Every person has a name. In a sense, to meet someone is to meet their name. A name is not merely a label; it is the person. Within a name dwell that person’s life and story, their joys and sorrows, and the delicate work of God who has shaped them.
For that reason, knowing someone’s name is much more than memorizing a few letters. It is to hold that person in your heart and to open the door to a relationship. Likewise, sharing my name with someone is an act of offering myself willingly and stepping into a new relationship. The moment we learn each other’s names, we are no longer strangers but companions walking together on the journey of faith.
The renowned Korean poet Kim Chun-su beautifully captures this truth in his celebrated poem Flower:
Before I called her name,
she was nothing
more than a gesture.
When I called her name,
she came to me
and became a flower.
Calling someone by name is an act of welcoming, accepting, and inviting that person into a meaningful relationship. When our names are spoken, we finally become significant to one another. We become flowers to each other, sharing our unique beauty and fragrance as we cultivate the beautiful community of God. Perhaps true fellowship among believers begins simply by remembering and calling one another by name.
Beginning this month, I have started serving as an associate pastor at Glen Mar Church. One of the most important tasks I am doing these days is learning the names of the people in our congregation. Whenever I meet someone, I try to connect their name with their face and remember it. I’m not sure my brain has worked this diligently in recent years. It isn’t easy, but it is joyful work and a happy kind of learning.
I still do not remember many names well. Even when shaking hands or offering a warm hug, there are moments when a name does not come to mind. Each time, I ask again and gladly say the name once more. Through these small repetitions, we slowly come to know one another and become fragrant flowers to each other.
On my first Sunday, someone handed me a small button. It read:
“Hi, I can’t remember your name either.”
I couldn’t help but smile. It was a gentle reminder that forgetting names is not something to be embarrassed about; it is simply part of being human.
There is no need to rush. Relationships are not built by speed but by sincerity. Little by little, we remember one another’s names in our minds and inscribe them upon our hearts. In this way, we learn to cherish each person whom God loves.
When we think about it, the gospel itself is a story of names. God knows our names. Among countless people, He remembers every one of us by name. Perhaps this is why Jesus said that even Solomon, in all his splendor, was not clothed like one of the lilies of the field. A single flower in the field is beautiful because God Himself knows it and remembers its name. In the same way, we know God and call Him our father. This is covenant, this is grace, and this is the deepest relationship between God and His people.
This Sunday, I will learn many more names. Some I will remember quickly; others I may need to ask again. But that is perfectly fine. By God’s grace, we already belong to a community that calls one another by name. We are already flowers to one another, tending together the beautiful garden of Glen Mar Church, beloved by God. Just as God remembers each of us and calls us by name, may we also call each other’s names and become flowers in one another’s lives.
Blessings,
Pastor Lee
