“Mary!”

Pastor of Worship and Staff, David Dillon

As a seasoned substitute teacher my wife Heather has learned, within five minutes of entering a new classroom, which students' names she needs to know. See, there is power in knowing a person’s name, which is easily observed when a disruptive student hears their name and now knows their cover has been blown and anonymity is no more!

Of course there is a positive side to this too. Knowing a person’s name is honoring to them and often the first step toward a relationship. Hearing your name lovingly spoken by a spouse or parent allows you to rest in the familiar and comfortable place of I belong and I am valued.

In John 20 a broken-hearted Mary unexpectedly hears her name called out by the risen Jesus. Confusion, joy, wonder, and amazement must have simultaneously bombarded her thoughts. Hadn’t she seen him dead on the cross? But now, just as real and palpable as the stone that no longer covers his tomb, she hears, “Mary!” Oswald Chambers notes that she immediately recognized a personal history with the one who spoke. Everything he had done and said to her suddenly became even more true.

Can you recall times when your heart’s ear has heard Jesus call your name? What was that like? What about now - do you hear Him lovingly speak it?

Sometimes, like Mary, I think he speaks our name after a time of silence to surprise us and remind us that we do have a history with Him. During those silent times we can have a well-founded hope of that coming surprise. Other times we may wonder if there is just too much earwax in the way of really hearing him and we doubt his unique love for us. Then there are those times when we experience an ongoing intimate connection with him. In God’s economy, all of these seasons can be used by him to deepen our love for Him.

No matter where you find yourself on the continuum, Scripture assures us of his love for each of us. As the perfect Father, there is nothing that he desires more than to be intimately involved in each of his children’s lives. Isaiah 49:15 puts it like this: “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”

Because he knows you by name.