Christians are Given a New Name (Isaiah 62:1-5)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, to Called Workers that are gathered, to you pastors and to your families, to church leaders, to members of two congregations:

Do you realize how rare is a day like this in a church’s history? For generations, two congregations have gathered around God’s Word and Sacrament. They have baptized children. They have confirmed teens and adults. They have comforted grieving families. They have buried the saints. They proclaimed Christ. And through it all, they watched as the Lord built His kingdom.

But today, those familiar names of two congregations give way to another. I can’t imagine what emotions it must stir. Some of you are excited; others nostalgic. Some of you wonder what might be lost. Others dream of what might be gained. So how about we do this. Before we even mention anything about that new name, Isaiah invites us to listen and think about God’s names, because the greatest names are never the ones that we choose but God gives. Listen: “…you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.” Did you hear Isaiah did not say you would choose the new name? There was nothing mentioned about a new name that you would vote on. He doesn’t even say that you are going to be able to create a new identity. He says the mouth of the Lord will bestow it, and that’s really important.

When names come from God, when Scripture mentions names, He never gives them as labels. When God gives a name, He is giving identity. When God names someone, He is continuing to tell them their story, like Abram, who became Abraham, like Jacob became Israel, like Simon became Peter, like Saul became Paul. With each of those new names, God was continuing to begin a new chapter of His saving work that would be through them. So 2,700 years ago, Isaiah promised people that even though they were in exile, God was going to be giving to them a brand new name, not because they had reinvented themselves, but because God was going to be continuing His work among them.

Do you see now why this text, this verse, is so beautiful for today? It’s not about people that have gathered. This is not about a reorganizational structuring. This is not about some legal merger. This has nothing to do with a new sign that eventually might be on the front lawn of a piece of property. It is simply this: this morning is about God continuing to gather His people in order that He might continue His work among them. That’s why Isaiah describes the God who gathers with us this morning and he uses words that make him sound a little restless. Listen: “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet…”

Our God is a restless God. He rested after Creation. He commands you to rest. But ever since that Easter morning, when His Son walked out alive from the tomb, God has not stopped working, in being able to speak of all that His Son has done. So He keeps forgiving and He keeps gathering and He keeps rescuing and He keeps speaking and rescuing and keeping His people, He keeps calling and gathering them to Himself in heaven. He says, “I will not stop this work until I know every one of my elect has been gathered.” So while history changes, nations and kingdoms and culture, they change, churches change, names change, but the mission and the purpose for which God has created His Church never has. A new chapter continues.

So He is still shining the light of Christ in a darkened home. He is still searching for wandering sheep. He is still bringing dead sinners to life. The Lord is still building His Church. So this new name is just a continuation of the unfinished story of a God who refuses to quit loving on people. It’s because of God’s love for you that He is giving you a new name. And with a new name, He is going to make the old names disappear. Isaiah lists some of them in Verse 4. These old names are ones that you know well because when you sin, you know them to be true. When you sin, you know how it makes you feel. Names like “forsaken,” “desolate.” They were names that God’s people believed about themselves when they were in exile. They felt abandoned. They felt forsaken. They felt hopeless. Then God stepped in and said “No more. I am going to be giving you some new names. Names like you’re my Mary. You’re my holy people. You are the redeemed of the Lord. You are not forsaken. You are not abandoned. You are ones that I have sought out.” God is not simply changing vocabulary. God is telling a story here. He is announcing a new chapter in the book of His Church.

I’ve been serving in our synod and among synod churches now for nine years. I’ve heard people using names to describe their churches that are not found on their church signs. They say things like this. “Oh, we’re aging.” “Our church is getting smaller.” “We used to be able, but we can’t anymore.” “Our community is changing and I guess that is going to make an impact.” “We just don’t have enough.” This morning, God steps in and He says “No more of that! I am giving a new name that will continue to let you know that no matter, even if you think this is all something that you have decided, you may think that you’ve come by this merger a little larger, maybe a little bit more impressive. You may think that this is something that finally you have acted upon together. It’s not.” This is God acting today. This is God’s salvation. This is a God who is delighting in you. This is a God who is saying “I have sought you out.” That means your identity has nothing to do with a building. It has nothing to do with a certain location. It has nothing to do with your founding fathers or the name that your congregation took years ago. Your deepest identity is when God placed His name on you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with three splashes of water. And ever since that moment, He has called you His own. And at that moment, righteousness shined out like the dawn. He tore you from the clutches of darkness. He lit you up like a Christmas tree. And ever since, He has given you purpose. That’s the salvation that blazes like a torch. Honestly, when you think of that beautiful moment, this morning pales in comparison. And yet, because this morning is still tied into that same Word of God and Sacraments, the new name that you have for your church is truly glorious.

And here it is. “Living Savior,” not “a” savior, not nearly as if He is one of many to pick, but because of your baptism, your sins were buried with Him, but He did not stay buried. He came alive and because the Savior lives, then your sins are still forgiven. That means that your community can still tell them death does not conquer. Every promise of God still stands. Your congregation does not exist because two churches decided to make a good decision. Living Savior exists because the Savior is alive and God is still restless. Therefore, the Shepherd is still searching for wandering sheep. The Father is still running toward prodigal children. The Savior is still coming into a world seeking those who are still lost.

Today is kind of like your church’s wedding day. Instead of two churches that are walking down the aisle, you are now one church walking toward the Living Savior. If you were walking down the aisle toward Him and you saw His face, nobody has to tell Him to smile. Your God is just beaming today. His joy is genuine. The sight of you makes Him rejoice. Listen: “…as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.”

So I say celebrate today. Celebrate the generations past that brought you to this day. Celebrate the sacrifices. Celebrate the faithfulness. Celebrate every baptism, every confirmation. Celebrate every marriage and every death where the announcement that death is not the end is made. Celebrate every sermon that is preached, every hymn that is sung, and every prayer that is prayed. I say celebrate it all!

But tomorrow, get back to work. Your God is a restless God and He will not stop working until He has gathered all of His elect with Him. He will not stay silent until His righteousness shines like a dawn and salvation blazes out like a torch. Neither should you. Don’t be silent. There are people that need a living Savior. There are families, broken ones that need healing. There are children and teenagers that need to be told the truth. There are marriages that are in need of repair. There are widows who are lonely that need comforting. And through it all, God promises “My name is upon you.”

What name?—Living Savior Lutheran Church. What a beautiful name. And what God names He claims. And what He claims, He will keep. May God bless and keep Living Savior in His holy name. Amen.