What’s in a Name? – 1 - Monday 22nd October

1 Timothy 1
1 From Paul. God our Savior and Christ Jesus commanded me to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, who gives us hope. 2 Timothy, because of our faith, you are like a son to me. I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind and merciful to you. May they bless you with peace!
12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord. He has given me the strength for my work because he knew that he could trust me. 13 I used to say terrible and insulting things about him, and I was cruel. But he had mercy on me because I didn't know what I was doing, and I had not yet put my faith in him. 14 Christ Jesus our Lord was very kind to me. He has greatly blessed my life with faith and love just like his own.
"You ought to have some papers to show who you are." The police officer advised me.
"I do not need any paper. I know who I am," I said.
"Maybe so. Other people are also interested in knowing who you are."
--B. Traven, The Death Ship, Panther, 1991
It seems that having the right identity has never been more important. Today people are either trying to shout to the world whom they are, or they are trying to be someone, pretending qualities or qualifications that they don’t have. That is especially true of internet chat rooms and similar forums. However, if we are not who we pretend to be then it may prove difficult to be consistent; certain mannerisms, or ‘unguarded moments’ may give us away.
So, what “papers” do we have? A driving license? A passport? A utility bill with your address on it? They do not say very much! Much better are “papers” that show more who you are by what you do – papers, (or today, more likely, videos) betray much more about you – as You-Tube shows! But are they all that you want the world to know about you?
Paul had his letters, Timothy Paul’s commendation. And authority is stamped on Paul’s letters, not based on his claimed authority as “apostle of Christ Jesus”, grand claim though that is, but the way in which his life and words bear out the claim.
So it is with us. Our authority as Christians is as great as Paul’s, for Christ himself makes that call on our lives. But nowadays people have little trust in authority, or of claims to authority. Such trust must be won by life and by action. More and more, the “papers” read by people are our actions. In Traven’s words “Other people are interested in knowing who you are”, before they will listen to what you say.

A thought: What do my “papers” look like?