THE CIRCUMCISION – SERMON OUTLINE – JANUARY 2, 2011
Philippians 2:9-13; St. Luke 2:15-21
“And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.”
I. Introduction: Our Ancestor After Whom Earth’s Family is Named
a. Most of us who are somewhat familiar with C.S. Lewis’s “Narnia” series probably remember what general names are given to the Pevensie children
i. They are called “sons of Adam” and “daughters of Eve”
ii. These seem like peculiar designations—perhaps we’ve wondered that they meant? He chose them because Lewis was getting to the heart of our nature as human beings
iii. These names tell everything about us: “who we came from” explains “who and what we are” and “what our purpose is.”
b. Because we’re all “sons of Adam” and “daughters of Eve” we all have a physical connection going back to Adam and Eve:
1. Adam comes from Hebrew word adama meaning “earth” – this means that we are literally “people of the ground” (Genesis reveals we were created from the dust)
2. Eve means “mother of all living” – from her womb came the entire human race
3. Lewis’s point is that we all share the traits and destiny of these common ancestors
4. To be named of Adam and Eve is to be part of their family
5. Every family has a vocation: ours as the human family is to (as Genesis describes) “be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it.” We are the caretakers of the earth.
c. But there’s more: Lewis recognized this connection went beyond the physical
i. Ultimately, we do share a genetic inheritance with Adam and Eve but, even more significantly, they gave us a spiritual inheritance, as well
ii. Our life began with Adam and Eve, but our death began with them, too
iii. When Adam and Eve sinned, we were all doomed to receive their fallen condition
1. From parents to kids, that’s not a very welcome inheritance!
2. But by being named after them, we all know how life is: we share in their sin nature, we suffer the same struggle with pain, sickness & mortality, and we have to cope with ruptured relationship with God
3. We were created perfect to live in a perfect world—but not any more
iv. It’s a blessing and curse to be a “son of Adam” or a “daughter of Eve”
II. Jesus Christ: Our Ancestor After Whom the Whole Family in Heaven and Earth is Named
a. But this why what happened at Christ’s Circumcision is so life-changing for us
i. At the circumcision, Joseph and Mary named the Child, as was the custom for Hebrew babies
ii. And as Gabriel had commanded, they named Him JESUS, which means “savior”
b. Because Jesus is our Savior, our connection has changed: from Adam to Christ
i. Unlike Adam, He’s not from the ground, but from heaven; His genesis as a human being didn’t happen in Paradise (which was lost), but in Blessed Mary’s womb (which regained Paradise)
ii. This means that Jesus is our real common ancestor now, not Adam and Eve
iii. THIS IS THE REAL POINT: our name has now changed
1. We are no longer named after Adam and Eve; we are named after Christ
2. Just think about what we are called! Because Jesus Christ is our Savior, we are not known as “sons of Adam” and “daughters of Eve”; we are known as “Christians”
3. This is why we speak of Baptism as the “new birth” and a child is often given a Christian name. The Holy Spirit is getting us out of Adam’s family and adopting us into Jesus’ family.
4. This is what St. Paul was talking about when he wrote to the Corinthians:
“…ye are washed…ye are sanctified…ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
5. Adam isn’t our father anymore, God is; and we are His children
6. God is our heavenly Father? Jesus is our Brother? We have a new family now with a new name. And because Jesus went back to open heaven for us, heaven and earth are all part of the same family now.
7. St. Paul to the Ephesians: “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.”
c. Perhaps the best news about being in Jesus’ family is that our inheritance is different now
i. Under Adam, our inheritance was death: to be placed back in the ground where he came from and separated from God; but under Jesus, our inheritance is to live: to ascend spiritually into heaven where Jesus came from and be united with God
ii. St. Paul to the Corinthians: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”
1. Our human souls might (not literally) be traceable back to Adam, but this is how Jesus intervenes as our Savior: He transforms our souls to be fit for everlasting life
2. This is why (unlike in most Protestant churches) we receive Holy Communion at every worship service: it’s our focus that by receiving Christ’s Body and Blood into ourselves, He might pass His immortality on to us in order that we might become immortal
3. Jesus has given us a new spiritual destiny
III. Conclusion: Not Just a Spiritual Reality But a Physical One as Well
a. This is the power that the Name of JESUS has to save us. What happened at the beginning of His life (at His circumcision) has given us the beginning of new life.
b. But our story today couldn’t end there. As with Adam, our connection with Jesus isn’t just spiritual.
i. After all, Jesus was circumcised in the flesh for the salvation of the flesh. This means that our connection with Him is physical, too.
ii. And this is also why we make our communion at every Holy Eucharist: Christ’s Body isn’t just for the salvation of ours souls that we begin to experience now; His Body is also a promise that He will give us a new body like His body when we are resurrected
iii. As St. Paul explains, Adam gave us one kind of body, but Christ will give us a different kind:
He writes to the Corinthians that when we die: “It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.”
iv. THE POINT is that if we are (for all eternity) to be named after Jesus Christ, then we must totally reflect Him, as we once did with Adam. Everything about us should tell “who and what he is.”
v. Again, St. Paul to the Corinthians: “The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven…And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.”
vi. So when we are resurrected, (like circumcision), Adam will be totally cut away and all that remains will be Christ.
c. Jesus has been gracious enough to call us by His own Name and promise us all of these blessings
i. The least we can do is walk worthy of the Name of our Savior
ii. When He was circumcised, He gave full proof that He wished to become like us; so now as His Christians, He wants us to become like Him
iii. Our lives should be lived to bless the Name of JESUS
iv. St. Paul: “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” AMEN.
