From the Pastor’s Heart

This beautiful summer morning as I sit writing this short epistle I am eagerly waiting for the telephone to ring with the news that Melanie is in the hospital ready to deliver our fourth grandchild. Is today the day? Maybe it will be tomorrow! The baby is due any day now and the interesting thing is Melanie is still not sure of a name for her precious little girl. Several names have appeared on the list of possibilities.
 
Names are very special and much thought and prayer should be given to naming a child. Some names are given because of family tradition; others are given because of the meaning associated with the name. Some people even try to be humorous when naming their children. Perhaps you have heard of the Lear Jet? Well, the Lear family named their daughter Chanda Lear. A man by the name of Jerry Mellow named his son Marshall. Can you imagine growing up with the name Marshall Mellow?
 
The naming of our granddaughter made me wonder about God’s name. The subject of God’s name remains one of the most confusing and disputed issues in Christianity. This is partly because God has many names in Scripture. Every book of the Bible makes reference to “God” except one. Do you know that book? The Book of Esther never mentions God.
 
If you Google God you will find several names that are given in the Bible that help us understand our God. What is the “correct” name of God? The word so often translated “LORD” in the scriptures is a Biblical enigma. Nobody seems exactly sure how to pronounce that word. It is a combination of four Hebrew consonants, YHWH or JHVH. YHWH, meaning “self-existent or eternal one,” is God’s most common Hebrew name and is found about 6,823 times in the Bible.
 
There are some things that we can say for certain about God’s name….
 
God’s name is holy. Israel had a great reverence for God’s name, because the Mosaic Law taught that those who disrespected God’s name must pay the ultimate price (Leviticus 24:16). The name of God was so sacred to the ancient Jewish scribes that they used a special pen to write the name of God as they reproduced the Scriptures. Each time they came to the name of God, they would set down the regular pen and pick up a pen that was used only for writing God’s name. Only after saying a prayer, they would write God’s name with the designated pen and then resume their work.
 
God’s name is a name we can trust. God wants us to learn the true value of His name. God’s promises can be trusted. Each and every compound name of God shows how God meets every need of humanity in redemptive power. These compound words that we find in the Scriptures are always linked with some need of Humankind, and it is here that God will be all that His people need him to be.
 
God’s name is eternal. God says, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending.” Only a few things are declared to be eternal. These include His existence (Psalm 90:2), His Word (Mark 13:31), His gift of life for the redeemed (Romans 6:23), and His name (Exodus 3:15).
 
Do you know Him? God’s name is not a magic word, but a revelation of His character.
 
A newspaper ad read: “Lost one dog. Brown, scruffy hair with several bald spots. Right leg broken due to an auto accident. Left hip hurt. Right eye missing. Left ear bitten off in a dog fight. Answers to the name ‘Lucky’”. Obviously, that unfortunate little dog was “Lucky” in name only. Some Christians are like that! When we become Christians, we take the name of Jesus. Sadly, some people merely become nominal Christians, meaning in name only. When we say we are Christian, we have a responsibility to uplift the name of God in word and deed. Jesus began the Lord’s Prayer by saying, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed (holy) be thy name.” (Matthew 6:9).
 
One thing is for certain, whatever name Melanie and Kurt give their precious baby she will be loved unconditionally. She will grow up in a family that will do everything possible to make sure she is loved and protected.
 
It is hard to imagine but God’s love for each and every one of us is stronger and greater than any love we can bestow upon our children and grandchildren.

Four-year-old Billy states: “When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.” Your name is safe in God’s mouth. Is God’s name safe in your mouth?
 
Blessings,
Pastor Russel