New Name
Did you wear your name tag this Sunday? If you don’t have one and would like one, let us know!
We recently started wearing name tags at the church so that people can get to know each other, but also so that anyone can easily remember who they are talking to.
Names are an intrinsic part of our identity. Your name is how you tell your story to the world. You may have been named after someone or have a name that is all your own.
In her book, “The Forgotten Beasts of Eld”, Patricia McKillip creates a heroine who takes the time to know each mythological creatures’ name by listening to them, studying their stories, and the final step to her being able to enter into a fully understood relationship with them is when she asks “Give to me your name”. If the creature, in whatever language they speak, does so, the heroine and the creature can journey together and truly see each other.
There is a great power in knowing someone’s name, and a great gift in giving our name to someone. God is known by so many names –if you have time this summer, read the gospel of John and discover all of the “I am” statements that Jesus makes. Each one helps us understand God’s identity and enter into a full relationship with God. Some names may not mean as much to us as others, but that diversity is a way that God embraces all of our stories.
There are times in our lives when we need a new name. Perhaps it’s getting married and deciding on a new family name. Perhaps it is affirming an identity that we need to be known by. Perhaps it is moving to a new culture and changing our name to better fit in or begin a new chapter in life. In some situations, we may reclaim a name that has been taken from us. All of us who travel with those who have chosen to change their name after thought and prayer need to respect that journey….
…because God changes people’s names a lot: Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Saul to Paul, Hadassah to Esther. In each of these changes, God affirms the course of life and identity that GOD has for that person. These name changes are part of God’s plan for that person. They are part of the new identity, the moving forward.
In this Pride month, we celebrate the diversity of identities that God gives to all people. There are people who have changed their names to better reflect that identity, and we rejoice with them at their discovery of what God has in store for them. And as we give our names to each other, and hear the wonderful names God has that meet us in each part of our story, may we give thanks, and grow in our life together.
Prayer: Lord, you who knit us together and know us best call us by our true names. And whether we’ve known those names all our lives or we discover them, we give you thanks. May we celebrate You in all the names you have called yourself.
In Jesus name, Amen.
Photo and content © Susan Kerr 2025. May not be reproduced or circulated without permission of the author
.