Chaplain’s Corner
What’s in a name?
Are you a Spiderman fan? I must admit, I am. One of the key moments in the first Spiderman movie, Spiderman goes to leave after saving Mary Jane. As he does, MJ grabs his arm and says, “Wait. Who are you?” His reply, “You know who I am. I’m your friendly neighbourhood, Spiderman.”
Names are important identifiers; they help tell others who you are. Imagine everyone walking around saying, ‘Hey you!’, or ‘Tall fella with the tie!’, or ‘Hey you with the school uniform’. It would get confusing, right? ‘Are you talking to me, or the other person with a school uniform?’.
We name people, we name plants, we name pets, we even name instruments! My son has named his trumpet ‘Barney’! If I owned a trumpet, I think I would name it… ‘Kevin’!
Names often also have deep meaning. I wonder if your name has a meaning. My name, Matt, short for the biblical name, Matthew, means ‘gift of God’. I love that! I am a gift of God. That’s something I want to grab hold of, own and identify with. Do you know you are a gift of God? It’s true!
Here’s what God says about you, this is what God names you as …
You are Loved
John 3:16
God so loved the world, He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him would have eternal life.
Wow! That’s some love, right! God gave up Jesus for you and me to demonstrate just how much He loves us!
You are Mine
Isaiah 43:1
Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine.
We are His, we find acceptance and belonging in knowing God wants us, loves us, wants the best for us and invites us into His family. Fear not! I have called you says God, I know you by name, you are mine, I’ve got you, I’ll look out for you, fear not, you are mine!
So what’s my name?
My name is Matt. I’m created by a creative God, I am creative and I can come up with creative solutions to challenges!
My name is Matt and God tells me, in His Word, the Bible, the truth about me… that I am:
- a crown of beauty Isaiah 62:3
- adopted, a child of God 1 John 3:1
- seen Genesis 16:13
- holy and blameless Colossians 1:22
- treasured Deuteronomy 14:2
It’s so important that we don’t buy into lies, put downs, or the tricks our brains sometimes play. Know who you are and whose you are, know your identity in Jesus. You are a loved, adopted child of His; You are beautiful, seen, holy and blameless. You are a treasure! God knows you by name!
God bless,
Ps Matt Daly
Chaplain