Several years ago I met a new bishop to our church. I was serving a church in north Louisiana at the time. The event was a gathering of clergy for the purpose of meeting him.
After his presentation to the clergy, I introduced myself to him. He spoke up first and said, “Hello Weldon, nice to meet you.”
I thought to myself, “Wow, this guy knows my name.” I was pretty impressed. I kept thinking, “Wow, the bishop knows my name without me even introducing myself.”
I was feeling pretty good about this, until a couple of minutes later in the parking lot a pastor friend said, “Hey Weldon, don’t forget the name tag on your shirt.” Then I realized, “Oh, that’s how he did it. He saw my name tag!”
I like the story about a kid in Vacation Bible School who was asked by the teacher to pray the Lord’s Prayer. He got mixed up and prayed, “Our Father, who art in heaven. How did you know my name?” If you think about it, that is not a bad prayer. Our Father, who art in heaven. How did you know my name?
Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and my sheep know me.” (John 10:14)
The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for a child she has borne? Even if that were possible, I would never forget you! See, I have engraved your name on the palms of my hands.” (Isaiah 49: 15-16)
The good news of our faith is that God knows our name, even without a name tag. Our Father, who art in heaven. How did you know my name?