God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. ...As for Sarah your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name." Genesis 17
What does it mean to have a name? To be named? My mother tells me that I was either going to be Laura, Molly or Sarah. And when I made my grand entrance onto this earth, it was abundantly clear I was a Sarah. I don't know how she and my father knew--it just seemed the right name.
God changes the names of Sarai and Abram, giving them new names, Sarah and Abraham, to mark their new relationship, the covenant that they have with God and the promise that they will become the parents of a multitude of nations. The gift of our names may not come with the promise that we will become the parents of multitudes of nations, but they do come with hope and promise. Parents name their children and with it the promise of care, of nurture. As we baptize, we say "____(name), I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Naming is the first part of the water-bath of baptism. Monks and nuns sometimes take a new name when they enter the order. There are other naming traditions as well--any that come to mind for you?
What is the story of your name? Is your name an important part of your identity? For you parents out there, how did you decide on the name you chose for your child?
We have twins, so my husband and I each got to name one boy child. Even though each of us wasn't real thrilled with the other's name choice initially, the names and the boys have grown on us. And the boys have a good story to go along with their naming as well!
ReplyDeleteStacy--at my last parish the twin boys had different last names--one had the mom's last name and the other had the dad's. I always appreciated that because it gave them such unique identities, as well as keeping mom's name in the family lineage. I'll be curious to see how the boys feel about it when they're older!!
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