What's In A Name? Jeremiah 33:14-16
Delivered to Smith Chapel UMC on November 29, 2009
What I Didn't Say
Rothlisberger--As I write this, my favorite football team (the Pittsburgh Steelers) are headed back to the Super Bowl to play the Green Bay Packers. Their quarterback is Ben Rothlisberger. When he was drafted, I didn't know, nor could I pronounce, his last name. Now everyone not only knows it, they can pronounce it like it was their own.
There are several reasons for that. One is that this is the third Super Bowl championship game he has led them into. I don't know how this one will turn out, but they won the first two. His leadership, particularly in the last one (played in 2009), made his name a mainstay in football lore.
Unfortunately, there is another reason his name is well known and pronounced correctly. But it's not as positive. He was accused (more than once) of sexual misconduct. And while never convicted of such things, his name was sullied and is now known by many people far beyond the football world. Many people who are not interested in football now know and can pronounce his name quite well.
A lot of us prayed for him, and I'm sure he prayed for himself. He has apparently made a dramatic turn around in his life, attitude, and behavior. Among the reasons for this, I would imagine, is the fact that he wanted to "clear" his name. How our name is perceived, the associations made with our name, and the very feeling the mention of our name invokes is important to all of us.
I want him to have a great game in the Super Bowl. I want him to be the star, the hero, and the MVP. Why? Well, it isn't just that I'm a huge Steeler fan (although I have to admit that's a big part of it). I want him to have a name that has a positive ring when it's spoken or even brought to mind. What's in a name is important. None of us should ever forget that.
