Readings: Isaiah 12:2-6; Amos 9:8-15; Luke 1:57-66

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.

On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John” They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” Then they began motioning to his father to find out the name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him. Luke 1:57-66, NRSV

Elizabeth and Zechariah didn’t pick a family name for their son; they gave him the name Zechariah heard in his vision – John. This baby belonged to God first, not them. They were committed to fostering their son to be who he was, not someone the relatives and neighbors expected him to be. The first hurdle was to go against tradition on his naming day.

Raising a child to be who God intends rather than an extension of our own identities, unmet desires, or attempt at immortality is a sometimes scary adventure. Giving a child over to God isn’t an easy thing, but it is a holy one. It’s taking a step into the unknown, trusting that the path with appear. Elizabeth and Zechariah took that first step when they named him, and kept walking.

What’s in a naming? For John’s parents, everything.