Dear St. Paul’s Family,
It’s official. The WebKinz craze has swept into the deVega family.
Here’s a primer for those of you who either don’t have children or have been successfully immunized against commercial toymakers. WebKinz is a line of small, stuffed animals, similar to the “Beanie Baby” dolls from the 1990’s. Except these toys have a high-tech, virtual dimension: Register your WebKinz on-line, and you can care for and play with your little friend in a massive virtual universe, along with other registered WebKinz owners around the world.
It was only a matter of time before my girls caught onto the craze. My younger daughter Madelyn and I were in a local store on Saturday, and she happened to see a big display of them. Her eye immediately caught one of the pink ponies, which she picked up, gripped tightly in an embrace, smiled, and started walking toward the cashier.
“Hey,” I said. “What are you doing?”
“Can I have it, Please? This is the one I want.”
“Hmmm…I’m not sure. We should talk about it.”
“Please?”
“Why don’t we talk to your mother first and see what she thinks?”
“Please, daddy? I’ve named her Crystal.”
And then I knew it was over. End of discussion. The moment she gave that pony a name, I knew it was coming home with us. She had gotten too attached to it, and giant tractors weren’t going to separate them.
Names signify attachment. Know a person by name, and your relationship takes on whole new meaning. That person is no longer the “other,” no longer an anonymous stranger. Your relationship is now fluid and dynamic, with possibility for growth and intimacy.
Just think of the numerous biblical examples:
- God’s command to Adam to name the animals coincided with the command to be stewards of all creation. Naming produces connection, and a desire to protect and preserve.
- God’s revelation to Moses of God’s divine name introduced a new level of understanding between God and the people. Moses and the Israelites would not be alone; God’s power would guard them and God’s love would provide for them.
- The angel’s visit to Mary introduced the world to the name Immanuel, the very presence of God drawn near to us in Jesus.
THE GOOD SHEPHERD
Our next stop in this journey through the “I am” statements of Jesus in the gospel of John is “I am the Good Shepherd.” Listen to how Jesus characterizes his relationship with those who follow him:
“The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”
It may be hard to believe, but this great God of the universe, this awesome and austere Holy Presence, knows you by name. You may feel your past is too blemished, your present too shameful, and your future too dark to ever think you are of value to a holy and righteous God. But your life is not an incidental blip in the grand scheme of the cosmos, and you are not anonymous to God.
At the moment of your baptism, God named you, as God’s very own child, a recipient of God’s grace. And it means that your life really does count. You matter to God. And God is calling you by name today.
Another gospel writer would underscore this with another parable:
"Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.'” (Luke 15:4-6)
Join us this week as we continue our Lenten series “Something to Believe In” and discover more about Jesus, your good shepherd. And together, let’s follow the leader.
In Christ’s name,
Magrey
The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
http://www.cherokeespumc.org
John 10:11-30
11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away--and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,
15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.
18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father."
19 Again the Jews were divided because of these words.
20 Many of them were saying, "He has a demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?"
21 Others were saying, "These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"
22 At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter,
23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon.
24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly."
25 Jesus answered, "I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me;
26 but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep.
27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.
28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.
29 What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father's hand.
30 The Father and I are one."
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