Page 2 - Names and Meanings

- Jesus know that he is to suffer and die. God knows that the accumulation of power and wealth too
often turns people’s hearts away from worshiping God and/or showing others compassion. Jesus will
suffer, and in his passion hold all of our suffering – so that we will never be completely alone in our
suffering and pain. His death will destroy the power of death. And,

- Whenever Jesus speaks of his coming death, he also always speaks of being raised again,
as he says here, on the third day.

Jesus’ strong rebuke to Peter when Peter tries to disuade him from his path shows that there is a
temptation to be a “normal” person – and that Jesus quickly sees this temptation as arising from the
Adversary, for that’s what “Satan” means. Satan seeks to disrupt, perhaps even destroy the human-
divine relationship. But Jesus doesn’t linger on the temptation, instead he turned to “the crowd with
his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and
take up their cross and follow me.’”

So much happens in these short, almost postcard-like recollection of events. Paired together we see
how in one moment Peter has a great insight. (In fact in another Gospel Jesus affirms that the Spirit
has inspired Peter.) But in the very next encounter, his beloved teacher calls out Peter for following
the thinking of Satan.

And then, there is this even more perplexing challenge: Anyone who wants to follow Jesus must deny
self, take up a cross as well and follow his difficult path through death into life again.

Could the denial of self be the realization that life is somehow greater than anything that takes place
in the communities around us? Could it be that that denial of self opens us to the awarenss of eternal
life that exists here and now – a life that is even greater than the painful history of this world? – this
history interrupted as it is by the beauty and compassion that promise more …

Jesus is inviting us to take the long view – to view suffering with compassion, with a commitment to
help bring healing and hope – but also trusting that suffering and death do not have the final word.

If we follow Jesus, we trust that what we do here and now, when offered to others for God’s sake,
contributes to the healing of this wounded world. When we follow Jesus we ask for the courage to live
into the truth of the New Creation.

Each of us is on a path that leads through this world into the world beyond the horizon of our vision.
Each of us was given a precious gift to share with others in order to bring blessing to this world. Each
of us is a precious gift Creator gave to the world as blessing.

Whether intentionally or not, our parents gave us names that hint at blessings.

Hope, grace and brightness; new times, courage, strength and leadership; the warmth, the beloved,
and the nourishing one, the protective hands; the standing bear, the sparrow, the persistent force that
moves us forward, the gathering of precious words; the lily, the small blue sky, she who follows the
moon and she who is carrying the clouds and the flying flames above the good and beautiful water …