June 23, 2019
Luke 8:26-39
I find people’s names really interesting. How about any of you? (Show of Hands) For those who raised their hands, what is it that you find interesting about names?
While some of those stories are funny, the truth is there is a certain intimacy in calling someone by their name, and most of the time we love to hear our name being called. There are, of course, always exceptions, like when a parent’s frustration causes them to call their child by their first and middle names (like Joshua Andrew or Jacob Michael). Overall, though, hearing your name called is typically a source of positivity.
I can also think of instances where somehow or another other people were able to name a person. For instance, there was a barber at the barber shop my Dad and I went to in Greensboro who everyone called “Red”. As a little guy, I just assumed “Red” was his name, but it wasn’t. “Red” was just what everyone there called him. When I began living here as an adult, I continued to get my hair cut there and the name “Red” took on a whole new significance for me because it was only then that I discovered that Don couldn’t stand being called “Red”, yet everyone did. Can you imagine living all of your days being called something you hated?
Throughout history there are other instances of people being called names they don’t like and there have even been times when certain parts of society had the power to name, or not name, other people. In all of my years practicing law I’ve assisted in the administration of countless estates. Most of these estates were administered by following the directions given in a Last Will & Testament, but not all of them. For those without a Will, research has to be done to locate heirs of the one who passed away because in simplified terms, they now own the dead person’s stuff. One of the ways you try to discover someone’s relatives is by looking at old birth records, or birth certificates if you can find them.
Well while doing that type of research in two such estates of African Americans born over one hundred years ago in the southern part of the United States, I discovered an ugly reality. During that time, and in those particular counties in those particular states, the parent or parents of that newborn baby were not afforded the courtesy of choosing their child’s name – at least not officially. You see, in those two occasions I discovered birth certificates with “Baby Girl Negro” and “Baby Boy Negro” listed as the child’s name. In one of those instances, there were three or four such birth certificates in one family alone. And how, you might ask, does something like that happen. Well the short answer is, during those days certain people didn’t believe, or didn’t care, if the official record of a black baby’s birth had a name or not. Can you imagine what it is like to sit down with a family and show them these “official” records and listen as they try to determine whose birth certificate it is they are looking at? As I’ve reflected on those conversations over the years, I’ve always reached the same conclusion – the power to name is profound and when the power structures at play are the determining factor in that naming, the end result for the weaker ones is both demoralizing and dehumanizing.
****************************
From my first reading of today’s text my mind was captured by Jesus’ question, which I admit felt a little odd at first because is seems so insignificant. Yet, for me the entire story changes at this juncture. In both accounts of this story, Mark’s Gospel and Luke’s Gospel, we have Jesus coming upon shore and being met by a man who society had decided was demon-possessed – this naked man who at some earlier point was determined to be unworthy of living in a house. This man enters the story pleading with Jesus, even calling Jesus by name. Then, as though Jesus was trying to begin the conversation again, he asks the man a simple question.
“What is your name?” His answer “Legion,” which, for me, is where the story becomes a reclamation project. Remember this is the first person Jesus encounters upon his arrival in the land of the Gerasenes. A man so tormented, so distressed that his own community cast him out, and in answering Jesus’ question, it seems, he revealed the depth of his despair. As I think about this story and the power certain societies have to name other people, I see a man standing before Jesus doing his best to respond to this simple question. Yet the only way he knows how is to say what society has named him. Society’s name for him has taken hold of him so fully that he now believes the name they chose for him was his actual name. Jesus knows the truth, though, and in the most beautiful, the most loving of ways, Jesus responds by saying, oh no my son, today is the day you reclaim your true self. Today is the day you reclaim your true identity… Today is the day you reclaim your true name – BELOVED. When Jesus saw this man, he didn’t see “Legion” he saw “BELOVED” and it seems he wanted this man to see himself as BELOVED too. Even and especially when he couldn’t. That is what transformation looks like and when it happens you better watch out.
When transformed by love, the community around you may no longer know who you are. But that’s OK. That community who had the power to tell you who you were for so much of your life will want that power back, but when you are transformed by love, they can’t get it back and that’s more than OK. That community who took it upon themselves to name you, and in so doing turned you into something you are not, will fight hard to re-name you, but when you are transformed by love, love wins. “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” That is what Jesus tells BELOVED to do. Return to your home and let them all see how love has transformed you and allowed you to reclaim what society tried so hard to take away. For you my son, are God’s BELOVED and there is nothing anyone can do… Nothing anyone can say to ever take that away. Your name never really was “Legion” no matter what your life here tried to tell you. Your name was and always has been BELOVED. That is your true story and even though it took some time for you to reclaim it, there is power in that reclaiming. So, when you return home, tell your true story and tell all of it because it is powerful.
*******************************
Today, considering someone demon possessed seems a little over the top, I think. Yet, most of us know what it is like to hear the constant battle of internal and external voices telling us who we are. What is your name? and Who are you? Are both powerful questions we should be asking ourselves. And when we can’t ask ourselves we hopefully have people in our lives who love us enough to ask for us because neither societies nor power structures have ever really had that power and never will. All of us, have at times felt like “Legion”, yet just like that man, none of us have ever really been “Legion” for we have always been God’s BELOVED and there is nothing anyone can do – there is nothing anyone can say to ever change that. Helping others reclaim that true narrative as BELOVED children of God is central to this story and Jesus was more than willing to do his part in this reclamation project. More than that, though, Jesus charged those who claim to follow his teachings to do the same, and even more. The question is, Will We?
[PRAYER]
Amen!
Luke 8:26-39
I find people’s names really interesting. How about any of you? (Show of Hands) For those who raised their hands, what is it that you find interesting about names?
- STORIES ABOUT NAMES IN MY FAMILY
- TEE-POT
- THOMAS EARL
- AMY WANTING TO BECOME JULIE
While some of those stories are funny, the truth is there is a certain intimacy in calling someone by their name, and most of the time we love to hear our name being called. There are, of course, always exceptions, like when a parent’s frustration causes them to call their child by their first and middle names (like Joshua Andrew or Jacob Michael). Overall, though, hearing your name called is typically a source of positivity.
I can also think of instances where somehow or another other people were able to name a person. For instance, there was a barber at the barber shop my Dad and I went to in Greensboro who everyone called “Red”. As a little guy, I just assumed “Red” was his name, but it wasn’t. “Red” was just what everyone there called him. When I began living here as an adult, I continued to get my hair cut there and the name “Red” took on a whole new significance for me because it was only then that I discovered that Don couldn’t stand being called “Red”, yet everyone did. Can you imagine living all of your days being called something you hated?
Throughout history there are other instances of people being called names they don’t like and there have even been times when certain parts of society had the power to name, or not name, other people. In all of my years practicing law I’ve assisted in the administration of countless estates. Most of these estates were administered by following the directions given in a Last Will & Testament, but not all of them. For those without a Will, research has to be done to locate heirs of the one who passed away because in simplified terms, they now own the dead person’s stuff. One of the ways you try to discover someone’s relatives is by looking at old birth records, or birth certificates if you can find them.
Well while doing that type of research in two such estates of African Americans born over one hundred years ago in the southern part of the United States, I discovered an ugly reality. During that time, and in those particular counties in those particular states, the parent or parents of that newborn baby were not afforded the courtesy of choosing their child’s name – at least not officially. You see, in those two occasions I discovered birth certificates with “Baby Girl Negro” and “Baby Boy Negro” listed as the child’s name. In one of those instances, there were three or four such birth certificates in one family alone. And how, you might ask, does something like that happen. Well the short answer is, during those days certain people didn’t believe, or didn’t care, if the official record of a black baby’s birth had a name or not. Can you imagine what it is like to sit down with a family and show them these “official” records and listen as they try to determine whose birth certificate it is they are looking at? As I’ve reflected on those conversations over the years, I’ve always reached the same conclusion – the power to name is profound and when the power structures at play are the determining factor in that naming, the end result for the weaker ones is both demoralizing and dehumanizing.
****************************
From my first reading of today’s text my mind was captured by Jesus’ question, which I admit felt a little odd at first because is seems so insignificant. Yet, for me the entire story changes at this juncture. In both accounts of this story, Mark’s Gospel and Luke’s Gospel, we have Jesus coming upon shore and being met by a man who society had decided was demon-possessed – this naked man who at some earlier point was determined to be unworthy of living in a house. This man enters the story pleading with Jesus, even calling Jesus by name. Then, as though Jesus was trying to begin the conversation again, he asks the man a simple question.
“What is your name?” His answer “Legion,” which, for me, is where the story becomes a reclamation project. Remember this is the first person Jesus encounters upon his arrival in the land of the Gerasenes. A man so tormented, so distressed that his own community cast him out, and in answering Jesus’ question, it seems, he revealed the depth of his despair. As I think about this story and the power certain societies have to name other people, I see a man standing before Jesus doing his best to respond to this simple question. Yet the only way he knows how is to say what society has named him. Society’s name for him has taken hold of him so fully that he now believes the name they chose for him was his actual name. Jesus knows the truth, though, and in the most beautiful, the most loving of ways, Jesus responds by saying, oh no my son, today is the day you reclaim your true self. Today is the day you reclaim your true identity… Today is the day you reclaim your true name – BELOVED. When Jesus saw this man, he didn’t see “Legion” he saw “BELOVED” and it seems he wanted this man to see himself as BELOVED too. Even and especially when he couldn’t. That is what transformation looks like and when it happens you better watch out.
When transformed by love, the community around you may no longer know who you are. But that’s OK. That community who had the power to tell you who you were for so much of your life will want that power back, but when you are transformed by love, they can’t get it back and that’s more than OK. That community who took it upon themselves to name you, and in so doing turned you into something you are not, will fight hard to re-name you, but when you are transformed by love, love wins. “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” That is what Jesus tells BELOVED to do. Return to your home and let them all see how love has transformed you and allowed you to reclaim what society tried so hard to take away. For you my son, are God’s BELOVED and there is nothing anyone can do… Nothing anyone can say to ever take that away. Your name never really was “Legion” no matter what your life here tried to tell you. Your name was and always has been BELOVED. That is your true story and even though it took some time for you to reclaim it, there is power in that reclaiming. So, when you return home, tell your true story and tell all of it because it is powerful.
*******************************
Today, considering someone demon possessed seems a little over the top, I think. Yet, most of us know what it is like to hear the constant battle of internal and external voices telling us who we are. What is your name? and Who are you? Are both powerful questions we should be asking ourselves. And when we can’t ask ourselves we hopefully have people in our lives who love us enough to ask for us because neither societies nor power structures have ever really had that power and never will. All of us, have at times felt like “Legion”, yet just like that man, none of us have ever really been “Legion” for we have always been God’s BELOVED and there is nothing anyone can do – there is nothing anyone can say to ever change that. Helping others reclaim that true narrative as BELOVED children of God is central to this story and Jesus was more than willing to do his part in this reclamation project. More than that, though, Jesus charged those who claim to follow his teachings to do the same, and even more. The question is, Will We?
[PRAYER]
Amen!
