The Gospel for the Circumcision and Naming of Christ is very brief - Luke 2:21. Here Jesus is circumcised and given the name commanded by the angel at the time of his conception. Why would this detail be saved for us in the New Testament? Very simply, Joseph and Mary valued God's commands. God the Son also values the commands given through the Holy Spirit. After all, as we confess, there is one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with one will. This one God has given us His word and looks for us to trust his will to be revealed in his word.
Jesus, the Savior, born under the law, come to complete the demands of the law on your behalf, submitted to those demands. He was circumcised on the eight day, according to the law and also in accord with God's promise to lay his covenant blessings upon Jesus.
Are we willing to trust that God in his Word has given us what we need to live as partakers of his promise in Christ? This is a great blessing. May the Lord use us as we seek to live in accord with his will.
Our Old Testament reading for January 1, the Circumcision and Naming of Christ, is from Numbers 6:22-27. In this passage, normally referred to as the Aaronic blessing, God calls for the blessings of his name to be placed on his people.
In circumcision, as in baptism, God's name is placed on his people. This is an important event. Not only are they identified with God in a formal way, but the blessing of God is placed upon them. When God has commanded to bless his people we should expect that he will keep his word. The people are blessed. The Lord will guard them. The Lord will indeed look upon his people. He will show mercy to them. The Lord's attention will be drawn toward his people and he will give them peace.
The day of Christ's circumcision and naming reminds us that Jesus himself, God the Son, receives the name commanded by the angel. He is both a partaker of God's blessing and the one who brings God's blessings to all nations. As God had promised, in the seed of Abraham all nations would be blessed. This is a sure and certain promise.
Psalm 8 is appointed for reading at the celebration of the Circumcision and Naming of Christ. As we reflect on the words of the Psalmist we realize the enormity of God's love for his creation. He has taken all his creation and shown care for it. He cares not only in theory but also in regard to all the different types of animals. Wild animals, livestock, birds, fish, all are important to the Lord. He knows even the roads the fish take through the water. This is part of God's glory. He has created everything and sustains it.
Why is this Psalm especially appropriate for the occasion? Why would we use it when we remember Christ's naming and circumcision? Verse two points us to the strength of God being expressed through the mouths of babies. Verse four refers to "a man...the son of man." What kind of a son of man is this? Surely it is Christ. He is the one who has come down from heaven. He is the one who has a crown of glory and honor. He is the one with dominion of all creation. He is the one to whom all creation is subject.
In love for you and for me, God has placed all creation in submission to Christ, the one who will put an end to enmity and strive (verse 2). This show of God's majesty is expressed in his care for God the Son, embodied now in the flesh of a small child.