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June 7, 2020 Good afternoon, "Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man [ Adam ] to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals." Genesis 2:19-20 This text is part of the second creation story in Genesis. In the first chapter, God makes humans, both male and female, in Genesis 1:27. Here in the second chapter, God makes the female person out one of the man's ribs. The two creation stories, and all their complexities, is for another discussion. In Genesis 2, God gives Adam ( the man ) the gift of naming the wild animals, the birds and the livestock. So, Adam did it. It is unsure what language Adam would have used, and how God communicated with him. But every language since then, has given names to all the living things, both plants and animals. Why is a " horse " called a "horse" ? The community had to agree that this large animal that runs fast, and eats lots of grass, would be called a horse in English. In German, it is called Pferd, and we could go on and on about why we call things the way we call the things in this world. I am writing this blog on a computer, how did this become the word for this piece of technical hardware ? And why do languages like Thai, Lao, Vietnamese and Chinese have different "tones" to signify different words ? Was this created by God in the garden ? We have all been given names by our parents. Would I be different if I was named James Everett Redekop, rather than Frederick Harvey ? And nobody has ever called me Frederick. I was known as Freddie where I grew up. Adam gave the animals their first names. And God has called all of us by our names. What is the history of your personal name given by your parents ? Does God call you by your name ? In Isaiah 43: 1 it says, " Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have summoned you by name, you are mine". He knows all of us, by our first names, middle names, last names, nicknames. Being called by name is such a personal thing. God wants to be on a first name basis with us all. During this pandemic, there are statistics, curves, rules, and first and second stages of opening, but as people of Jesus Christ, we know we are called by our names, because God loves us. We are not statistics, we are loved human beings. Prayer What Is This Place from # 1 in the Hymnal , verse 2. Words from afar, stars that are falling Sparks that are sown in us like seed Names for our God, dreams signs and wonders Sent from the past are all we need We in this place remember and speak again what we have heard God's free redeeming word. AMEN Salaam and Shalom in our lives of life and faith . Fred Redekop Pastor, Poole Mennonite |
Ponder Anew 