Names Are Important: Lutheran Church of the Resurrection

 

Names are important.

Consider for a moment the exercise of naming babies, or pets, stuffed animals, city streets. Finding that precious and suitable name takes time and thought.

Names are so important, according to Isaiah, Creator numbers and names the stars, calling them out to light the evening sky. That’s billions of stars that God names.

Over the past few weeks, the Gospel of Mark has been introducing us to Jesus’ disciples. Jesus, having called them by name, now leads them through Galilee teaching, curing the sick, and casting out demons.  Earlier I read the Gospel from the First Nations Version of the New Testament because the perspective from this translation emphasizes something that is not noticed in English versions --- the names of the disciples wrapped in their meaning and call.

 

Simon is named: One Who Hears

Andrew is named: Stands with Courage

James is named: He Takes Over

John is named: He Shows Goodwill

 

Jesus, named, Creator Sets Free, calls the disciples by name and shares the Creator’s mission and purpose with them. Each one living out their name in their personalities, character, and values.

 

In recent years, there has been an increase in congregations merging or forming new parish configurations. The new body usually choses a new name for the community. For instance: Trillium in Waterloo is the name chosen by three Lutheran churches who joined together; Apostles’ Anglican on the corner of Bayers and Connaught was renamed after a merge of St. Matthais and St. Thomas; a combination of Catholic parishes in Halifax called their merged community, St. Benedict’s.

 

Names are important. As a body of Christ we have been living out Resurrection – our name- God’s call on this community of faith. Our purpose and way of living is Resurrection.

The original founding document wrote Resurrection’s founding purpose and five values this way:

To sustain by the labour and gifts of love the pure Word and Sacraments as God’s only appointed means for saving the lost and for edifying His People; and to maintain a discipline doctrine, righteousness of life, and the peace and growth of the Church

 

The adopted 1980s logo explanation reads that the logo represents:

An empty cross echoing the Easter theme, the sun behind the cross suggesting Christ as the light of the world, the radii on the sun remind us of the individual lines of our lives which focused toward the centre of Christ draws us closer in communion with one another, and finally the vibrant vine of the cross – rising from the rock and rubble of seeming death – reflecting the richness of our lives from God’s gift of Resurrection.

And there is an historical note that the congregation founded in 1915 is a resurrection of the earlier Lutheran congregation of 1755 of the Little Dutch Church.

 

2015 our five founding core values were articulated as:

Welcome to all; being nourished through Word and Sacrament; sharing our space and faith; being a reflection of Christ’s light; and participating in resurrection.

 

I return to the community’s values because these values are how this community lives out its name: Resurrection. It is good to be reminded of Resurrection’s name as we enter into an annual meeting later this morning.

Names are important. God calls by name – and all the uniqueness and meaning that comes with that name.

 

Resurrection.

Resurrection is a place where people come to resurrect their faith and traditions, to start again in community, grieving the churches they left when moving to Halifax, excited to be resurrected to what God is doing in this part of God’s garden.

Resurrection is the promise held when death surrounds and society changes through cataclysmic events: World Wars, baby-booms, immigration, pandemic…

Resurrection is constantly embracing and living the cycle of life and death and life.

 

We are at a threshold. Standing inside Jesus’ tomb, the stone has been rolled away, and we as a community look out in the neighbourhood around us – ready to move once again from death into life; to live God’s resurrection.

In the Gospel for this morning the disciples: One Who Hears, Stand with Courage, He Takes Over, He Shows Goodwill – come to find Creator Sets Free in a quiet out-of-the-way place where he has stepped aside to be alone and pray. When they find Jesus in this tomb-like place, Jesus is transitioning from --- laying down and letting die the previous day with all its teaching and healing; to being filled through prayer and alone time with God; ready to step over the threshold…. Into resurrection living!

Creator Sets Free says to the disciples, “it’s time to go to the other villages and tell them the good story for that is what I came to do.”

 

Like the stars, Creator, numbers, names and calls. We are being called to live resurrection  - it is time to go to the neighbourhood and tell them the good story, for that is what we are called to do. Let our name -Resurrection- remind us of our core values and what we are called to be. May this reminder of who we are direct our conversations and hearts through the annual congregational meeting. … that we might step over the threshold to proclaim resurrection. Christ is alive!

And like the logo, be a vibrant vine growing out of the cross – rising from the rock and rubble of seeming death – reflecting the richness of our lives from God’s gift of Resurrection.

May this be so. Amen.