I’ve got a name…and He knows it!

I love visiting America. I love meeting the friendly, helpful people. I love the orderliness and cleanliness of the small towns. I love the beauty and vastness of the countryside. But most of all I love Starbucks.

Huh? Yes, I love visiting a coffee shop called Starbucks. Why? Because they know my name. But most of all I love Starbucks. Huh?

Just what am I talking about? Well, the first time I walked into a Starbucks I heard the girl behind the counter shout “Nick, here’s your coffee!” A young man waiting at a table quickly put down his magazine and eagerly walked over to the counter and took his steaming cup of coffee. Obviously, I thought, she knows Nick. But then I heard “Warren – one espresso for you!” and “Carrie, here is your green tea latte….”

I couldn’t believe my ears. How did she know each customer’s name? Amazing! In all the coffee shops I’d been to I was just another customer, an insignificant nobody or worse – a number; “Number 12 your order is ready!”

The mystery was solved when I placed my order for a double-tall skim latte. The friendly employee asked me for my name – and personalised my order by writing “Gordon” on the cup!

Silly isn’t it? Well, not really. Many years ago Dale Carnegie authored a famous book entitled How to win friends and influence people. He wrote; “There is something special about hearing the sound of our names. Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” When people know our name it makes us feel good. And when they call us by name in front of a crowd, we really feel special! We feel we belong. We feel welcome.

Have you ever been in a situation where someone forgot your name? Perhaps a situation where no one knew who you were – or even cared. I would like to share some good news with you. The most important person who ever lived knows your name. His name is Jesus. He knows everything about you, cares for you and loves you just the way you are. Jesus knows your name.

In John chapter 10 Jesus created a picture of a shepherd and his sheep to illustrate his unique relationship with us. The shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out of the sheep pen (verse 3).

The Good Shepherd knows his sheep

When I see a flock of sheep I don’t see one particular sheep. I see sheep. They all look alike. But the shepherd in this story sees each sheep individually and knows each one by name. “Do you see the one with the black ear, that’s Benjamin. And that one over there with the tiny horns, that’s Sheba. And this one with the broken leg; I’ve named her Rebecca.”

Jesus continues with his teaching and in verse 14 tells us that he is the good shepherd. This is great news! We all need a shepherd to care for us and to guide us. But there is more. He also knows his sheep. The word “know” means much more than just knowing facts. “It implies a relationship of trust and intimacy…. The Shepherd is concerned for the sheep because they are his property and because he loves them individually/personally.”1 The word “know” is often used in the Bible to describe the most intimate kind of loving relationship. Our relationship with God is not only theological but personal. The Good Shepherd loves you. What’s your name?

Not just a face in the crowd

Then Jesus makes this astonishing claim: In the same way that he knows (there’s that word again) the Father and the Father knows him, he knows you. How well does the Father know Jesus? How well does Jesus know the Father? Perfectly. And He knows you perfectly. He knows your feelings. He knows your fears. He knows your pain. He deals with you as if you were the only one alive. Why? You are precious to him. You matter. You are of great value.

You are not just a face in the crowd. You are not even just another customer in a coffee shop. You are not just another faceless person waiting in a queue trying to get God’s attention. To him every face is different. Every face is a story. He knows your name. “The one with long hair, that’s Jane. The one with the broken heart is Bill.” He knows everything about every one of us (Psalm 139; Psalm 8:4). There’s no detail in your life He’s not interested in. God is not a remote and disinterested God. He never looks at us and asks “Who are you?” Instead he says; “I have called you by name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1).

Isn’t it comforting that the Lord of all the earth would care to know your name? He cares because he loves you. And, he loves you enough that he sacrificed his life for you – and for Jane and for Bill, for Lindiwe and for Rose and for Sipho….

1 Expositor’s Bible Commentary; The Gospel of John