NAMES really do MATTER. In fact, in some cultures, your name represents what your parents, and possibly even your community aspire for you to someday become. This is even more true in several Biblical instances. Most Israelite’s names often included an abbreviation of God’s name, “Yahweh”, which often helps us understand what God is doing in the narrative of their lives. That’s exactly what we find happening when we open up the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel and begin looking at the Christmas story.