Smiles and Names

"At the age of 33, Barbara Clapham came to live in London. She decided she was going to look for a church. One Sunday morning she arrived at HTB. The young woman who was welcoming people at the door smiled at her and asked her name. Barbara said that because of that smile, she decided to come back the following week. When she walked in the next Sunday the same person said, ‘Hello Barbara’.

Because the person on the door remembered her name, she decided that she was going to come back every Sunday. That was in 1947. This year, on April 4th, I attended a party to celebrate her 100th birthday. She has made a huge impact on the life of HTB (including running the finances of the church for many years). I wonder whether the young woman on the door had any idea of the difference she made by remembering Barbara’s name.

There is great power in a name. I wish I were better at remembering names. Names are significant. This is true in our culture today, but it was even more so in the Hebrew culture we read about in the Bible. A Hebrew name is no mere label. It reflects character and speaks of influence and protection.

The name of the Lord reveals who he is. It is an expression of his nature and his character. The name of the Lord has great power. Jesus taught us to pray that God’s name would be honoured (Matthew 6:9).

Psalm 68:1-6

Praise the name of the Lord

David urges us to ‘sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds – his name is the Lord’ (v.4).

God reveals himself through his name. He gave his name to Moses (‘I AM WHO I AM’) when he came to liberate his people from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 3:14). Likewise, in this psalm we see that the God who bears this name has particular concern for the marginalised in our society:

God is ‘a father to the fatherless’ and ‘a defender of widows’ (Psalm 68:5).

‘God sets the lonely in families’ (v.6a). ‘God makes homes for the homeless’ (v.6a, MSG).

‘He leads forth the prisoners with singing’ (v.6b).

One of the ways to honour the name of the Lord is to love and serve the marginalised in our society: widows and orphans, the lonely, the homeless and those in prison.

Lord, I want to praise your name and bring glory to your name. May your name be honoured in my life as I love and serve the marginalised in society."

1. Thank You for being my home. Thank You that I can come to You anytime.

2. Thank You for the constant reminder to serve. It is always about You, not about me.

3. Thank You for a good walk after a break.