Names

There is a picture that exists with all four of the Karl William Hankes.  I was just a baby at the time, and I think it was my great grandpa who was holding me.  My dad was always proud of that picture.  I was wearing some ridiculous velour baby outfit.  While I understand the family value of the picture, I felt like we treasured it a little too much.   After all three of them had passed on, leaving only me, someone brought me that picture.  I think it was my aunt or my uncle.  Honestly, I don’t see any more importance in my name versus my brother’s and sisters’.  Karl, to me, just becomes the annoyance of having to clarify at doctor offices, billing companies and other places that I go by Will.  What’s the value of an unused name?

            As we began to name our kids, I was praying that God would give me a girl first so I would not even have to debate having to choose Karl William Hanke V.  And knowing that my dad wanted to jump ahead to five because he thought there was something cool about it, put a unique pressure on me.  Yet, it forced Mindy and me to really evaluate the naming process.   Jacob Karl’s naming came with such a deep thought process that involved my love for the scriptural Jacob, while still keeping a legacy of Karls with a K.  Abigail Miriam beautifully combines the names of both our mothers into one little lady’s name.  One day I can imagine the conversations that will happen since girls seem to care about things like the reason behind the choice of a name.  I am sure Abby will want to understand the uniqueness of how she was named after both of her grandmas.  I have to admit Miriam was never a name I called anyone—obviously, because it belonged to my mom.  So I never imagined naming my daughter that, but it’s amazing how you process things differently when you try to choose a name for your child.  One of the intriguing parts of this week’s lesson is the fact that the name Jesus is never spoken until His baptism.  The angel’s instruction was to call him Jesus, but Matthew constantly refers to him as the child.  Honestly, I am not sure what to make of that.  These are the times I wish Matthew were around to ask him why he chose to do that.  This does not seem to be coincidental; this had to be his full intention.  So what is Scripture trying to teach us?

            During the massive snow this past week, we found Abby singing into one of our baptismal candles.  Her personality begins to take on new elements every day.  I can’t stop but think about all the things to tell Abby about her baptism.  It was the day her dad was installed at Mt. Calvary, and a day when God brought us into a new part of His people and His family.

            The thing about names is, they originate outside of our own family.  Often they are from a place that brings us back to our beginnings.  Jesus defines us as a part of His family.  It was God’s plan to bring His family back together from the darkness in which they found themselves.  It was continually being destroyed by fights, selfishness, and sin.  The process of restoring God’s family began at Jesus’ baptism.  It revealed what it was going to take to give us back the family name.  It was going to take Jesus humbling himself.  John was right!  Jesus shouldn’t baptize him, but what it was going to take to get us in God’s family was this humble act of Jesus, which illustrated the power of God’s Son coming to rescue us.

             My favorite part of a baptism ceremony is when I get to hold the baby up and let people praise God for His work, and to celebrate that baby coming into God’s family.  Jesus came to be with us.  He came to restore us and to bring his family back together.  That is the power of His name and that is what we will discuss this weekend!