WHAT'S IN A NAME?

I write this on the eve of New Year's Day - the day when the Church celebrates the feast entitled - "THE NAMING OF JESUS".  At this turning point The Times 'newspaper' (am I alone in lamenting the demise of the broadsheet form in favour of a comic sized variety?) annually publishes a list of the most popular names given to children during the past twelve months.

 Here are the TOP TEN boys and girls names for 2004
 
 
1.    Jack   1.  Emily
2.   Joshua   2.  Ellie
3.   Thomas   3.  Jessica
4.   James   4.  Sophie
5.   Daniel   5.  Chloe
6.   Samuel   6.  Lucy
7.   Oliver    7.  Olivia
8.   William   8.  Charlotte
9.   Benjamin    9.  Katie
10. Joseph 10.  Megan

Now I always commend parents, who lovingly bring their children to church for the sacrament of Holy Baptism, when they give their children names which are to be found in the Holy Bible - good solid traditional names which have stood the test of time.  In the above listings only one girl's name is to be found in the Bible - (Chloe - I Corinthians 1: 11) - yet as many as seven of the most popular boy's names (Joshua, Thomas, James, Daniel, Samuel, Benjamin and Joseph) are found in the pages of Holy Scripture.  Of course, there are far more male names than female names to choose from in God's Word, but the thrust of the article is to lament the slipping out of the top 50 most popular names the great name of David.  For the first time in 60 years the kingly and saintly name of David isn't in the top 50 (it is, in fact, only the 52nd most popular name of 2004).  Let us put this right in 2005!  The name David was given to the most famous and popular king of Israel - the shepherd boy who became a monarch.  The name means "Beloved" - what better name to give a baby boy than that!  Jesus Himself was ìof the house and lineage of Davidî.  John doesn't even get into the top hundred - although, of course, Jack (the most popular name and beloved by those who wrote nursery rhymes and pantomimes - Jack and Jill, Jack Spratt, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack and the Beanstalk) is a derivative of John.  Mohammed comes in at number 20, reflecting the multi-cultural nature of our nation.

It's not often that Father is regarded as a trend-setter but I do note that the names that we gave to our own daughters are now the two most popular names among the girls (neither of which is to be found in the Bible!).  Emily and Eleanor (who is more often than not called Ellie) or  "ERI" and "ERII" as I like to call them!

There's a definite move nowadays to give children outlandish and unusual names - something different!  The film star Gwyneth Paltrow called her child "Apple" and it isn't unknown for children to be given meteorological names like Storm or Sky.

Well, if it is unusual names you are after then may I suggest that you take a look in the Book of Common Prayer.  Some of the feasts of the Church will provide you with highly unusual children's names.  How about - Epiphany, Advent or Trinity?  Then again a trawl through the canticles would provide some highly unusual names - Benedictus, Jubilate, Magnificat.  If you want to be really way-out then how about the names which the Prayer Book gives to the three Sundays before Lent - Septuagesima, Sexagesima and Quinqagesima?  These are, of course, names based upon Latin numbers - seventy, sixty and fifty days before Easter.  Not so unusual when you think how our Victorian forebears when they ran out of names to give their large families often called the seventh child Septimus and the eighth child Octavia.

Names are both fascinating and important because they bestow identity upon us.  Every one of us is a unique child of God.  One of the important elements in Holy Baptism is the Christening - the giving of a Christian name.  There is, of course, one name which is above every name.  "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."  "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace".

My great hope for 2005 is that it may indeed be Anno Domini - a Year of the Lord.  That more and more will come to recognise and respond to Jesus as Lord and Saviour and that -

                  "At the name of Jesus
                   Every knee shall bow,
                   Every tongue confess him
                   King of glory now."
 

EVERY BLESSING

Father David

P.S. And let's have a few more Davids!