Name Recess

I was got to be out at recess for a while last week.  “Recess” is the word that most of you say when I ask you that question, “What was the best thing about your day?” 

But remember, after you say, “recess”, I will always ask, “Yeah but how about the best thing that happened in the classroom?”

A lot of really great things happened at recess.  I got to swing, play kickball and talk to a lot of you.  I noticed during pre-K and kindergarten recess that playing chase is a pretty big deal.  It was mostly girls chasing boys; that may change some once you get to high school.

I met Gavin on the playground.  He makes very good conversation for a pre-K student.  In fact, he was able to tell me the names of everyone that was playing chase on the entire playground.  That wasn’t the amazing part though.  After he told me the names of everyone in his class, he was able to tell the names of all the people in other classes as well!  Then he proceeded to tell the names of the big brothers or big sisters of those people too!

When I attempted to go onto the next thing, Gavin drew me back into playing “name recess” by saying, “Pastor Wilson, I don’t think you know this person yet.”  Then, of course, he’d walk me over to introduce me to another one of his friends that was chasing or running away.

All this naming at recess got me to thinkin’ about a very important name in the Bible: Jesus Christ.  Jesus is a man’s name that means “savior.”   So Jesus was completely a man, so He could save us by taking the penalty for all the sin that has been done by men and women.

Christ is the name that is written in the New Testament for the name Messiah.  Messiah means “anointed one.”  That means that Christ was the Son of God, which means He is completely God too!  Completely human and completely God!

This is hard to understand but very important.  Since Jesus Christ was God, when He died on the cross for our sins, His death counted for the payment for all the sin ever committed by any person.  And the amazing part is that God gave Jesus’  perfect “rightness” to you and me!

The Bible says it this way in II Corinthians 5:21: “He who knew no sin, became sin, so we might become the righteousness of God!”

That name, Jesus Christ, is so awesome that we better pray about it, huh?  Lord Jesus, thank You for Your name.  Thank You that Your name means I can be forgiven and be friends with Your Father, God, who is in heaven.  Thank You that the meaning of Your name gives me life that lasts forever with You in Heaven!  I love You, in your name, Amen.

Proud of you,

Pastor Wilson