What's In a Name?

Leader: We will give thanks to you, O LORD, with our whole heart; we will tell of all your wonderful deeds. All: We will be glad and exult in you; we will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Leader: O magnify the LORD with me. All: Let us exalt God’s name together! —from & , NRSV

Opening Prayer

Christ is made the sure foundation, Christ the head and cornerstone, chosen of the Lord and precious, binding all the church in one; holy Zion's help forever, and her confidence alone.

All that dedicated city, dearly loved of God on high, in exultant jubilation pours perpetual melody; God the One in Three adoring in glad hymns eternally.

2 All that dedicated city, dearly loved of God on high, in exultant jubilation pours perpetual melody; God the One in Three adoring in glad hymns eternally.

To this temple, where we call you, come, O Lord of hosts, and stay: come with all your loving-kindness hear your people as we pray; and thy fullest benediction shed within its walls alway.

Here bestow on all your servants what they seek from you to gain, what they gain from you forever with the blessed to retain, and hereafter in your glory evermore with you to reign.

Laud and honor to the Father, laud and honor to the Son, laud and honor to the Spirit, ever Three and ever One, One in might, and One in glory, while unending ages run.

Merciful God, you pardon all who truly repent and turn to you. We humbly confess our sins and ask your mercy. We have not loved you with a pure heart, nor have we loved our neighbor as ourselves. We have not done justice, loved kindness, or walked humbly with you, our God. Have mercy on us, O God, in your loving-kindness. In your great compassion, cleanse us from our sin. Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within us. Do not cast us from your presence, or take your Holy Spirit from us. Restore to us the joy of your salvation and sustain us with your bountiful Spirit through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. —based on

Declaration of Forgiveness

Gloria Patri (Glory to God)

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.As it was in the beginning, it is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.

Musical Meditation

Witnessing God’s Work

Prayer for Illumination (understanding)

2 Timothy 2:14–19 ESV

Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

Genesis 17:1–9 ESV

When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.” And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations.

genesis

Hebrew Scripture Readings ,

Genesis 17:1–9 ESV

Deuteronomy 5:6 ESV

“ ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Hebrew Scripture Readings ,

Deuteronomy 5:11 ESV

“ ‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

What’s in a Name?

Message:

Trouble in the World

Misuse of names

There is the great scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. As I was writing my sermon for today, I realized it’s not the first time I’ve opened a sermon with a scene from that movie, but it’s a great movie.

Throughout the movie, Indiana’s father, Henry Jones, keeps calling him “Junior”. Indy is clearly bothered by this and eventually snaps at his father.

Indiana: Will you please stop calling me Junior? Sallah: Please, what does this mean? Always with this Junior? Henry: That's his name: Henry Jones, Junior. Indiana: I like Indiana. Henry: We named the dog Indiana. Sallah: The dog? You are named after the dog. Marcus: Can we go home please? Indiana: I have a lot of fond memories of that dog.

What’s really fun is that there really was a dog named Indiana. George Lucas, one of the creators of Indiana Jones, at one time had a dog named Indiana. Naming a character after him was a way of remembering a beloved pet.

Naming someone or something after a person (or, in Indiana’s case, a dog) is a way of paying tribute to them, of honoring them or their memory. My Granddad named his boat after his wife, MaryAnn, and I’ve always said if I ever have a boat, I’ll call it peg-leg Norm after my Granddad.

Yes, he only had one leg.

And his name was Norman.

When we announced what we were going to name Gloria, my mom was very uneasy about it. Turns out that there was a girl she went to high school with named Gloria and that Gloria was exactly her favorite person. Just hearing the name brought back uncomfortable memories. The things that the person had done lived on just by the sound of her name. But, we were naming Gloria after another Gloria whose life we believe is worth remembering for a long time. A good, kind, smart, funny Gloria who we wanted to honor.

Many of the places in the world are named for people. Pennsylvania is named for William Penn. Pittsburgh is named for William Pitt. There were alot of Williams back in the day.

Naming something or someone after a person is an important sign of honor. And you don’t want to name something trivial after a person, because that might suggest that person is trivial. You don’t want to do something stupid or mean or dangerous or simply against what a person stands for and say that you owe it all to them. That sort of thing brings dishonor to their name. While we don’t live in an honor-based culture here in the US, we still hold names to be very important and the idea of having a “good name” is still a thing we worry about.

Trouble in the Text

As deeply rooted as names are today, that was even more so in the time that the ten commandments were given. And as important as human names were, that was even more important in regards to God’s name.

When we talk about God, we usually say, “God”. We often also will say, “The Lord”. In many contexts, we use the name “Jesus” which was the name given to God when God was here on Earth doing the human thing. But Jesus was actually a pretty common name at the time. It came from “Yeshua”, the ancient version of the name we now pronounce “Joshua”. Versions of this name like Joshua and Jesus are still pretty common even all these thousands of years later.

But very rarely do we use God’s name as given to Moses in .

Exodus 3:14 ESV

God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”

In Hebrew scripture, while God’s name was written, it was never actually read aloud. It would be replaced with something else like “Adonai” which means “Lord”. The name of God was so powerful, so mighty, so terrifying, that nobody wanted to take any chances saying it in the wrong way or the wrong circumstances. They took God’s name very, very seriously.

God is powerful. When the ten commandments were given, God had just drowned an army to save the Hebrew people. They’d seen incredible miracles and they were so in awe of God’s power than when Moses went up the mountain to meet with God, the people said, “Have fun with God. We’re staying safely down here.”

That same powerful God was building covenant - long lasting relationship - with these people and that covenant came with such intimacy that God revealed God’s name to the people.

While I’m on a nerdy pop culture roll today, I’ll toss in a Doctor Who reference along with Indiana Jones. The main character’s name is not actually Doctor Who. Rather, he or she (the character has been played by both genders) goes by “The Doctor”. The Doctor is an ageless alien time traveler who doesn’t die, but rather regenerates with a new body making it very easy to cast a new actor when the old actor quits, dies, or retires. Nobody actually knows the Doctor’s name, though. So when introduced, they often say “Doctor who?” but the Doctor has already zipped off to save the universe before they get an answer.

In one of the newer seasons of the show, we meet the Doctor’s wife, River Song. Because they are both time travelers, the Doctor and River aren’t always at the same point in the time line as each other, so one might remember more about their relationship than the other at any given scene. And there is a beautiful scene in one episode in which to prove that she is as close to him as she says she is, River whispers the Doctor’s real name into his ear. And he immediately knows she is who she says she is.

Names are powerful and names are intimate. Names are a way of knowing someone. And God, in giving us a name to call on, is giving us access to power and an intimacy that we can get no other way but by calling on that name.

Grace in the Text

When I was a kid, this commandment was taught to us as, basically, “no cussing”. Not just not using the words “God” or “Jesus” as expletives, but not using any expletives at all. First of all, modern “cuss words” were not even in existence at the time that the commandments were given. They are rude in many circumstances, and the Bible has things to say about rude and mean speech in other places, but this commandment is so much deeper than that. And it certainly says to be careful how we use God’s name, but it takes it even further than just tossing out God’s name as an expletive or worrying about saying it out loud or not when reading scripture.

Taking God’s name seriously is about more than just saying or not saying God’s name, but honoring the power that is given because of the relationship that we have been granted with God.

Knowing God’s name means being in relationship with God. God says at the beginning of these commandments, “Remember who I am. Remember what I have done for you because of this relationship, this covenant. And then act accordingly. Here’s how to act accordingly.”

The way we take God’s name seriously is to do that which honors God, that which we are asked throughout this covenant: Love God first and foremost, and love our neighbors. That is the concrete way we take this intimate covenant and the power of God’s name seriously. We honor God’s name by our dedication to God and by doing God’s work of love and justice in the world.

Grace in the World

Are people being taken care of and treated as God’s creations? Or are we sitting around saying “God is good” but not living into God’s goodness and justice? Are we calling ourselves Christians, but living lives of apathy, ignoring the suffering of others? Because there are plenty of suffering people all around us - both near and far.

Sometimes, the pain and suffering in the world seems too much for us to take on, but remember that power in God’s name. If we are acting according to God’s will for justice and compassion, we can do great things. If we are to really take seriously God’s name and the power of that relationship we are offered in this covenant, we have to believe that God has great things in store.

Abraham became the father of a nation.

Moses led God’s people to freedom.

Mother Teresa brought compassion and healing to countless numbers.

Martin Luther King Jr. led a movement that brought a new freedom to an entire nation.

They all did so knowing the power of the one God with whom they walked, knowing what God promises to do through the covenant we are offered.

If one person acting in God’s name - not taking lightly the power we are given in this covenant - can have the impact that each of those people acting in God’s name did, imagine what a whole roomful of people acting in God’s name can accomplish.

Prayer Prompt:

Homework:

Ask that God would show our church family how to honor God’s name in our community. What are the ways in which we are living into the power and intimacy offered to us and in what ways are we taking that for granted?

Almighty and powerful God, help us to remember the power of your name. Show us where we are acting in ways that bring dishonor to your name or that take the power of your name for granted. Remind us of the beauty of the intimate covenant you have offered to us all. Let us see where it is that you are working so that we might be the tools you use to work your good in the world around us. Amen.

O Lord, Our Lord. Oh Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth

(repeat)

O Lord, we praise your name.

O Lord, we magnify your name:

Prince of Peace, mighty God,

O Lord, God Almighty

Apostle’s Creed: I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.

I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers of the People

After each petition, the pastor will say, “Lord, in your mercy,” and the people respond, “Hear our prayer.”

Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who’ve sinned against us. Lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

Sharing our tithes and offerings

Doxology (Song of Thanksgiving)

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.Praise God all creatures here below. Praise God above, ye heavenly host.Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen

Prayer of Thanksgiving

All hail the power of Jesus' name! Let angels prostrate fall. Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all. Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all!

Ye chosen seed of Israel’s race, ye ransomed from the fall, hail him who saves you by his grace, and crown him Lord of all. Hail him who saves you by his grace, and crown him Lord of all!

Let every kindred, every tribe on this terrestrial ball to him all majesty ascribe, and crown him Lord of all. To him all majesty ascribe, and crown him Lord of all!

Oh, that with yonder sacred throng we at his feet may fall! We'll join the everlasting song and crown him Lord of all. We'll join the everlasting song and crown him Lord of all.

May the peace of our Lord Christ go with you wherever he may send you.May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm.May he bring you home rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you.May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.