Rev. Jacob Singleton…What’s In a Name?

Sunday Worship - FPC LaGrange - August 2nd, 2026

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:12

I had the privilege of getting to spend time with some of our awesome middle schoolers in Maryville, Tennessee, two weeks ago. The theme of this middle school Montreat conference was crafted by God. You might have seen it on the backs of our shirts as our youth processed in this morning. Crafted by God. And so we begin our time in Genesis. We began all the way back in Genesis 1 and 2 with the creation story, hearing that God from the very beginning has created us for relationship. Relationship with God and with others. We heard about Mary and Jeremiah, who were both called to do some pretty awesome and yet terrifying things. Mary was called to carry Jesus in her womb. Jeremiah was called to speak prophetically. We discussed and talked about how they were both young, and that how one, Mary, accepted the call quickly, while the other, Jeremiah, was a bit more hesitant. In our worship services together, we pondered the meaning of the potter's clay from Jeremiah and how God was shaping us. And we ended. We ended hearing the story of Saul's conversion and how Ananias helped minister to him so that he might become Paul. And I think the story, this story in particular, of Jacob wrestling with God would have fit right in. And not just because of the name change. Saul to Paul, Jacob to Israel. We can admit that middle school can be fun and exciting, but not without its awkwardness and difficulties. There are sports and clubs, a little more freedom given, and for the first time you can come to youth group. But there's also voices changing. Friendship struggles and fights with parents. Bodies and minds are changing and growing, and for that we can be thankful. I know each generation has its own struggles, but these young people and their peers are experiencing struggles many of us know not. These pressures and these struggles frequently revolve around names, usernames, Instagram handles, Snapchat. All of which can be a great way to connect with one another, but not without their own side effects. Though high-speed internet, the smartphone, and other online devices have been around for quite some time now, it's only within the last few years that researchers have turned their attention to the effects of social media, video games, and other online activities. It's only within the last few years that they've turned their attention to these things and how they affect preteen and teenage young people, particularly their mental health. And if we've seen these, the results are shocking, but perhaps they're not a surprise. Overall, the effects of social media on preteen and teen girls are negative. While for boys, again, overall, the effects of video games and other online activities have been found to negatively affect their mental health. Now I say this not to bash social media, video games, smartphones, none of that. But to say that we as a church have a duty. A duty because of the vows we took at their baptism. We have a duty and we have an opportunity to proclaim a different message to our students, a different one than the constant comparison and objectification happening online. And again, it involves the name given to them at their baptism. Now, while Genesis 32 isn't necessarily a baptismal text, let us ponder the question: what's in a name? As we turn our focus to the passage at hand. So again, caught between a rock and a hard place, unable to return to his father-in-law's house, and facing a seemingly vengeful brother, Jacob decides to hide half his wealth, and then with what's left, he sends three caravans ahead of gifts, these gifts to Esau, with the intent of bribing his way back into his brother's good graces. And this is where our passage picks up. As Jacob, fearful that all his plans and his schemes will not work, sends his two wives and maids and children across the river, hoping that if Esau refuses his tribute, he may at least take pity on him at the sight of his defenseless wives and children. And it's here near the river, while Jacob is alone, that a man appears and begins to wrestle with him. The identity of this man is ambiguous. And the reader is left pondering what Jacob must have thought as he wrestles this man to daybreak. Is this man his brother? Is he one of his uncle's sons? Is he someone else? It's a rather strange encounter. The two seem evenly matched until the stranger realizes that it's almost dawn. And in an act to sway this match, he strikes Jacob on the hip, dislocating it. And still, Jacob refuses to yield, demanding that this man bless him. And given Jacob's past, his demand for a blessing shouldn't come as a surprise. And his reasoning behind the demand is something worth pondering. Was this Jacob's way of winning? Was it his way of getting the upper hand? My guess is yes. That this demand for a blessing is entirely for his benefit and for his victory. Given his track record, don't think we can assume anything less. But what comes from this demand for a blessing is quite the opposite. It's not a victory, it's not the upper hand. Jacob demands a blessing, and surprisingly and strangely, the man asks for Jacob's name. Having heard his name, the man tells him that he shall henceforth be called Israel. And he tells him that his name has been changed because he has striven, wrestled with God and with humans, and has prevailed. Without giving Jacob his own name, the man blesses him and departs. While the details of the blessing are not giving, the narrator makes it clear that Jacob is blessed. And unlike the blessings stolen from his brother by trickery, this blessing seems earned. And it's only in Jacob's response that we're given the identity of this man, as he names the place Pinel, meaning the face of God. Jacob understands this strange encounter as coming face to face with God. The gravity of the situation weighs heavy on him as he expresses that he has lived through the encounter. As the sun rises, he leaves that place to return on his journey home, though not without a limp and a new name. So what are we to do with this strange, albeit transformative, story? Again, let us ask the question: what's in a name? Within the biblical narrative, names hold profound significance. Names were chosen with care, often reflecting parental hopes, divine revelations, or significant life events. Names often revealed one's essential character or divine purpose. The name Jacob means heel grabber, supplanter, or usurper, or more loosely, cheat. Comes from his mother's womb, grasping his brother's heel, and he lives up to this name by stealing his brother's birthright. Jacob was a trickster, scoundrel, perhaps even a fraud. How appropriate was his name, for he devoted his time and his energy and his wit to usurping what was rightfully others. If he was a poker player, he'd somehow always pull the aces at just the right time. But you gotta wonder that if deep down Jacob knew this was who he was: a cheating, conniving scoundrel. So with the significance of his name, along with his previous actions in mind, we see the significance of the man asking his name as the two are locked in a stalemate. When Jacob asks for a blessing, the man, God, asks for his name, knowing there is more to it than just knowing his name. By asking for Jacob's name, the man, God, is demanding no less than a confession from Jacob. No less than having him admit his trickery for personal gain. No less than admitting his shady character. To confess his misused talents, his deceitful ways. And it's at this moment, when Jacob speaks his name, an admission and confession of who he is and what he has done, that we might expect condemnation or punishment. We expect Jacob to get what he deserves. And yet that judgment does not come. Instead, he gets a new name, a new life. No longer a trickster, but now he limps away as one who wrestles with what it means to be human in the presence of God. We see this new name, this new identity unfold in the chapters that follow, and how this new identity, this new life affects not only Jacob, but others as well. Jacob and Esau are reconciled. We see from this name a nation is born, and his descendants will proudly bear his name, Israel. Now, nowadays, our names are largely intended to distinguish us from one another. There's often no deeper meaning behind the word other than our parents just like the name. Now, this isn't an absolute statement, but the point is that our names don't always carry the weight of divine purpose. They don't always reflect our character. Some of us have biblical names, and I sure hope that my character isn't trickster, cheat. But I don't, my, yeah, I have a biblical name, but I don't know that my parents put much thought behind the meaning of the name Jacob. Now, some of us have family names, which might carry more significance because of who we're named after, rather than the morphology or etymology of the name itself. So I'm curious. I'm curious if your name has a particular meaning for you and your family. Or have you ever thought about the meaning of your name? What about your nickname and its meaning? Think about what it is that others call you. So underlying these questions is the question, who are you? As the children rightly pointed out, our names tell us who we are. But perhaps in order to get to that deeper question, is to ask this question. What is it that you call yourself? What is that name you can only whisper for fear or shame? Scoundrel, cheat, phony like Jacob? Perhaps you call yourself unworthy or irresponsible or unfaithful. Perhaps you call yourself discouraged or burnt out. Perhaps you call yourself divorced, widowed, deserted. Perhaps you call yourself unlovable or unloving, coward or bully, disappointed or disappointing. The truth is that we are called many names day in and day out. Some of them good. Dad, grandma, sweetheart. Some not so good. Liar, lazy, cheat. And we have just as many names for ourselves. And those too are a mixture of good and affirming, while many more are not. And omitting the names we are ashamed of can be difficult. But I wonder what would happen if we confess those names we hear or that we wear and that we bear, if we confess them to God. Might we be so bold to confess who we are, who we truly are to God, the good, the bad, and the ugly, the ugly parts of ourselves? Might we wrestle with ourselves, with others, and even God to be honest about who we are and about what we have done. And in doing so, in confessing our name to God, can we expect a blessing? There might be some hesitation in confessing our names to God. There might be some hesitation in admitting the truth about our names. Or perhaps the greater hesitation is the fear of hearing God's response to our confession. As we wonder what God will have to say about our name. But in asking you to contemplate your name or your names, I wonder if you have forgotten one of your names. Child. In doing the work of honestly confessing our names and who we are, we are likely to become so lost in ourselves that we forget that we have heard God's response all along. We too, like Jacob, have received a new name. Ours we received at the baptismal font. In baptism, the Holy Spirit claims us and gives us a new name. As God beholds us, calls us his own, and names us a child of God. My very first Sunday here. I sat in the pew and listened as the youngest among us, boldly, albeit some quietly, I listened to them say, I am Jacob. And I am a child of God. They get it. So in a world of constant comparison, in a world of constant objectification of others, of self-worth being defined by likes and shares, at a time of changes, a vast array of changes, church, we can help our students live into the name given to them at their baptism. And in a world of constant competition, production, and busyness, where our value is in what we produce, where little consideration is given for the least of these students, you can proclaim and help us live into the name given to us at our baptism. So dear friends, let us proclaim God's unrelenting response. Let us say, I am your name, and I am a child of God, and I am loved. Will you say it with me? I am Jacob, your name. And I am a child of God, and I am loved. Now will you look to the person sitting to your left or your right or in front of you or behind you and say, You are a child of God, and you are loved. You in that promise. But you bear the name of Christ. And this is good news. My prayer. My prayer is that we as a community of faith that we can confess our names honestly. And then, like Jacob, leave them behind to depart with our new name, to continue our journey as those who bear the name of Christ. May it be so. Amen.