The Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)
"The Art of Faithful Naming"
in Silence and Other Surprising Invitations of Advent
by Enuma Okoro, p. 99-100
In various non-Western cultures around the world, naming a child is sacred ritual given much consideration and often betsotwed upon the community elders. Names in such cultures are believed to have a guiding force in a child's life as she grows to maturity. In selecting names people consider the characteristics they hope for the child, the protection they wish upon the child, or a recognition of where the child came from and to whom the child ultimately belongs.
In the Advent story, names are significant because they point to a child's divine call. Zechariah, Elizabeth, and Mary were given the task of naming their children according to God's intentions for them. John means "God is gracious/merciful," and Emmanuel means "God with us."...
There is value in thinking about the power that names can have in our lives, whether it is our birth names, or the names people assign us later in life, or the names we claim for ourselves. A name is an identifier. It is how we recognize who we are and who others are. Even the childish act of nicknaming can have positive or negative effects on someone. The names we bear or endure can hint at both beautiful truth and debilitating faleshoods.
Our birth names notwithstanding, the events in the Advent story invite us to ponder the art of faithful naming and what it has to do with living as though we believe in God's kingdom here on earth and as it will be in heaven. What unconscious names do we have for God, and what do they tell us about who we believe God to be and how we understand our relationship with God? In what ways do we believe God has named us, and how does this point to our place in the community of gOd? How do we name one another by our actions and by whom we choose to attend to or to ignore? How do we name one another in ways that speak to God's presence and that affirm our worth before God? Names matter, and they form us in ways of which we are rarely aware. This Advent, as we wait for God and on God, let us also wait to hear what new names God is calling us to live into. Let us take the time to affirm the blessedness of others by how we name them in good faith.
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| "Hello, my name is anonymous" by Quinn Dombroski, on Flickr |
"The Art of Faithful Naming"
in Silence and Other Surprising Invitations of Advent
by Enuma Okoro, p. 99-100
In various non-Western cultures around the world, naming a child is sacred ritual given much consideration and often betsotwed upon the community elders. Names in such cultures are believed to have a guiding force in a child's life as she grows to maturity. In selecting names people consider the characteristics they hope for the child, the protection they wish upon the child, or a recognition of where the child came from and to whom the child ultimately belongs.
In the Advent story, names are significant because they point to a child's divine call. Zechariah, Elizabeth, and Mary were given the task of naming their children according to God's intentions for them. John means "God is gracious/merciful," and Emmanuel means "God with us."...
There is value in thinking about the power that names can have in our lives, whether it is our birth names, or the names people assign us later in life, or the names we claim for ourselves. A name is an identifier. It is how we recognize who we are and who others are. Even the childish act of nicknaming can have positive or negative effects on someone. The names we bear or endure can hint at both beautiful truth and debilitating faleshoods.
Our birth names notwithstanding, the events in the Advent story invite us to ponder the art of faithful naming and what it has to do with living as though we believe in God's kingdom here on earth and as it will be in heaven. What unconscious names do we have for God, and what do they tell us about who we believe God to be and how we understand our relationship with God? In what ways do we believe God has named us, and how does this point to our place in the community of gOd? How do we name one another by our actions and by whom we choose to attend to or to ignore? How do we name one another in ways that speak to God's presence and that affirm our worth before God? Names matter, and they form us in ways of which we are rarely aware. This Advent, as we wait for God and on God, let us also wait to hear what new names God is calling us to live into. Let us take the time to affirm the blessedness of others by how we name them in good faith.
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