What's in a Name?

When I was about 10 years old, there was a golf tournament in my town. My dad had some sort of role with it that I can’t quite remember, but what I do remember is that because he was involved, we got to play a round with the special guest. It was Robin Roberts. No. It wasn’t the pagan news lady. It was the Hall of Fame pitcher of the Phillies, Robin Roberts. Granted, as a Braves fan, I hadn’t known much about him before that morning but through conversation, we were able to talk some about his playing days. (There were no iPhones to do a quick search and figure these things out then!)

Whether I knew the details of his career or not, I knew that he was well known by others and a “sports celebrity.” I was nervous, so when I was introduced to him before we played and exchanged names, I’m sure I stuttered and mumbled. As a result, he spent the first few holes calling me “Don.” As the picture above proves, the miscommunication was corrected (eventually), and the round carried on. That day will stay with me for a long time.

Now, I know that none of you read Gottesdienst to hear of any of our childhood stories. You read to learn more about the liturgy and historic practices of the Church. You read to learn our thoughts on how bad practice across the Synod divide us rather than what they’re claimed to do—be more welcoming to visitors or laid back for the young people. But there is one thing about my encounter with Mr. Roberts that is relevant to our life in the Church, and without that certain thing happening, I often wonder if I’d remember the day at all. It was him calling me by the wrong name.

Names are given for a reason. In biblical times and even beyond, names were given because that name meant something. Names today are often given because a person likes the way it sounds. Either way: a person has a name, and the name they have is expected to be used properly in order to call upon that particular person in any situation. If a person doesn’t use the right name, there is confusion and embarrassment, and you run the high risk of the person you need not answering at all. Why would they? Even though you have the best intention to call upon them, you’re using the wrong name.

Whereas it would be pertinent to our purposes to talk about the misuse of God’s name according to Luther’s writing in the Large Catechism on the First Petition of the Lord’s Prayer and focus on false teaching, there’s an issue that has crept into the Church that happens even before false teaching could even occur. It happens with misuse of the very name of God!

God has given us His name, and when He did, it’s not as if He was nervous around us and stuttered and mumbled so that we misheard. From the bush, God declared, “I AM WHO I AM.” After this, God gives the command to actually make use of that name! “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations” (Exodus 3:15).

But God is not remembered by this name throughout generations. Instead, He is remembered by a name that isn’t His name at all: Jehovah. Without getting into how the name of God was “changed” in this blog, take a break from reading, and watch this. (Right click, open in new tab.)

Now that I have you back, it’s unfortunate that the name “Jehovah” is in our hymnody and our Propers (if you use KJV). You would have even seen and heard this with the Gradual for Sexagesima. The fact of the matter is that Jehovah isn’t the name of God, and we ought not be using it. It is not the name by which He saves nor is it the name that is engraved upon us. At no point does God give the command to stop calling Him by a certain name because we are unworthy of calling upon Him by it. Instead, the prophet Isaiah says, “Give thanks to Yahweh, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the peoples, proclaim that His name is exalted” (Isaiah 12:4). As a matter of fact, Isaiah loves the name of God and speaks quite a lot about using it.

We need not fear using the actual name of God. He gave it to Moses so that he and the people would know that He was the One true God who once walked with Adam in the Garden and gave the promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We see that promise fulfilled in our Lord Jesus (“Yahweh saves”) Christ. He has given this name to you clearly to use to call upon Him in every trouble, to pray, pray, and give thanks.