Names—we all have one or two or three or more. Ken, Jo Anne, James Blaine McIntire, Mary Ann Desher Grimes. Names—we all have at least one. What’s behind your name? a story. How many of you know the story behind your name—why your parents chose that name? Were you named for someone in your extended family? For a friend? Someone your parents loved, admired, or hoped you would be like? Or were your parents caught up in the name of the time? Okay, so some of you didn’t raise your hands. If you’re a parent, how many of you can tell the story behind the names you gave your children? I thought so. Even if you don’t know the story behind your own name, there is a story behind the name you chose for your child. We attach story and meaning to every name.
Names—Shakespeare’s character, Juliet says, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.” Johnny Cash sings about being teased and bullied because he is “A Boy Named Sue.” Seeking vengeance, he searches for the man who deserted him after naming him. Once found, that father says because I knew I wouldn’t be around, I gave you that name to make you tough. Whose perspective do you share—Juliet’s or Johnny Cash’s? Are we who we are regardless of our name? Or does our name define us—blessing or cursing our life?
Names—have you ever wished for another one? Did you ever want to tweak your name a little bit? Becoming Elizabeth rather than Betty? Bill rather than William? Have you ever wished for a different name—thinking that if your name changed so would your story? The son of a friend of mine took a new name. Teased by the other elementary-aged boys because of his name, when the family moved to another town, he told his parents he wanted to go by his middle name. They saw a change in him corresponding to the change in his name. No longer bullied, he grew confident and self-assured. His new name did indeed reflect a new life story.
Names—Each of the characters in today’s text gets a new name. Their name change does not reflect a change in their personality or in their character, but it does mark a new stage in their identity. In today’s 1st verse, God reveals God’s self using a new name—“El Shaddai.” God has not changed here, but Abram’s understanding of God is changing. This God who called him away from his family of origin and out of his homeland of Ur,
this God who has led him on a 24-year sojourn toward a new land of promise—this God is not a God just of Abram’s kindred or just of Abram’s homeland. El Shaddai—translates as God Almighty. This God is the God “who created the heavens and the earth. This God is the God of the highest mountains and the lowest valleys,[1]” whether they be geographical land forms or emotional experiences “in the lives of God’s people.”[2]
God not only reveals a new name for God’s self but also for Abram and Sarai. In the Old Testament, names reflect the character and destiny of the person. Abram means exalted ancestor—which could refer to a highly revered yet childless uncle. But through the covenant God is making with him, Abram will have children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and so on. So God changes his name to Abraham which means “father of a multitude of nations.” The new name reflects a new destiny offered by God through the covenant. It’s only the ending of Sarai’s name that changes. In Hebrew—as in some other languages—the endings often reflect a pronoun being used. The ending on Sarai—that “i” might mean “my” indicating she is a possession. What happens to her is only as a result of her relationship with Abram. But the ending on Sarah—the “ah” reflects the pronoun “her.” It indicates Sarah is separate from Abram. It grants this woman some independence—if you will—in a culture that traditionally bound women to men. Sarah has her own part in this covenant. She will be the mother of nations. Abraham and Sarah’s destinies are guaranteed because their names are divinely given. “In the twilight of their lives, God will do in them the impossible[3]” making them “ancestors of many nations, their heirs more numerous than the stars in the sky.”[4]
In today’s text, God says, “My covenant is with you . . . and your descendants after you in every generation. [It is] an enduring covenant. I will be your God and your descendants’ God after you. (Gen 17: 4, 7) In our scripture last week, we encountered God making a first covenant—speaking it to Noah after the flood. It, too is enduring. It is a covenant between God and all of creation. Unilaterally and unconditionally, God promises never again to destroy the earth. No matter how much humans rebel against God, God will show mercy to all life in creation. In today’s text, it’s as if this God who is almighty, all-powerful, and all-knowing draws a little closer to humans.
God makes this covenant, not with all creation but with Abraham and Sarah and their descendents. In this covenant—offered, defined, explained, and reiterated in over 12 chapters in Genesis, God promises to lead Abraham to a new homeland; God promises to be the God of Abraham and his descendents; and God promises to bless all peoples of the earth through the loving relationship God is initiating with Abraham and will continue to nurture with his descendents.
In this covenant, not only Abraham and Sarah, but we, too, begin to identify, to recognize, to understand God. “God is in fact far above us yet with us, distant yet near, mysterious yet familiar, powerful yet loving.[5]” As we consider God’s covenant with Noah and all creation—the covenant we explored last Sunday—and God’s covenant with Abraham and Sarah and their descendents, we begin to know what God’s love is like. God’s love is universal—not just for a select few. God’s love is unconditional—we don’t have to do anything in order to receive it. God’s love is faithful—God never takes back the promise to love us. God’s love is helping and renewing—empowering us to become different people.[6]
Different yet not different. We are the same persons, but God’s love effects a change in us. We are transformed. It’s as if God’s love gives us a title. We see ourselves differently and others view us differently as well. A title like officer, doctor, judge—Officer Livengood, Doctor Grimes, Judge Montgomery. We live into the title. Different yet not different. We are the same persons, but God’s love effects a change in us—helping us to love like God loves, opening us to the possibilities of reconciled relationships. We are transformed.
Have you ever wished for a different name? Have you ever wanted to be like Sarah and Abraham—divinely named—entrusted with a destiny from God? You are. You have been given a new name—when these words were said—child of the covenant, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. “In our baptism, we [are] given a new name, ‘disciple of Jesus.’ It tells us everything we need to know about ourselves and everything we need to know about God. Through the extravagant grace of God, the life of the church, and the waters of baptism, the covenant established with Abraham and Sarah is opened to us.[7]” God Almighty is our God—loving us unconditionally, drawing us into reconciliation both with God and with one another, and empowering us to continue Christ’s work on earth. And what is Christ’s work on earth? Proclaiming the good news that God’s power can break through forces of death and systems of destruction. What is Christ’s work on earth? Acting out that proclamation by feeding those who are hungry, providing access to clean water to those who are thirsty, visiting those who are imprisoned by loneliness and disease, offering ministries of healing to those who suffer from pain or illness, and providing relief to those devastated by disaster. Our new name—disciple of Jesus—is an outward-looking name, centering us in the lives of others. Since our place with God is secure, the work we do focuses on others. Our new name—disciple of Jesus—involves us in mission.
We are spiritual descendents of Abraham and Sarah. God’s covenant with them is God’s covenant with us. Just as God’s covenant with them was their destiny, it is our destiny, too. Divinely named—child of the covenant, disciple of Jesus, Christian—how will you live into your destiny?
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