Dear Church of the Open Bible,
I’m not always good with names. Just ask my kids. Faces though…This has even affected my reading of the Bible. I have to resist the urge to gloss over genealogies and lists of names in Scripture. If only there were some divinely inspired portraits! But this hit me differently over a week ago. Each year I struggle with what to write for my pastor’s report for our Annual General Meeting booklet. How do I recap a year of ministry and look forward to the next? This year, all I could think of was names. A long list of people. People who heard the gospel for the first time. People who responded to the gospel or are taking that commitment more seriously. People who are doing the work of ministry. People who have been such a great encouragement to me. I didn’t end up writing a list but it has helped me better understand portions of Scripture.
Many times, Paul ends his letters with names. A list of names difficult to pronounce. Just read the final eleven verses of Colossians, where Paul mentions eleven individuals by name. Why? Because people matter.
Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him), and Jesus who is called Justus. - Colossians 4:10-11
What each of us will leave behind is a list of names. Names of people who we seek to be transferred to the Kingdom of Christ (1:14). Names of people who we seek to present mature in Christ (1:28). Names matter to us because people matter to God. This Sunday is “Name-Tag” Sunday. Learn a new name and glorify God by loving them well.