Worship at 10:30 a.m.

God Knows Our Name

Faith Family,

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I continue to give thanks to our gracious God for putting you all in our lives. Your faithfulness and your enthusiasm fill my heart with joy and helps complete my hope in Christ. Every day I look forward to serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ alongside each of you and growing in our discipleship journey together. I pray as God has continued blessings us, may we continue to be a blessing to others.

We all want to be called by our name. It makes us feel good and important when someone remembers our name and addresses us in such a way that lets us know that someone cares enough to remember us. I have always made it a practice to match names with faces. I do what I can to remember so I can address someone when they walk into a meeting, a Sunday school class or worship. I love seeing the smile on their face as if they were saying to themselves, “wow, he knows my name.”

Now, I must confess that I don’t always get it right on the first attempt, but eventually I do. That is why I believe God in the Old Testament, and Jesus in the New Testament, made it a practice to call folks by name. In Biblical days, names meant something important. Many names were given as a witness to God’s involvement in the lives of the parents. So, when God called Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Joseph, and Moses, he did so assuring them that they were known to God. Jesus calling Matthew, Zacchaeus and Paul, he did so by addressing them by their first name. Jesus knew these folks. He knew them intimately. He knew them better than they knew themselves.

We read in the Prophets that God knew us even before we were born. He knows the number of hairs on our head, or in some cases, the lack of hair on our head. Out of all of God’s creation, he knows each one of us better than we know ourselves. We have all been given particular gifts and abilities that are to be used to build God’s kingdom and glorify Him.

Throughout my life, I have experienced isolation. I have experienced being overlooked and not known. It isn’t a fun time. But I have the assurance that God knows my name. God knowing my name, lets me know that God cares for me. God loves and adores me. I must have some importance to God for Him to remember my name. This affirmation isn’t just for me. It is for all of us. God knows your name. God cares for you. God loves you. God sees potential in you. God invested his Son’s life for you. You do have worth. You do have importance. You can make a difference in the Kingdom of God. Even before you were formed in your mother’s womb God knew you. 

Every day, this truth that God knows our name should be reason for us to pause, lift our hands and worship Him. Even though we are not perfect, God knows our name. God is calling us by our name to live the truth, to share the truth, and to introduce Christ to others. God trusts us to accomplish such a task. Why?  Because God knows our hearts.

May we be faithful to the leading of the Holy Spirit and bring encouragement and appreciation to those we worship with. 

Have a blessed Week!

Pastor Frank