Thursday, March 25, 2021
Thursday in the Fifth Week of Lent
Tim Platt
The Collect
O God, you have called us to be your children, and have promised that those who suffer with Christ will be heirs with him of your glory: Arm us with such trust in him that we may ask no rest from his demands and have no fear in his service; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Readings: Genesis 17:1–8, John 8:51–59 & Psalm 105:4–11
When I read the texts for today from Genesis, Psalm 105, and John, my immediate thought was, “Well, these are all about Abraham and his covenant with God, aren’t they?” That got me thinking about two things I think are interesting about the story of Abraham. The first is that both he and his wife had their names changed by God, and the second is that Abraham is the “father” of three world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In these days of increasing intolerance, both racial and religious, it’s more important than ever for people to remember that Moslems, Jews, and Christians are all believed to have sprung from the same ancestral root.
But what about those name changes? It seems that when God has important things in store for someone in the Bible, God often changes that person’s name. Abram becomes Abraham. Abram means “exalted father (or ancestor)” and Abraham means “father (or ancestor) of many nations.” Abraham’s wife also undergoes a name change from Serai (“princess”) to Sarah (“my princess”). Both these name changes occur when God is making his covenant with Abraham and Sarah and telling them that they will have a child. I would guess that giving birth to your first child in your 90’s is the epitome of life-altering and probably warrants a name change. As Abraham and Sarah learned, if you believe and trust in the Lord all things are possible.
Jacob’s name became Israel after he had a little wrestling session with an angel. After his heavenly bout and the resulting name change, Jacob (or Israel) gradually got over his need to try to one-up his brother Esau, acknowledged God’s ultimate authority, and became the patriarchic leader that the Israelites (the people descended from the twelve sons of Israel) needed.
Jesus changed the name of his disciple Simon to Peter when he told him that he would be the rock that Jesus would build his church upon. Peter is Petrus in Latin, which literally means rock and gives us the English word “petrified.”
After Saul of Tarsus ‘saw the light” on his way to Damascus, he changed his name to Paul and went from being a persecutor of Christians to an apostle of Christ. Interestingly, neither Jesus nor God told Paul to change his name – that was his idea.
I would venture to say that God has moved in mysterious ways in all our lives at one point or another, although we may not always recognize it at the time or even afterwards. Sometimes these “mysterious” things are obvious and life-altering, and many involve name changes of one kind or another. Maybe it’s the momentous occasion of the birth of a child, when the new parent suddenly becomes “mom” or “dad.” Or perhaps a sibling has his or her first child, and you are a new aunt or a uncle. Maybe a long hoped-for promotion at work occurs, and your colleagues address you with a fancy new title, or maybe simply “boss.” Or you are chosen for a new responsibility in school and your peers see you through a new lens.
But sometimes these changes may be more subtle and more difficult to discern. I think that’s why it’s important that we take time to simply be quiet and try to still the roar of the world around us, so we can listen for that still, small voice that Elijah heard. It will be there, if we will only listen. Often, it’s when we least expect it, or have given hope of ever hearing it.
There have been few blessings that have come our way in the last year. But one of the strange benefits of the pandemic has been that enforced social distancing has given us more of this important quiet time to reflect and perhaps allowed us time for deeper thinking than we would normally do. Some of us have discovered new talents or resurrected old ones. Some of us have hit upon new and creative ways to connect with family and friends. Our family sends each other random little videos of our everyday life, with an app called Marco Polo.
As our lives eventually and hopefully return to something closer to normal, I encourage us to continue to seek for and carve out these important quiet times from the hustle and bustle of our lives. Listen for God. God will speak, if we stop talking.