Pentecost 14 - What's in a Name

14th Sunday after Pentecost – August 18th & 20th, 2005
Exodus 6:2-8, Matthew 16:13-20
“What’s in a Name?” – Vicar Matthew Peters – St. Paul’s Lutheran, Union Grove, WI

Grace, Mercy and Peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet;” (SHAKESPEARE, Romeo and Juliet, II, 2)
Most of you have probably heard this quote sometime in your life. Its from Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. Just after one of our ‘star-crossed lovers’ makes the alarming discovery that this love of his life has the name of his family’s bitter rival. He muses, “What’s in a name?”
What does it matter what something is called? Why does a rose need to be named a rose? – Would it smell any less wonderful? Why should a dog be called a ‘dog’, or a cat a ‘cat’? Does it really matter what we call something? Do names really matter?

So often we take it for granted, but names have a BIG place in our lives. What is your name? What does it mean? Where did it come from, and why did your parents give it to you? Do you have a nickname? Where did it come from? How does that name represent you? How have these names affected your life? …
If you don’t believe that your name has affected your life, just listen today to hear how often it is used by other people. Imagine how confusing it would be if you didn’t have a name – or if people called you by a wrong name.

In our culture of relative anonymity, the value of a name is ever on the rise. If someone knows your name, and just a little information about you, they can exhibit a certain power over you. If someone has your Bank Account information, they have power over you. If a tele-marketer knows your name, you are more likely to listen. If someone yells your name in a crowded room, you will probably turn around and look.
Not everyone knows your name – that’s what makes a name so special. A name is specific; it is you. That’s why the popular theme-song from ‘Cheers’ made such a big deal about a place, “where everybody knows your name…” Knowing a name creates intimacy and it implies friendship, or at very least a level of familiarity that humans look for.

The lessons for today place a large concern on names. As God speaks to Moses, He reveals His name. God gave Moses the name by which God was to be called – the name YHWH. By this name Moses led the people out of Egypt, and this is the name by which God performs all of His gracious acts. YHWH means, translated from the Hebrew, “I am”. God’s name that He gives to Moses implies, “I am the first, I am the last, I am the maker, I am God, I am THE one! There is no one who can claim to be more ‘am’ than me.”
That’s a pretty powerful meaning behind a name.

‘I am’ the one who makes and sustains you.
‘I am’ the one who watches over every aspect of your world.
‘I am’ the one who knows your deepest, darkest secrets – and I can see when no one else is looking.
That is what ‘I am’ – God’s name – says.

So powerful and important is the name of the LORD that, in order to not break the second commandment, (Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.) the Israelites carefully guarded God’s name. The exact pronunciation of the NAME would only be known by the high priest. The readers of the scrolls, whenever they would come upon the NAME as they read in the synagogue, would either say “Name” or the Hebrew word “Adonai” which means “Lord”, rather than read the letters that would cause them to utter God’s name unworthily. Even today, when discussing God or reading the scriptures with Jews or people of Jewish descent the tradition of not saying God’s proper name continues. And even in many of our translations of the Bible today, we can see remnants of this practice as whenever the word ‘LORD’ is written in all capital letters – this denotes that here is the name of God… YHWH.

YaHWeH!!! It makes you wonder if I should even be saying it up here today out loud… Am I breaking the second commandment by speaking God’s name? Why did the Israelites worry about this so much? I haven’t been struck by lightning here… yet…

Maybe you’ve heard the phrase from the playground, “That’s my name, don’t wear it out!” Well, in a sense that’s what God is saying in the second commandment. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. God is saying, “I have given you my name, and you may call upon my name – but do not abuse my name to the point of taking away its value!”
Respect and Honor my name. Do not use it uselessly. Do not curse. Do not swear. Do not mock God. Do not put another name before His. Do not say it unless you mean it. Do not make it a casual utterance that you say without thinking – and don’t allow others to think that you will stand for it either! “That’s my name, don’t wear it out!”
The Israelites wanted to be very careful concerning God’s name, so they would rarely utter it at all. God’s name is a valuable thing – by it we know of His great deeds, by it we can praise Him, …by the name of God we are delivered!

Delivered? What? How can a simple name serve to deliver us? Is it some sort of magic? Is it like a password? Is that what the gospel lesson is talking about? When we get to heaven, is Saint Peter really going to be guarding the gate with his keys, and he’ll ask us for the password before we can go in? Is that how God’s name delivers us?
Not exactly. The name of God does not work like a secret password in the sense of getting into some secret club, but it is certainly the only way to get into heaven.

In the gospel lesson, Jesus asks his disciples,
“Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked, “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Who is this guy who goes by the name, ‘Jesus’? Is he John the Baptist come back from the dead? One of the prophets? What? There was apparently some confusion as to what the name ‘Jesus’ meant. Simon Peter was able to see things rightly this time, God had revealed the right answer to him; “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
The name ‘Jesus’ literally means, ‘The one who saves’ – Jesus was indeed the embodiment of His name. His name means salvation.
Salvation? Salvation from what?

The name ‘YHWH’ means, ‘I am’ – and God is. YHWH is the living God, YHWH is the creator, YHWH is righteous, YHWH is all-powerful, YHWH is worthy of all honor, glory and praise!

But is that what we give to the one whose name is YHWH? Do you always give the name of God the highest place of honor?
Have you ever slipped and used God’s name in vain? And I’m not just talking about YHWH here; this would include; God, Jesus, Christ, Lord, and others. Have you slipped into dishonoring God by making his name such a casual part of your language that you don’t even notice? Have you stopped cringing when people on TV casually say, “Oh my God!” They’re not praying to YHWH, all of this is using God’s name in vain – this is sin!
God tells us not to swear or curse by His name either – how guilty are we on this front!?! “If you don’t get over here this instant, I swear to…” To who? Why?
If we do not give all glory and honor to God’s name, we are sinning against the holy name that He gave to His beloved people as a blessing. We really DO deserve to be struck down dead right here and now!

But yet we live. And we have life. And I am not afraid to utter the name of YHWH from this pulpit. And you too can call upon the name of the LORD without any fear! Even if you have abused and neglected God’s name in the past, he will hear your prayers now. Why is that?
It is because, although we are bound as sinful humans to God’s law and are not worthy to speak His name of ourselves, we also have another name. We have the name written on our hearts by which Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” We have the name of Jesus – ‘the one who saves’ – the Christ – our salvation.

The name of Jesus means that God sent His Son to live perfectly, and die upon that cross undeservedly. The name of Jesus means that His death was a sacrifice done in our place. The name of Jesus means that we are now reconciled to the Father, and are once again made worthy to call upon the great ‘I AM’ with confidence and joy.

And let us give honor to His name. No longer, abusing it or wearing it out. But thinking of the name ‘God’, the name ‘Jesus’, the name ‘YHWH’ as the name that we are grateful toward and love with all our heart.

What’s in a name? A name is more than just some word. A name becomes what it represents.
What’s in a name? A name denotes power and gives authority.
What’s in a name? In this case, in this name – forgiveness of sins is in a name. “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10-11)

At Jesus’ name we bow and confess.
By Jesus’ name the devil is defeated.
It is Jesus’ name that is proclaimed to be the source of all forgiveness –
In Jesus’ name, you are forgiven of all your sins!

Praise be to the name of our God!

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.