“What’s in a name”?
The topic of how people are to be addressed is increasingly complicated. The use of gender-specific pronouns such as ‘Mr’ or ‘Ms’, or those that indicate a marital status such as ‘Mrs’ or ‘Miss’ are fraught with complexity.
For some people the decline of formality in business is a cause of sadness, whereas for others the familiarity of first-name relationships is the only way they feel able to function with trust.
For Government, the press has long-ceased to speak of the ‘Prime Minister’, preferring instead to use their first-name, such as ‘Rishi’. Perhaps the only place where we see formality maintained is in the highest point of establishment, where the King is still referred to as ‘His Royal Highness’ and the trappings of royalty extend to other members of the royal family.
And yet…
Surely even in the Royal Family, presumably children address their parents as Mum & Dad (or something similar). In family we surely need the warmth of relationships to override whatever other formalities exist?
Last Sunday morning we saw from Paul’s letter to the Galatians that as Christians we have THAT opportunity with God:
The wonder of the Gospel is that as we repent and put our trust in the Lord Jesus, we are adopted into God’s family. We ‘inherit’ as if, in terms of the ancient world, we are ‘sons’ and thus heirs:
“…Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” (Gal 4:6)
As Christians, while we always use respect, we can address God the same way that Jesus does and call Him ‘Abba, Father’. What an amazing privilege! Are you in the habit of speaking to your loving Heavenly Father like that?!
Spencer Shaw