A New Name

I always wanted a nickname. Some would technically say that because my first name is John and I go by my middle name, then Seth is a nickname. I do not feel that way. When I first started playing sports I thought I would get a pseudonym, but no. In the 5^th grade Mr. Mac, the coolest of elementary school teachers, gave his entire class nicknames throughout the year. I was not in his class. Nicknames though are not something one can force. It has to just happen!

When I was in high school I finally got another name. My friends Brad, Trey, and I played together on the J.V. soccer team. One weekend when we had a lot of games we all spent the night at Brad’s house. Like most high school age kids we had a strong humorous side. We had even begun to create our own “secret” language. Really we just replaced all the vowels in words with an “A” sound. So, instead of being called Seth, they called me “Sarth”. I am unsure if this would have stuck as a nickname; however, Brad’s mom misheard what the others were calling me and she began calling me “Sarge”. After everyone stopped laughing at the mispronunciation of our made up language the nickname stuck. Of course, I had no ROTC experience, I was not all that connected to the military, and honestly felt a little odd about the whole thing, but I had my nickname.

Most of us, probably all of us, do not get to select our given names. Rarely do any of us get to choose our nicknames. For something so intimate and personal it is a bit odd that we have no say in the matter. In today’s Gospel lesson from John we hear the moment when Jesus gives to Simon a new name. Jesus nicknames him “Cephas” or “Peter”, which means “The Rock” or “Rocky”. Given how the story unfolds, this new name seems anything but fitting. So what can we learn from the story of Simon and his nickname Peter?

Throughout the Gospel accounts Simon-Peter oscillates from insightful disciple to denying devil. Simon-Peter acclaims that Jesus is the Messiah in one breath and in the next tries to manipulate Jesus’ mission. Simon-Peter humbly witnesses the Transfiguration, then attempts to hold onto the moment for forever by building booths. Perhaps the biggest swing in Simon-Peter’s life comes when he first denies Jesus three times before his teacher’s death only to affirm his love of Jesus after the Resurrection. So what do we learn from Jesus’ nicknaming this unsteady presence “The Rock”?

We learn that it is not Simon that makes himself steady, but instead it is the love of God that transforms him into the rock on which the Church is founded! On the beach at the end of John’s Gospel account Jesus asks Peter if he loves him three separate times. After Peter acknowledges his love each time Jesus invites the disciple to take care of the flock. Without the shaky missteps, the naïve questions, and the denial Simon would not have come to fully embrace the love of God, which made him Peter. God does not confine this transformation merely to Simon, nor did God stop doing this long ago, but rather all of us are invited to stop relying so much on getting our own way.

We will all surely make mistakes on our journeys. Trusting in God on a daily basis stands out as a particularly difficult task. And yet, what happens when we live in the love of God? We, like Simon, receive a new name. We are given new gifts. Even through our mess ups we find new skills and talents. As the old saying goes, “God does not call the qualified, God qualifies the called.” I do not know what your new name will be. Heck, I do not even know what God has in store for me. However, I trust that God calls each of us by name, maybe even a new name, and God yearns for each of us to be part of God’s story in this world. What is God’s nickname for you?

A New Intention: Stop Sin, Be Beloved

Something remarkable happens at this time each year. Millions of people spend billions of dollars on new diet plans, workout equipment, organizational materials, and whatever else gets marketed as a new year, new you product! What is your New Year’s Resolution? Have you kept it thus far? How is the new diet, workout routine, or prayer practice going?

While on one level taking on new routines this year could be seen as commendable, however the overarching concept of making yourself better stands in opposition with the message of Christ. As strange as it sounds, God did not send Jesus to us so that we might lose a few pounds or organize the garage in the New Year. In the First Letter of John we are reminded of our true nature, which requires no resolving to be “better” this year. John wrote, “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed.” Living a healthy life for your sake or for your family’s is great! Being more prepared is fantastic! Exploring nature through exercise makes my heart sing. And yet, we are God’s children NOW!

The trouble with resolutions comes in a fundamental misunderstanding. We do not make ourselves good, instead God has made us good in our Creation and in our restoration. It is through Christ’s Incarnation in Jesus his life, death, and Resurrection that we see and experience ultimate goodness! John’s letter goes on to show us that as God’s beloveds our entire existence will take the shape of Christ’s own life! He wrote, “What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.” This stands out as AWESOMELY good news!

No resolution is needed for us to be made into God’s beloved. We are already these loved ones! And, as we see Christ in our lives and in the world around us life will take the shape of Christ: living, dying, and resurrecting. During Advent as my Sunday School class discussed the shape of the Church Calendar we found that in Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Morning, what is known as the Triduum, most of or maybe even all our experiences exist. Fellowship, service, betrayal, denial, torture, greed, rage, self-emptying, love, isolation, forgiveness, solitude, death, and resurrection are all on display here. In the person of Jesus, Christ models for us all of human experience such that resolutions no longer make any sense. We are already beloved by God, how can we become better, how could we possibly achieve something greater? However, what may be beneficial to us in this New Year is an intention to remember that we are God’s beloveds through a practice or observation.

John the Baptizer shows us a helpful practice for now and into the future. In today’s Gospel lesson the forerunner of God knew that Jesus was the Lamb of God who came to take away the sin of the world. Notice that this text says sin and not sins. According to Richard Rohr, the Franciscan priest and monk at the Center for Action and Contemplation in New Mexico, this is no mistake. There is but one sin that John the Baptizer observed. Rohr states as this, “Ignorant hating, excluding, and killing is the universal sin of the world to this day.”[1] It dates back to Cain and Abel, was seen in the death of Jesus and the first martyr Stephen, and it is still seen in modern martyrdoms here and abroad. So what do we do?

May our intention be to stop the cycle of hating, excluding, and killing this year! May we practice the self-emptying love of Christ! May we be willing to give up our way, so that God’s way may be walked together, hand-in-hand with all the people of this world! These huge objectives of stopping hatred, bringing about peace, and uniting all people in love seem impossible; however, the reign of Christ has already begun and we can co-create with God through even the tiniest of steps. When we stop judging, manipulating, or reprimanding others we are then able to live into our belovedness, as instead of trying to change how others are we may take on their pain, empathize with others, and together be transformed by the resurrecting power of God’s love! THAT IS WHAT THE GOSPEL IS ALL ABOUT!

We are already God’s beloved. Now we are called into a new intention. As the Body of Christ we must be part of taking way the sin of the world (hating, excluding, and killing), so that we may instead remember that all are God’s beloved, as we are all healed by the Lamb of God!

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[1] Rohr, Richard. Changing the Game. December 26, 2016. https://cac.org/changing-the-game-2016-12-26/ (accessed January 3, 2017).

What's In A Name?

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/By any other name would smell as sweet.” Juliet says this to Romeo in Act II, Scene ii, lines 1-2 of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. These words stand out as such memorable lines that they have made their way into our common parlance. It has been awhile since I read that play, but I do remember that as these star-crossed lovers fell for each other this line pointed to the fact that despite them having different last names from feuding families they were nonetheless in love. So, this question wonders should a name matter in a thing like love? Juliet, in this way, summarized the central struggle of all of Romeo and Juliet with a simple question. Today, like Juliet, I too ask, “What’s in a name?”

On this day every year we celebrate not just New Year’s Day, but also the Feast of the Holy Name. In the Jewish tradition on the eighth day of a newborn boy’s life the child would have been taken to the Temple to be circumcised, dedicated to God, and given a name. This is the day when Mary and Joseph gave the little baby from our Nativity story the name Jesus, but what’s in a name?

Let’s start with Luke where we are today. Before Mary conceived of this child the angel Gabriel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.” The child’s name will be Jesus, but there is more to it than just that. He will be great, the Son of the Most High (another way of saying God), and he will come to fulfill a hope of the Jewish people that had been around since David vacated the throne: to have a fulfilling ruler! There is more to this name than just how it sounds or whether or not other children could rhyme it with some insult. What about another Gospel account’s perspective?

My New Testament professor in seminary warned against mixing the Gospel accounts together. The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Kittredge would say, “Don’t make Gospel stew.” With all due respect professor it’s a lovely day for stew and, I would like to phone a different gospel account because while Luke lets us know of Jesus’ dedication ceremony, we do not discover everything we need to know about his name.

Unfortunately, Mark’s and John’s accounts of the Gospel do not speak of how Jesus was given his name. However a couple of Sunday’s ago we heard the story from Matthew’s Gospel of an angel visiting Joseph in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

   and they shall name him Emmanuel’,

which means, ‘God is with us.’

From Matthew’s perspective the child of Mary was to be named Jesus, but he also had this connection with the term Emmanuel.

We hear of the name Emmanuel, which means God with us. This name gives us hope that we have a God who will stand by us no matter what! This was the name foretold by Isaiah. There is also though the name we often take for granted, the name Jesus. In its original tongue it would have sounded more like Joshua, and that name means God for us. This too is profound. What Joseph dreamed points to the truth of our God Incarnate in Jesus: God is both for us and with us!

The Franciscan priest and spiritual leader Richard Rohr sent out a Christmas video on the morning of December 25th. His main theme in this message falls directly in line with this revelation of the meanings of Jesus’ Holy Name or holy names. Rohr explained in the video that we have for centuries been completely focused on the Almighty aspect of God’s nature.[1] This is true. God is almighty! And yet, at Christmas what is made clear to us in a baby born to unwed parents, in a manger, with lowly shepherds being the first visitors is that God is also all-vulnerable. Jesus was both Almighty and all-vulnerable. Jesus is both Jesus that is God for us (Almighty) and Emmanuel, God with us (all-vulnerable).

On the eighth day of his life our Lord was given the name Jesus. He was a vulnerable little child with parents who were not even married yet. He had to rely upon them even though he was the one through whom all creation came to be! This is what we celebrate today. That the God of all creation came down to be for us and with us. He had a mighty and yet also vulnerable way of being, just like the rest of us. What’s in a name? Despite what Juliet says, I would say a great deal rests in a name! Especially in the Holy Name of Jesus.

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[1] Rohr, Richard. The Continual Incarnation. December 25, 2016. https://cac.org/the-continual-incarnation-2016-12-25/ (accessed Janauary 1, 2017).