Month: February 2017

TADB 006: What’s in a name?

I recently went into the hospital for an outpatient surgery procedure.  I found it interesting how much effort went into insuring they had the right person.  Initially I was asked for my picture ID along with answering personal questions like date of birth, address, etc.  I was then led into the pre-op area where, while checking my stylish wristband, they again questioned me regarding my identity.

Once in the surgery room with all the staff and doctor in place they again asked me my name, DOB, and why I was there.  Then they took a vote!  Really.  One nurse said, “Do we all agree that this is the person he says he is?”  The last thing I remember was their unanimous confirmation.  Understandably, it was important that they had the right person not just the right name.

Although they confirmed my name, they still knew nothing about me as a person.  My name is simply a label that differentiates me from the other 7 billion people on planet earth.   It functions like a relational social security number.  Your name is also very important, but it doesn’t tell me anything about you.  (I would know more about you if you told me your nickname!)

In contrast, names were more than just a label in the biblical culture.  Names carried meaning that often described the person.  Sometimes they were prophetic regarding a future role or at other times, they might simply describe a person’s character.  For example, in the New Testament the disciple we know as Peter (rock) was originally called Cephas (stone).  Jesus gave him a new name that described Peter’s future role as a spiritual leader.

The second person of the Trinity has many names and each one forms a significant portrait of who he is.  The over-arching name is the Son of God which emphasizes his divinity and his eternal relationship within the Trinity.  We could say the name Son of God is like the clothes line on which all the other names hang.  Each of those names is critically important for our faith because it reveals something about the Son of God.  Each one gives a clearer understanding of who he is making it possible to know him and grow in our discipleship on the resurrection side of the cross.

For example, on the resurrection side of the cross the Son of God is referred to as the Lord Jesus Christ which contributes three portraits describing who he is.  The name Lord implies his authority.  The name Jesus or Jesus of Nazareth is the portrait of the incarnated Son of God living among men.  The focus is on his humanity.   Those names are generally understood.

The name Christ, however, is often misunderstood as it is used as though it was his last name rather than a unique portrait of who the Son of God is.  The name Christ is the Greek equivalent to the Jewish word Messiah and puts the focus on his being the anointed One.

Currently the name Christ is probably the most common description given to the Son of God with Jesus being a close second.  However, each of those names gives us only a single portrait of the real person behind the name.  In order to avoid misunderstanding and subsequent error, we must keep the composite of all the portraits in mind.

Jesus said, “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full” (John 16:24).  Jesus wasn’t referring to his name as a label but to his total person.  He wanted them to pray on the basis of his character, authority, and power, keeping in mind all that entails.

The names for the Son of God are portraits of who he is – not labels.  They are a critical way for us to know Christ.  They deepen our understanding and help develop our faith and trust in him.  We will discuss more names of the Son of God in future blogs as we continue to develop a multi-dimensional, composite portrait.  For the purpose of this blog, however, I will use the name Christ as the general name for the Son of God on this side of the resurrection.

Question for reflection:

What portraits are formed in your mind when you think about the names of Christ given in Isaiah 9:6?  In what way do those portraits affect your journey of knowing Christ?

“And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”

TADB 005: The Day the Music Died

“The day the music died” is a memorable line from the iconic 1971 lament, “American Pie” by Don McLean.  The song reflects back on the changes that happened through the turbulent 60s beginning with the death of rock and roll star Buddy Holly in 1959.

The eight and a half minute long “song of the century” created endless discussion as to the meaning of the various verses.  When McLean was asked what the lyrics of “American Pie” really meant, he replied, “It means I never have to work again”!

In the song, McLean captures more than he intended with the statement “the day the music died”.   Our real lament is not for the lost days of rock and roll, Bobby Dylan, the Beatles, or the simplicity of a previous decade but for the loss of the song God designed us to play.  The Bible tells us we lost our real Song in the Garden, when the piano on which it was to be played lost its strings, and we lost our ability to play.

The writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us that although the Song has been lost, there is still a faint echo of the melody residing in the heart of every man and woman (Ecc. 3:11 “He also has set eternity in their heart”).  When our hearts respond to the vertical tug of the gospel, the Holy Spirit replaces the strings and renews the Song.

The Psalmist said, “He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the LORD” (Psa. 40:3).  The idea is repeated in the book of Revelation, “And they sang a new song saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals” (Rev. 5:9).

However, the Song (more majestic than any written by Beethoven) cannot be played without restoring the piano (i.e. our lives in all its complexity) and relearning how to play.  Even if given a Steinway, we would not expect to play music without training our mind and bodies to master the skills of a pianist.  Telling people how great the music is, how others long to hear it, how well it is composed, does not equip them to play it on their piano.

Without training and practice, we can play notes but not real music.  Discipleship is the process of learning to play God’s music on pianos that he is restoring.  He has given us the song to play, but if we don’t understand the fundamentals of music, the names of the notes, where they are on the keyboard, and possess skill to play, we will make noise but not music.

In Meredith Wilson’s 1957 classical musical “The Music Man” Professor Hill, masquerading as a traveling band instructor, cons the citizens of River City by promising them that they can keep their boys out of trouble by creating a real marching band.  All they need to do is buy all the equipment from him including instruments, uniforms, and music.  Once the equipment arrives (and he has his money), he plans to skip town.

When he is forced to explain how they are to actually play music with their instruments, Hill tells the boys to use the “Think System,” in which they simply have to think of a tune over and over and they will know how to play it without ever touching their instruments.

It seems to me that Professor Hill has slipped into our Christian communities and convinced us that we, too, can play spiritual music with just the “Think System”.  All we need to do is to think about it and we will be able to play the Song.

It is like we are standing on the train station platform, decked out in our uniforms, proudly holding our instruments as Professor Hill leaves town.  As he fades from sight, we shout in unison, “So how do we play the music?” and he yells back, “Just use the Think System!”  Then we go home, try it, and pass it on to others.

Teaching beginning piano for 20+years, my wife observed that the difference in those who eventually played music and those who quit was not so much in their ability as in their discipline.  Most of the kids, unwilling to practice daily for a variety of reasons, eventually lost interest.  Practice was a drudgery that never became a delight.  They wanted to play songs without learning the fundamentals.   There are a few exceptions, but for the 99.9% of us we learn to play one note and one day at a time.

The music has not died.  God has given us his Song and is renewing our broken pianos.  But without learning, training, and practice, we may play Chop Sticks but definitely not Beethoven or more importantly not his Song.

Questions for reflection:

  1. Think of a time when a particular practice/discipline became a delight rather than a duty.
  2. What are the benefits when a practice is no longer a duty?

Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart (Jeremiah 15:16).