Fremont Street Experience, where all the downtown hotels and tourist traps are, I was walking next to a Muslim who was using his prayer beads. Muslims use prayer beads with 99 beads, representing the 99 names of Allah – God. There is only one God, but the 99 names represent attributes or dimensions of God's nature for our reflection. So my Muslim friend was calling on the name of God as we passed through this section of town. As we passed through, I noticed that one of the Girls of Glitter Gulch was swinging a set of beads. Those beads represent a different attraction, a different power. As I greet the New Year each year at the gates of the Nevada Test Site, where our nation constructs and tests its powerful nuclear weapons, Buddhist prayer beads will come into play. Buddhists use a set of 108 beads. At New Year, they will ring a prayer bowl 108 times, with the same symbolism as the beads. The beads represent things that get in the way of our relationships – greed, lust for power, warfare, and other obstacles on our spiritual path. Ringing the bells 108 times help symbolize a cleansing of those obstacles as the New Year begins. We can cleanse ourselves of these bad intentions and start the New Year with good intentions. Our intention at the Nevada Test Site is to bring an end to nuclear testing as a starting point to eliminating nuclear weapons and ultimately all warfare in the world. The process to peace begins in every one of our hearts, calling upon God's name and seeking peace within our own hearts to help transform the world.
The Rev. Paul A. Colbert is an Episcopal priest who serves two Filipino congregations in Las Vegas, Nev., and works with the faith-based anti-nuclear group Nevada Desert Experience . Paul may be reached by email at stlukeslv@peacenet.org . |