What’s in a Name?

Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from God who is Creator, Christ and Comforter.  Amen

Today we begin a four week, more in-depth look at the Lord’s Prayer, from Luke’s Gospel.  I hope you will find it a worthwhile venture into the prayer we pray each Sunday, as we prepare to gather at the Lord’s Table for communion.  Believe it or not, in the back of those hymnals in your pew racks, there is printed for our use, Luther’s Small Catechism – something many of you studied in depth during your own confirmation classes however many years ago.  But, for many of us who did not go through Lutheran Confirmation, or a Confirmation program at all, it’s kind of great to know just what we’re talking about!   (shameless plug for Luther class in October)

This morning we are looking at the first two parts of the Lord’s Prayer:  the Introduction, which is: Our Father in heaven; and the First Petition, which is: Hallowed be your name.   The Small Catechism says: The introduction reminds us that: With these words God wants to attract us, so that we come to believe [God] is truly our Father and we are truly [God’s] children, in order that we may ask [God] boldly and with complete confidence, just as loving children ask their loving father.  And the first petition reminds us: ...God’s name is holy in itself, but we ask in this prayer that it may also become holy in and among us.

Perhaps personally, and certainly as a society, we have strayed far from this idea of God’s holy name.  How many times in a day, a week, have you said (or heard said), “O God!” and the context is clearly not as the start of a prayer where we are seeking to be attracted to the presence of the Divine!  Or perhaps in using Jesus’ name in the same manner?  It’s so easy to get used to hearing/saying God’s name in this way that we forget we are calling on the Creator, Savior, and Comforter every time we do!!! 

I’m pretty sure if we think about it, we probably DO NOT want to have God’s loving attention brought into that specific situation!   We, as a society, have cheapened God’s name to be something that is almost powerless, and pointless.  I knew this was true when my atheist friend said, “Oh God!” in a conversation!  I pointed out that he didn’t believe in God…so what was he saying?   He simply shrugged, sheepishly grinned, and we moved on in conversation.  Yep, that cheap. 

What’s in a name?  I can’t help but think of Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet where Juliet speaks those immortal words: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."  

True enough, Juliet.  But…our names carry with them our identities as well as: our past, our present, and our future. 

God’s name.  Since God is eternal, Gods’ name has been around forever…with many derivations…in all the languages of our world. 

God’s name.  It’s holy to us – sacred as we gather here this morning – and as we pray to God using God’s name throughout our worship.  We want God with us in this space.  We want the powerful love of the Holy, Triune, Godhead to penetrate this space, and our hearts, to make us better human beings, to make us more like Jesus who loved everyone, and who welcomed friend, foe, and stranger into the fold.  We want God with us when we leave. 

God’s name.  We were baptized into it.  At baptism, we became a part of the tribe of God’s people who follow Jesus.  And that tribe is HUGE!  2.9 billion people according to the Pew Research Company, or about 31% of the global population.  We are still the majority religion globally.   We come in all ilks with - Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant as the major dividers.  We ELCA Lutherans are working hard to help each of us to work together as we pray to the same Triune God, whose name is holy to all of us.  This last week, our Churchwide Assembly voted to approve an ELCA/Catholic Ecumenical Document.  At the heart of the document are 32 “Statements of Agreement” that state where Lutherans and Roman Catholics do not have church-dividing differences on topics about church, ministry and the Eucharist. More tentatively, the document also explores differences that remain.  We continue move forward in bringing the huge Christian tribe closer, so that all of us can worship together! 

God’s name.  As we sat together last Wednesday morning in Bible study, I asked the question, “What is holy and sacred today in our society?”  I ask you this same question, “What is holy and sacred today in our society?”  I’ll give you a few seconds to think about that. 

[Take answers!] 

In Bible study, we concluded that the two most holy things today are money and power.  These are the things that people see as consecrated, sacred, saintly, and awe-inspiring, for that is what the word holy means!

My questions for us this morning to take on our weekly sojourn are:  Is God’s name holy and sacred to you?  How would people know this about you?  Are you willing to change your language (if you need to) and correct the language of others around you, to make God’s name holy again? 

After all, God is the creator of the universe with unlimited power and even more importantly, unlimited love!  God is the One who sent Jesus to this earth as God’s beloved Son to die for us and this whole world!  And God sends to us God’s Holy Spirit, to live in us, and move among us, to bring us to greater understanding of God.  It’s a powerful name!  God’s name deserves our most sacred respect and honor. 

God has “phenomenal cosmic power”! (to quote Genie in Aladdin), and God chooses to let it “live in an itty-bitty living space” of our hearts!  Let’s make sure, that space is full of the honor and the holiness God’s presence invites! 

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen