{"id":608186,"date":"2021-12-14T19:52:37","date_gmt":"2021-12-15T00:52:37","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-08-10T10:24:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T14:24:09","slug":"by-name-epiphany-1-c-january-9-2022","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/sermons\/by-name-epiphany-1-c-january-9-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"By Name, Epiphany 1 (C) \u2013 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>[RCL] Isaiah 43:1-7; Psalm 29; Acts 8:14-17; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-green-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-green-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm\/?e=DFMS3153081106&#038;light=true\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-green-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-green-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Facebook-and-Twitter-Canvas-1024x536.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-258174\" style=\"width:512px;height:268px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cDo not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine,\u201d<\/em> says God to a community of exiled people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The promises spoken in Isaiah 43:1-7 give assurance and comfort amid uncertainty. God\u2019s people have been exiled. They have been driven away from their homes. They do not know what is next. They have been waiting for a <em>really<\/em> long time. This has probably led to feelings of anxiety and deep disappointment. These are words of hope and comfort to a displaced people \u2014 that God had indeed not abandoned them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In fact, God does not just view them as merely a group of exiles or captives. God knows each one, <em>by name<\/em>. There is great comfort in knowing that God cared enough to know the names of each and every one. God calls this community, which has experienced great loss and oppression, precious. Redeemed. Worthy of knowing their names. God knows them and knows what they are experiencing. God calls them out of exile back home. In this passage, God is telling them, \u201cYou can go home now.\u201d They have a journey ahead, but God is promising to be with them on the way back home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Knowing someone\u2019s name implies a relationship. It opens the door for acts of care and kindness. When you hear that someone is in trouble, and you know their name, you might be inclined to act. In this case, God acts on behalf of God\u2019s people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those in power have cast this community aside and spread them apart. God calls them by name and gathers them together. God, as the great namer, claims them as worthy and promises a future where God will be with them at every twist and turn of the journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whatever it is up ahead, God will be with them. In fact, the passage says, \u201c<em>When<\/em> you pass through the waters\u201d and \u201c<em>When<\/em> you walk through fire.\u201d God is not promising that they will avoid hardship or difficult times. Yet, God does promise God\u2019s presence during those times. Difficult days are not proof that God is no longer present. They are days in which God\u2019s presence is felt in ways that stop us in our tracks. They are those days when God\u2019s love dances alongside grief and sorrow. In the worst of moments, it can make a world of a difference to not have to be alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whatever community you know that feels forgotten \u2013 perhaps it is your own \u2013 God is calling by name, gathering up, and gifting God\u2019s presence. This is good news!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The passage goes on with prophetic imagery of offspring being gathered from the east and the west, the north and the south. It is like God is a community organizer knowing that there is strength in togetherness. The journey from exile into liberation happens in community. The journey home does not have to be taken alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">God is still doing that \u2014 gathering us into communities of faith in our neighborhoods and cities. From the east and the west, the north and the south, we meet together as God\u2019s beloved people. We keep showing up to remind ourselves and each other that God is always redeeming. Whomever God calls precious we are also to value. God gathers God\u2019s people together from different places, with different journeys because God knows we need each other. It is a beautiful thing when our paths cross with another. Together we remember those sacred promises:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cDo not fear, for I have redeemed you;<\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>I have called you by name, you are mine.<\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;<\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;<\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,<\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>and the flame shall not consume you.\u201d<\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whatever it is up ahead, God will be with you. Whatever it is up ahead, God will be with us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the same way that God called God\u2019s people by name when they were in exile, God calls each of us by name today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You might think it isn&#8217;t that big of a deal that God knows our names. Certainly, God knows our names \u2013 God is God, right? The creator of the universe? But if you\u2019ve ever moved away from home or been in a new place where few people know you \u2014 you know the gift of someone remembering your name. In fact, it can be a balm in the depths of loneliness. It can remind you that you are worthy of being loved. There is a sacredness to remembering a name. There is comfort in knowing that God knows the name of that friend you are desperately praying for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It might seem like a simple thing, but it matters: <em>God remembers our names.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People living with dementia may not remember their names at any given moment. Yet, if they grew up in the Church, they tend to remember the lyrics to those old Gospel songs they grew up singing in the choir \u2013 or the liturgy they recited Sunday after Sunday at that little country church down the road. It might be the lyrics to <em>Great Is Thy Faithfulness<\/em> or the words to the Lord\u2019s Prayer. There is something about those old, long-trodden paths that can bring someone back, if just for a moment. God remembers our names even if we forget. The sacred memory of God makes room for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The great hymn writer Shirley Erena Murray has a hymn entitled \u201cGod in Whose Memory No One Is Lost.\u201d Just the title of this song could be an entire sermon! The song reminds us that the God who calls us by name also remembers those names. When we forget these promises, God reminds us. There is an assurance in a God who promises to be with us the whole journey home. We may not always sense God\u2019s presence in the present. That\u2019s okay. For when we take time to look back, we may realize that God had been there the whole time. In the gift of our friends, in the beauty of the earth around us, or in those quiet moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remember the words from Isaiah when you are far from home, when you\u2019ve lost your way, or when you are afraid. In loss. In grief. In hope. God will be with you. The divine presence might just be enough to give you the courage and strength you need for whatever lies ahead. Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This sermon was written by <strong>Janelle Hiroshige<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-b114da5d-fa5b-4e18-8b8f-3fa28656d5e7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Sermon-Epiphany-1C-English.docx\">Word \u2013 Epiphany 1 (C) Sermon<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Sermon-Epiphany-1C-English.docx\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-b114da5d-fa5b-4e18-8b8f-3fa28656d5e7\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-85cc6938-cb6e-48ba-a898-7eca2b1b51f6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Sermon-Epiphany-1C-English.pdf\">PDF \u2013 Epiphany 1 (C) Sermon<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Sermon-Epiphany-1C-English.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-85cc6938-cb6e-48ba-a898-7eca2b1b51f6\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[RCL] Isaiah 43:1-7; Psalm 29; Acts 8:14-17; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 \u201cDo not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine,\u201d says God to a community of exiled people. The promises spoken in Isaiah 43:1-7 give assurance and comfort amid uncertainty. God\u2019s people have been exiled. They have been&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":201212,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[32,43,52,1953],"tags":[249],"class_list":["post-608186","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-epiphany","category-sermons","category-sermons-that-work","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-epiphany-1c"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":32,"label":"Epiphany"},{"value":43,"label":"Sermons"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":1953,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":249,"label":"Epiphany 1C"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/608186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/sermon"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/608186\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3477310,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/608186\/revisions\/3477310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=608186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=608186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=608186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}