What’s in a name?
by Pastor Reid Matthias
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You will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow (Isaiah 62:2b).
Families usually give nicknames as a term of endearment. Receiving a well-intentioned nickname is a sign of acceptance and love. Some great Australian athletes have had wonderful nicknames: Greg Norman (The Great White Shark) or Ian Thorpe (The Thorpedo). For the less famous, Australians have a delightfully quirky sense of humour for shortening names or adding ‘o’ or ‘ie’ to the end. Garry, Darren, Sharon – Gazza, Dazza and Shazza; Warne – Warnie, Clark – Clarko; Field – Fieldie. It seems like everyone who belongs to the heart of someone else has another name.
So it was with the people of Israel when God wanted to show his immense favour to them. He gave them names as they journeyed out from exile. In this vindication, God promised that his rescue would shine out to the world like a blazing new dawn. And the names he gave them would be ‘The Lord Takes Delight’ and ‘Married’ instead of ‘Deserted’ and ‘Desolate’.
Imagine the Israelite’s joy as they left exile after decades of hearing their new names: Hephzibah and Beulah. (Hephzibah means ‘My Delight is in Her’, and Beulah means ‘Married’.) For those of named Hephzibah or Beulah, this is your Bible verse. Rejoice!
But we are all given a name by God, which encapsulates who we are and whose we will always be: Blessed Child. Even before our baptism, God sees the person he created in their innermost being. God sees a blessed child he made for a purpose and with whom he desires to have a unified relationship. He calls us each by name to himself.
As we continue our path through Advent, waiting for Christ’s return, we know that the one named Immanuel shall be with us. God is with us in Jesus.
I pray that you hear his voice speaking your name.
Father in heaven, thank you for loving me and naming me as your own. Thank you for the gift of inclusion and acceptance in your kingdom. Amen.
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