Growing up in the 1970s, I went to school with a boy whose first name was Martin. Martin was safe, standard, and perfectly ordinary for that time and place. But one day, word got out across the playground that his middle names were Stanley Leonard. In the 1970s, that was something to be teased about! Stanley and Leonard sounded like grandfathers, not schoolboys playing football at break time. Fast forward to today, of course, and vintage names have made a triumphant comeback – you can hardly walk through Eversley Park without running into a toddler named Freddie, George, Arthur, or Leo!
Names carry weight, but their value changes depending on who is speaking them and the era we live in. They frame our identity, link us to history, and shape how we walk through the world.
This Sunday, as we look at our scripture readings, the theme of naming – and the deep identity that lies behind a name – takes centre stage. In our first reading, we encounter the story of a baby placed in a woven basket among the reeds of the Nile. Taking pity on the child, Pharaoh’s daughter adopts him and names him Moses, meaning “drawn out,” because she drew him from the water. Fast forward to the Gospel of Matthew, and we see another change: Simon steps forward to confess who Jesus is, and in response, Jesus gives him a brand-new name – Peter, the Rock.
These readings point us to a wonderful spiritual truth: we belong to a God who knows us intimately and calls us by name. Long before we ever chose a name for ourselves, inherited one, or worried about whether it was fashionable, God knew us. In the book of Isaiah, God makes that tender promise to His people: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.”
Even more amazingly, the Scriptures tell us that God hasn’t just memorized our names – He has bound them to Himself. Through the prophet Isaiah, God declares, “See, I have engraved your name on the palms of my hands.”
To be written on the hands of God means we are never forgotten, never overlooked, and never just a face in the crowd. Whatever playground labels, career titles, or internal doubts we carry, God speaks a far deeper identity over us and about us. In baptism, we too are drawn out of the waters, named, and marked as Christ’s own forever.
Names matter, and this Sunday we are going to think about these two naming stories and contemplate what it might mean and how we might respond. We also see some small acts of bravery which could easily go hidden.
We’re together as a united benefice at St Swithun’s at 10.00am. Come as you are, bring your family, invite a friend even, and lift your voice in prayer and praise as we gather around the Word and the Lord’s Table.
See you on Sunday!
Revd Paul