This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you. O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever. (Psalm 118: 24-29)

The name of God - Yahovah in Hebrew - is open to many translations. The One Who Exists in the Past, Now, and in the Future is a good translation. The One Who is Present is also accurate.

In Exodus 3:14 when Moses asked God for his name, he was told Hyah-Asher-Hyah or I AM WHO I AM. This is sometimes translated as I Am Who (or what) I Choose. Moses was told to tell pharoah simply that I AM had sent him.

The predominance of the present tense is meaningful. God is with us today. This is the day that the Lord has made. Attend to God today. Be with God now. Embrace the present. Advance the intention of God and your fundamental purpose here and now.

Today many Jews, especially in the United States, observe the first full day of Hannakuh. More information on this festival is available at Torah.org. Many churches remember St. Stephen on this day.