— Midweek Meditations:
thoughts, inspiration and encouragement
from ACF community members —
In many if not most cultures, names carry meanings. In many “western” societies, my impression is that names are mostly given not so much for the recognition and/or aspiration of their inherent meaning or spiritual association, but rather inspired by family and friendship associations or popular culture, how the name might be abbreviated, sometimes even just the sound of the name. For instance, my name “Laurence” means “crowned with laurel” (as in a laurel wreath). Saint Lawrence was known, I read, for distributing the Church’s wealth to the poor (and recognizing the poor and disadvantaged as the Church’s true treasure) rather than surrendering it to Rome. But, according to my Mother, she liked and chose the name Laurence because of the romantic figure (romantic at least in English society at that time) of Lawrence of Arabia! (I never received a good explanation of why I was Laurence rather than Lawrence!)
Jesus’ names carry meaning. My sense is that the names that Jesus is given in the Bible all speak to different aspects of his identity. Translated to English, “Jesus” means “God saves”, “Christ” means “Anointed One”. “Saviour” means “the One who rescues from sin and death”, “Lamb of God” being the sacrificial offering that takes away sin, and “Good Shepherd” being the loving guide and protector of God’s people. Each name helps create for us a fuller and more nuanced understanding of our God.
What is your favorite Biblical name for Jesus in the different moments and phases of your life?
When times are painful – personally or vicariously – or deeply unsettling, my favourite Biblical name for Jesus is “Immanuel”, meaning “God with us”. And, reading John’s account of Jesus’ encounter with Mark, Martha and others mourning the death of his friend Lazarus, I find it deeply reassuring that Jesus wept, that he felt pain, that he felt empathy with those who were mourning. This is despite Jesus (presumably) knowing that he would resurrect Lazarus. Jesus weeping says to me that I do not have to feign unremitting spiritual cheerfulness irrespective of the circumstances. God is with me, alongside me, knowing what it means to be in pain infinitely more profoundly than the pain and dread that I might experience.
There is another occasion when Jesus wept that is explicitly mentioned in the Gospels. “As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it” (Luke 19:41). Luke goes on to record that Jesus wept because the people of Jerusalem would not recognize what would bring them peace, that Jerusalem would be destroyed and its people violently vanquished, because they “did not recognize the time of God”s coming to you”. Jesus example gives us permission to weep over society in these turbulent, confusing times, in my view times also of false prophets claiming the prefix of “Christian”.
My prayer for us as a Christian community, and for myself, is that when the time is for weeping (Ecclesiastes 3:4), we will weep, and we will experience Jesus as Immanuel, God with us, God who himself has wept in the most human circumstances.
The ACF Midweek Meditations
are written by a diverse group of our church members with the intention to seek God’s fingerprints in our lives. They range from somber to humorous and are inspired by all facets of live and faith. Written by ordinary people from all walks of life, they reflect a wide range of Christian backgrounds and spiritualities.
Each week’s text portrays the individual viewpoint of its author. They might not always resonate with everyone, and are not meant to be understood as representing the Anglican Church Freiburg as a whole. Yet, as a church that is aiming to ‘Build a Community of Grace’ we seek to practice learning from and listening to one another.
We pray that these humble ponderings add a small spark of blessing to your week.
Freiburg Anglican Church 
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