Do you have a nickname? When I was growing up, I had two nicknames. The first was Rara. I am not sure where it came from. Maybe my older brother couldn’t say Russel, and as he tried to pronounce my name, it came out “Rara.” I utilized that nickname with all the little children Nancy babysat over the years. Many of those children are now adults and still call me “Rara.”

The second was “Little Crinkle.” My Uncle Russell had the nickname “Crinkle,” and I soon became known as “Little Crinkle.” Not long ago, I asked my Uncle Russell where he got that nickname, and he said he had no idea. My father, whose given name was Thomas Anthony, was called “Porky.”

As I thought about it, many in my extended family go by nicknames. I grew up knowing them by those nicknames, and it wasn’t until I was much older that I learned their given names. Even today, I find myself needing to stop and think, “Now what is their given name?” Many of the residents of the little town where I was born and grew up, Hillsville, PA, are known by their nicknames. Let see… there is Lefty and Bomber; there is Cactus, Flossy, Hotdog, Curly, Blackcat and Cagey, to name just a few.

Sometimes we are deeply wounded by a nickname that someone has thrust upon us as a label to make fun of us… to tear us down.

Names are so very important. Maya Lin, designer of the Vietnam War Memorial, was explaining to a TV interviewer why her remarkable work has come to such a strong grip upon the emotions of the American people. “It’s the names,” she said, “the names are the memorial. No edifice or structure can bring people to mind as powerfully as their names.”

There is a popular children’s book by Yangsook Choi called “The Name Jar.” In the story, a young girl has just moved to the United States with her family from Korea. On the first day of school, the little girl is nervous about being accepted by the American kids, and she gets teased a little on the bus on the way to school. She is embarrassed by her Korean name, and instead of introducing herself on the first day, she tells the class that she will choose an American name by the following week.

Her new classmates are fascinated by this no-name girl and decide to help out by filling a glass jar with names for her to pick from. So the kids put names in the jar, and the little girl practices being a Suzy, a Laura, or an Amanda.

In the meantime, one of her classmates comes to her neighborhood and discovers her real name… and its special meaning. On the day of her name choosing, the name jar mysteriously disappears. Encouraged by her new friends, the Korean girl chooses her own Korean name and helps everyone pronounce it.

Her real name is Unhei (pronounced “yoon-hay), and it turns out that, in Korean, Unhei means “grace.”

For Christians, that is a very special name—“Grace”—for to us, it signifies God’s unmerited love for all of us sinners. We can be so thankful that our God is not some abstract God out there in some faraway place, but a God who intimately knows us and loves us.

“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.’” (Isaiah 43:1)

“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10: 14-15)

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

“To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” (John 10:3)

One of my favorite hymns, “You Are Mine,” is found in The Faith We Sing. It is like a love letter from God.

“You Are Mine”

by David Haas

Verse 3
I am strength for all the despairing
Healing for the ones who dwell in shame
All the blind will see,
the lame will all run free
And all will know My name

Chorus
Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name
Come and follow Me
I will bring you home
I love you and you are mine

Verse 4
I am the Word that leads all to freedom
I am the peace the world cannot give
I will call your name,
embracing all your pain
Stand up, now, walk, and live

Chorus
Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name
Come and follow Me
I will bring you home
I love you and you are mine

Verse 1
I will come to you in the silence
I will lift you from all your fear
You will hear My voice
I claim you as My choice
Be still, and know I am near

Chorus
Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name
Come and follow Me
I will bring you home
I love you and you are mine

Verse 2
I am hope for all who are hopeless
I am eyes for all who long to see
In the shadows of the night
I will be your light
Come and rest in Me

Chorus
Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name
Come and follow Me
I will bring you home
I love you and you are mine

He knows you by name, and that makes all the difference in the world!

Blessings,
Pastor Russel