… you shall be called by a new name
that the mouth of the LORD will give.
- Isaiah 62:2
My mom used to tell the following dirty joke:
An old Jewish man went to the judge and said, “I want to change my name.”
The judge looked at him and said, ‘You know, changing your name is a serious matter, not to be taken lightly. You had better have a good reason, if you want to change your name. What is your name, now ?”
“Isaac S _ _ _ .”
“Oy!” said the judge. “Now I see why you want to change your name. What do you want your new name to be ?”
“Abraham S _ _ _ .”
(Thanks, Mom !)
Our names are important to us, for better or for worse. Have you ever changed your name ?
Many of you ladies who at some point got married, followed the old custom and took your husband’s name. In our society, we consider that normal.
When I was a little boy, my sister and brothers and some of the church ladies called me “Danny” – I hated that: I wanted to be known as “Dan.” My Mother often called me Daniel (or by all three of my names, if she was mad at me !). My Dad would look at me and fumble through all four of his boys’ names— “Jimmy-Everett-David-Danny” – before giving up and just saying whatever he had to say.
When we first moved to Frederick County, Virginia, I thought I would have a fresh start, and nobody would call me “Danny” – but no: it seemed as if none of our neighbors could bring themselves to call a youngster “Dan” – it had to be “Danny.” Some of those folks still call me that, and I have learned to just grin and bear it.
At least at school, the teachers and the other kids called me what I wanted them to call me… except behind my back: I knew that I had various nicknames that I never chose for myself !
Each of us wants to be addressed with respect and kindness: it is a sign of respect for the humanity of each person we meet, to try our best to call them what they want to be called.
The prophet Isaiah was an old hand at the name game. You might think of a prophet as someone who says words on God’s behalf… but the Lord ordered Isaiah to give at least two of his children weird names, so that their very names would be prophecies (Isaiah 7:3, 8:1-4). The Lord also gave Isaiah the message about a child who would be born with a wonderful, hopeful name: Immanu-El (or Emmanuel), “God with us.”
In Isaiah 62, the prophet is telling his nation that God is going to end their period of suffering and exile, bring them back into their homeland, and take away the negative names which applied to them during their bad times. Instead of “Forsaken,” God would call them, “My Delight Is in Her.”
In the New Testament, Jesus displayed his divine power by changing “water” into “wine.” He got a name for himself by performing that and many other “signs” which pointed out his true identity as the Son of God. His neighbors tried to insult him by referring to him as “the carpenter’s son” or “the son of Mary”— these were not originally intended as compliments, although we now see the charm and ironic sweetness in him being regarded as “blue-collar” or a bastard.
If we decide to attach ourselves to Jesus as his followers, we may gain for ourselves a new name. We may go from “lost-in-the-dark” to become a “child of the Light.” We may change from being a “damned wretch” to a beloved “child of God.” Perhaps best of all, we may give up being “amputated limbs” to join the Body of Christ.
It took me awhile to grasp the meaning, when I heard Marian Anderson sing the haunting African-American spiritual, “If He Change My Name.”
I hope you will rejoice in the name he gives you.
I told Jesus it would be all right
if he changed my name.
Jesus told me I would have to live holy
if he changed my name.
Jesus told me I would have to live humble
if he changed my name.
Jesus told me that the world would hate me
if he changed my name.
But I told Jesus it would be all right
if he changed my name.
that the mouth of the LORD will give.
- Isaiah 62:2
My mom used to tell the following dirty joke:
An old Jewish man went to the judge and said, “I want to change my name.”
The judge looked at him and said, ‘You know, changing your name is a serious matter, not to be taken lightly. You had better have a good reason, if you want to change your name. What is your name, now ?”
“Isaac S _ _ _ .”
“Oy!” said the judge. “Now I see why you want to change your name. What do you want your new name to be ?”
“Abraham S _ _ _ .”
(Thanks, Mom !)
Our names are important to us, for better or for worse. Have you ever changed your name ?
Many of you ladies who at some point got married, followed the old custom and took your husband’s name. In our society, we consider that normal.
When I was a little boy, my sister and brothers and some of the church ladies called me “Danny” – I hated that: I wanted to be known as “Dan.” My Mother often called me Daniel (or by all three of my names, if she was mad at me !). My Dad would look at me and fumble through all four of his boys’ names— “Jimmy-Everett-David-Danny” – before giving up and just saying whatever he had to say.
When we first moved to Frederick County, Virginia, I thought I would have a fresh start, and nobody would call me “Danny” – but no: it seemed as if none of our neighbors could bring themselves to call a youngster “Dan” – it had to be “Danny.” Some of those folks still call me that, and I have learned to just grin and bear it.
At least at school, the teachers and the other kids called me what I wanted them to call me… except behind my back: I knew that I had various nicknames that I never chose for myself !
Each of us wants to be addressed with respect and kindness: it is a sign of respect for the humanity of each person we meet, to try our best to call them what they want to be called.
The prophet Isaiah was an old hand at the name game. You might think of a prophet as someone who says words on God’s behalf… but the Lord ordered Isaiah to give at least two of his children weird names, so that their very names would be prophecies (Isaiah 7:3, 8:1-4). The Lord also gave Isaiah the message about a child who would be born with a wonderful, hopeful name: Immanu-El (or Emmanuel), “God with us.”
In Isaiah 62, the prophet is telling his nation that God is going to end their period of suffering and exile, bring them back into their homeland, and take away the negative names which applied to them during their bad times. Instead of “Forsaken,” God would call them, “My Delight Is in Her.”
In the New Testament, Jesus displayed his divine power by changing “water” into “wine.” He got a name for himself by performing that and many other “signs” which pointed out his true identity as the Son of God. His neighbors tried to insult him by referring to him as “the carpenter’s son” or “the son of Mary”— these were not originally intended as compliments, although we now see the charm and ironic sweetness in him being regarded as “blue-collar” or a bastard.
If we decide to attach ourselves to Jesus as his followers, we may gain for ourselves a new name. We may go from “lost-in-the-dark” to become a “child of the Light.” We may change from being a “damned wretch” to a beloved “child of God.” Perhaps best of all, we may give up being “amputated limbs” to join the Body of Christ.
It took me awhile to grasp the meaning, when I heard Marian Anderson sing the haunting African-American spiritual, “If He Change My Name.”
I hope you will rejoice in the name he gives you.
I told Jesus it would be all right
if he changed my name.
Jesus told me I would have to live holy
if he changed my name.
Jesus told me I would have to live humble
if he changed my name.
Jesus told me that the world would hate me
if he changed my name.
But I told Jesus it would be all right
if he changed my name.
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