Start:Stop - I have called you by name, you are mine

From My Naam is Februarie - Slave Calendar produced by Cape Town’s Iziko Slave Lodge

Hello, my name is Phillip Dawson, welcome to our Start:Stop reflection from St Stephen Walbrook, when we stop for a few minutes and start to reflect on a passage from scripture. You can listen to an audio version of this reflection at this link.

This week we turn to words which come from what some call the second part of the book of the Prophet Isaiah, which addresses the people of Israel in exile in Babylon; an event Isaiah prophesied as a divine judgement against Israel for turning away from God. Instead of showing who God is by their living lives in accordance with His commandments, society had become riven by injustice and inequality, with the powerful abusing their wealth and influence for personal gain.

In this passage, Isaiah does not proclaim the failures of Israel but instead he is used by God to provide an ‘oracle of salvation’; offering hope at a time when the gods of the people of Babylon seemed stronger than the God of Israel. 

Bible Reading - Isaiah 43.1-7

But now thus says the Lord,
   he who created you, O Jacob,
   he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
   I have called you by name, you are mine. 
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
   and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
   and the flame shall not consume you. 
For I am the Lord your God,
   the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
   Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. 
Because you are precious in my sight,
   and honoured, and I love you,
I give people in return for you,
   nations in exchange for your life. 
Do not fear, for I am with you;
   I will bring your offspring from the east,
   and from the west I will gather you; 
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up’,
   and to the south, ‘Do not withhold;
bring my sons from far away
   and my daughters from the end of the earth— 
everyone who is called by my name,
   whom I created for my glory,
   whom I formed and made.’


Reflection

During a trip to Mossel Bay in the Western Cape - the site of the first Christian church in Southern Africa - we saw a small exhibition titled “My Name is February” which used photographs and video clips to describe the the production of a “Slave Calendar.” The calendar featured images of people whose ancestors had been among the 71,000 slaves brought to the Cape from Madagascar, Java, Mozambique, Zanzibar and other places along the East India trade route. The descendants had been tracked down by researchers by way of their surnames. 

Stripped of their children, their property and their rights, many of the slaves had their identities further erased by being re-named. It was common to give slaves classical names, such as Hector or Hannibal; Old Testament names such as Moses and Abraham were also used, but many slave owners resorted to naming their slaves according to the month in which they were purchased. Three hundred years later, the names in the Cape Town Telephone Directory witness to this gross perversion of God’s declaration ‘I have called you by name, you are mine.’ The Slave Calendar is a chilling reminder of the power that can be embedded in a name. 

Thankfully, names are more often used not as labels to identify ownership but to convey meaning. 

Researchers in Britain found that in the years during and after World War I, more than 1600 children were given names connected to the war; often commemorating battles where their fathers or other family members had fallen. Place names were often feminised; Sommeria, Arrasina and Dardanella were frequent entries in the baptism records of the time. The desire to record significant events in a name continues today. Parents in India named their twins Corona and Covid; Cosmopolitan magazine reports that ‘virtue’ names such as Patience, Hope, Faith, and Charity are increasing in popularity amongst parents to be. Florence (after the eponymous Nightingale Hospitals), ‘Wicks’ after the personal training sensation Joe Wicks, and Tina (which means ‘follower of Christ’ but is also seen as a corruption of the word ‘quarantine’) are also said to be popular choices for babies born during the pandemic. 

The oracle of salvation given by God through Isaiah was directed towards a people who had failed to live up to their God-given name.  Israel - the name given to the patriarch Jacob after he wrestled with God, means; ‘you have striven with God and with humans, and prevailed’ although recent scholarship suggests a more accurate translation might be ‘and God has prevailed.’ Struggling to exist between the temptations of human power and God’s commandments, human power prevailed. Jerusalem fell and the Israelites were sent into exile in Babylon. The oracle reassures them that there will be a time when they will once more live according to their name; God’s will for them shall prevail. 

In the Church of England, bishops say the words “God has called you by name and made you his own” before confirming candidates. Just as God blessed the people of Israel through their name, our names are blessed and, just as with Israel, this blessing comes with responsibility. Our names become an outworking of God’s character. Our calling is to bear witness to this in our very being. 

As we continue to navigate the politics of identity and power may we remember the words of God’s oracle of salvation, spoken through the prophet Isaiah :

“I have called you by name, you are mine.”

The only identity that matters.


Silent Reflection 


Prayers 

Lord you have called me by name and made me your own.
All I am is yours.

We remember the names of those written on our hearts today;
   our church community.
   our families, friends and neighbours.
   Those we love.
   Those we have lost.
   The names of those who are sick.

Lord you have called me by name and made me your own.
All I am is yours.

Sometimes Lord all we can do is cry out your name. You always hear us
We lift up to you those whose names we do not know;
   All who affected by the coronavirus
   All who feel anxious and fearful about the future.
   All those suffering in our midst.

Lord you have called me by name and made me your own.
All I am is yours.

Lord, we offer ourselves to your service.
May your name be hallowed by all we think, say and do this week. 

Lord you have called me by name and made me your own.
All I am is yours.


Thank you for listening to this Start:Stop reflection. The church is now open from Tuesday to Friday from 10.30am to 3.30pm. Choral Classics has resumed every Thursday at 12.15pm with twenty minutes of beautiful music from our Choral Scholars followed by our Sung Eucharist at 12.45pm. Do join us if you can or check out the recordings on our website. We’ll be back with another Start:Stop reflection next week. 

Links

My Naam is Februarie / My Name is February – Documentary on the “Slave Calendar” (part Afrikaans part English speech)
I was named after a WWI battle (BBC News)
The baby names that have risen in popularity since the pandemic began (Cosmopolitan)

Babies are already being named after the Coronavirus pandemic (The Independent)