Called By Name: Sarah Beth.

 "But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. ."

 ~ Isaiah 43 1-28

No one listens to prophets, but that is a whole other discussion for a later time. 

A sermon I heard lately a sermon on names, and the importance of names, has me thinking a lot about my own identity.  

My legal name {and the one my parents bestowed upon me at birth} is Sarah Elizabeth McCarren. Mom says that she chose this name in part for the way the sounds blend together. I chose to keep this name when I married, as it has always been my legal name and I like the way it reflects both my parents' heritage. 

Sarah {called Sarai first in the Hebrew scriptures} was to be the matriarch of God's People. Elizabeth, a cousin of The Blessed Virgin, be game pregnant with John the Baptizer at a later age.  

Both of these names are prominent in Scripture, and both reflect the strength of women whom God calls to do things that seem impossible. 

I like my name a lot, so I kept it. Legally, I've never been called by any other name but that by which I was given at birth and affirmed at baptism. 

Most people call me Sarah. I've never had a nickname, as no one called me " Sally" or {shudder "Sadie" . I was always just Sarah-- with an H. It still irks me when people I know misspell my name. For instance, a person I've known and loved for over four decades still writes " to Brian and SARA" on our yearly Christmas card. 

Please, my name is Sarah, not Sara.  It is an ancient name in the spelling I use: Sarah. Thank you. 

When Brian and I got together, he started calling me Sarah Beth. Not having grown up in the South, the concept of double naming was foreign to me. Other people in our circle started calling me Sarah Beth, and gladly accepted this newish name. 

When we moved to Pensacola and transferred our parish affiliation to St Christopher's, I thought long about what version of my name I wanted people to call me. 

At this stage of life, I am Sarah Beth. Of course, I answer to Sarah, but I want my name tag to reflect who God is calling me to be now.  When the bishop came a few years ago and I re-affirmed my faith, the name I asked him to use was Sarah Beth. 

God sees us and knows us by name. Some people change their names when they marry. Others change their name as part of becoming their true gender. 

Nonetheless, God knows us and calls us as God's own. Making an effort to get a person's name correct { including  correct SPELLING } says that you see that person as a beloved member of the human family. 

Amen

Sarah Beth McCarren

10/10/22