Isaiah 43:1-7 - But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
Meditation:
*** “I have called you by name, you are mine.”
Names are powerful. When I was in junior high school there was a very popular commercial for “Keri” lotion that featured women saying things like “Keri is so very…different” or “Keri is so very…rich.” Or, my personal favorite: “Keri is so very…recommended.”
You can imagine how my junior high classmates used this to their advantage! Walking down the halls, I would hear a chorus of voices singing “Carrie is so very…” (add your own adjective!) Soon, I dreaded even hearing my name, knowing what was to come.
People call us names every day—Mom, Dad, Boss, Mister, Sweetie, Ma’am, Hey you, to name a few. Some of these are names we like to hear, and some are not. In this passage from Isaiah, the people of Israel had been living through a time of being called “slave”. After so many years being called this false name, they had almost forgotten their true identity. “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”
For us today, I think this is a reminder that the One who created us is the one who knows us best. The identity we receive in our baptism is the one that trumps all others. When you were baptized, you received the name “Child of God”, and no matter the other names you might be called, this is the one that sticks.
Child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.
Prayer:
Creator God, thank you for creating the world in love. We are thankful that you know us and are with us through the waters, through the fire, and through every trial we may encounter. Help us to remember that in the waters of baptism we received our true identities as children of God. Comfort us, renew us and strengthen us, so that we may proclaim the Good News to all your people, in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. AMEN.
