AtomNamed with the NAME of God!
Matthew 3:13-17
In Baptism, we do not simply get splashed by water, or profess our desire to join with the church….GOD acts through water and through His Word, Naming us, claiming us, anointing us, calling us, and gathering us into the Mission of Jesus Christ. It’s in baptism where the voice still comes, calling us by name as a child of God, in whom God is well pleased.
Read Gospel…Matthew 3:13-17
NAMES ARE IMPORTANT…
My Name is IMPORTANT…
Your Name is IMPORTANT…and…
The Name God has given us in baptism is MOST IMPORTANT…
NAMES GIVE INDIVIDUALITY, IDENTITY, RECOGNITION…
When the first letter that I received from my mom after my ordination arrived, I had to smile as the letter was addressed to…
Reverend David Peterson (with Reverend spelled out)
Mom’s are so proud of their sons…she was proud of the name attached to my name!!!
And not wanting to have my identity taken over by my title…I sent her back a letter addressed to: Mother Beverly Peterson
And we had some fun with the importance of names and labels…and the over-importance that we can place on some of these labels and names…
BUT…NAMES ARE IMPORTANT….....
Many parents spend hours pouring baby name books, suggestions from relatives, and other contemporary sources wanting the perfect name for their child…
I got curious…The most popular names of 2007 – from babycenter.com…I found…
What happened in baby names in 2007? The results are in: Emma has finally been knocked off its number one perch for the first time since it landed there in 2004! Sophia has been making steady progress since 2002, cracked the top 10 in 2005, and jumped six slots to be the new number one baby name for 2007 followed by Isabella and then Emma.
In boys’ baby names, Aiden still rules, as it has since 2005. Ethan is number 2…Jacob is in third… and Jayden, Caden, and Jackson have jumped quickly into the top 10 this year and are the new rising stars.
And, in case you are interested: Sophia is Spanish origin and means Wisdom
Aiden is of Celtic origin and means Fire…
NAMES ARE IMPORTANT…and it goes even deeper into labels that speak to how we perceive our selves…and others…positively and negatively…REMEMBER…
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words (names) will never hurt me!!” RIGHT!?!
As a father of two teen-age girls, a headline in Tuesday Fargo Forum caught my eye…
“Study links teen popularity to weight gain”.
The article starts, “Where a teenage girl sees herself on her school’s social ladder may weigh her future weight…those who believe they were unpopular gained more weight over a two-year-period than girls who viewed themselves as more popular”…leading researchers to say that the study showed how a girl’s view of her social status has broader health consequences.
I probably have given this more thought because last week on Good Morning America, Jan 4th, Carson Kressly was interviewed about his new show about helping women feel they look good about themselves (note…the show title doesn’t preach well!!)
He spoke about perception and reality…and how his show is helping women change from the negative perceptions (labels/names) of themselves into the reality of the beauty within them…and the powerful changes that take place when this reality overtakes a negative perception and label! (It’s a theological show, without him even knowing it.)
And, we’re reminded that, WITHOUT QUESTION…NAMES ARE IMPORTANT…
Identity is important…
Who we perceive ourselves to be is important…
The labels we wear and believe about ourselves are important…positive and negative…
These names and labels give shape to our identity and our purpose…they influence our choices and our behaviors …for the better and for the worse!!!!
NAMES ARE IMPORTANT…and today we PROCLAIM that GOD KNOWS US, EACH OF US, BY NAME!!!! AND, HE LOVES US, CARES FOR US, IS PROUD OF US, AND SEEKS THE BEST FOR US AND THE BEST FROM US…ALWAYS!!
His knowing started even before we were born, we’re told…...in the Psalms
You knew me, even in my mother’s womb…..
Continuing in Isaiah 43
Thus says the Lord who created and formed you…..
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, YOU ARE MINE!!!
NAMES ARE IMPORTANT….
On May 15, 1957 my parents gave to me a name…David Gordon Peterson…I carry my father’s name as my middle name…AND…
On June 23rd, 1957…in the waters of Baptism, God named me with HIS HAME, as, on that day, God said…...through the words of the pastor…
DAVID GORDON, CHILD OF GOD, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, and marked with the cross of Christ forever!!! (I have a picture in my office of this day!!)
Notice that only ONE name or title was given by God at my baptism…and…
It wasn’t PASTOR Dave…...
It wasn’t HUSBAND Dave…....
It wasn’t SOCCER PARENT Dave…or
It wasn’t BEMIDJI STATE or WARTBURG SEMINARY GRADUATE Dave…....
NO….....
It was CHILD OF GOD Dave, who was sealed, marked and named!!
Reminding us today that all the other names, titles and labels that we carry, as important as they are, are not the center or the core…they flow from the core!!
BEING NAMED A CHILD OF GOD is the center…IS MOST IMPORTANT…and forms the core of our eternal identity.
Which means, as we live out our given and chosen names:
I’m not simply HUSBAND DAVE…I’m CHILD OF GOD Husband Dave…
And this makes a tremendous difference in the husband that I am and the husband choices that I make…
If it doesn’t…I have some serious reflections to make…
It means…
I’m not just SOCCER PARENT DAVE…I’m CHILD OF GOD SOCCER PARENT Dave…and this makes a huge difference in the type of soccer parent choices that I make.
If it doesn’t…I have some serious reflections to make…
BECAUSE…NAMES ARE IMPORTANT…and there is only ONE NAME that is eternal: all the other’s will pass away…sooner than we know!!
Think about it this way…
I’ve been a son for only 50 years, and might have 10 years left…my mom is in her 80’s
I’ve been a husband for only 25 years…and I sure hope for 35 more years…
I’ve been a pastor for only 24 years…15 years to go maybe…
I’ve been a soccer parent for only 6 years….with maybe a couple to go…
Yet, all of these names attached to my name will end, sooner rather than later!! They are simply temporary titles and labels…yes they are important…but they are NOT eternal and will NOT last forever. The name CHILD OF GOD is the only name that with last forever! This is the name of ultimate importance…for identity, purpose, and meaning in all of life!!!
NAMES ARE IMPORTANT. Hearing God call us by NAME is of ultimate importance…
Back when the telegraph was the fastest means of long-distance communication, there was a story about a young lady who bravely applied for a job as a Morse code operator. (Ladies didn’t do this type of thing in that day!!)
Answering an ad in the newspaper, she went to the address that was listed. When she arrived, she entered a large, noisy office. In the background a telegraph clacked away. A sign on the receptionist’s counter instructed job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office.
The young lady completed her form and sat down with seven other waiting applicants. After a few minutes, she stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right in. Naturally the other applicants perked up, wondering what was going on. Why had this lady been so bold? They muttered among themselves that they hadn’t heard any summons yet. They took more than a little satisfaction in assuming that she would be reprimanded for her presumption and thus disqualified for the job. But no.
Within a few minutes the young lady emerged from the inner office escorted by the interviewer, who announced to the other applicants, “Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the job has been filled by this young lady.”
The other applicants began grumbling to each other, and then one spoke up, “Wait a minute—I don’t understand. She was the last one to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet she got the job. That’s not fair.”
The employer responded, ‘While you have sat there the telegraph has been ticking out the following message: “If you understand this message, then come right in. The job is yours.” The message was clear to all…’
NAMES ARE IMPORTANT. Hearing God call us by NAME is of ultimate importance…
I believe our very quality of life depends on it, because, as Gary then writes:
A person’s livelihood, actually, their entire life, depends upon their ability to hear and live out the power and meaning of the name God gives us: “You are my Son/Daughter, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
People of God, the name of CHILD OF GOD is the only name that gives eternal identity, purpose, meaning, and life for all people, now and forever…
NAMES ARE IMPORTANT
I am, DAVID GORDON, child of God,
You are YOUR NAME, child of God,
one who has been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the Cross of Christ FOREVER…
Hear it…Claim it…Live it!!! Thanks be to God. AMEN!!
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