What's In a Name?

"And behold, you will conceive in your womb

and bring forth a Son,

and shall call His name JESUS."

Luke 1:31

Do you know what your name means? I just visited a couple of websites to find out mine. Apparently, Casey is a derivation of an Irish surname which means Vigilant in War. Lynn is a Welsh (or Celtic or Gaelic) name meaning From the Lake. And Stafford is an English surname that indicates The Ford at the Landing Place. So I suppose you might say my name, all together, means Vigilant warrior from the lake where you ford at the landing place.

So next I ask myself, does my name fit my personality or my character? Is my name descriptive of me? I think my Dad chose Casey just because he liked it; Lynn is a family name passed down from my grandfather to my dad to me, and which I may pass on to a son if I ever have one. And I think my grandfather may have been named for one of his father's cousins, but that part has never been too clear. Stafford is our ancestral name, which may or may not take our lineage all the way back to that first Stafford who came to England with William the Conqueror in...well, that's not something you're likely interested in. My point was, my parents were not Christians when I was born, and they didn't give me my name for any reason other than they liked it.

Vigilant means watchful, someone who stays awake and on guard, especially to avoid danger. For years I have read the Proverbs of Solomon, which exhort young men especially to be watchful, looking ahead to avoid the snares set for their feet. Paul tells Timothy to be watchful in all things. Peter tells his readers to be sober and vigilant because our adversary the devil is as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

I will say that I have always envisioned myself as a vigilant, if not gallant and courageous knight. My favorite literary character is Don Quixote, especially as portrayed by Peter O'Toole in Man of La Mancha. And The Impossible Dream is one of my favorite songs--to fight for the right, without question or pause, to be willing to march into hell for a glorious cause! I have always been an observer of human behavior, watching people and trying to discern what was going to happen next based upon their words and actions. I have stepped between men to stop fights, I have tried to defend those who were being treated unfairly. I have stood up for the rights of those who I thought were being mistreated or deprived. Even now, I see my role of Pastor as one of the vigilant watchman, guarding my church and my city against the enemies of false prophecy, false religion, and false Christianity. I stand for righteousness, I stand for mercy, and I stand for truth.

So I believe my name, Casey, fits me perfectly. I am God's vigilant warrior.

God changed Abram's name to Abraham, which means father of many nations, and then God made it so.

God gave Abraham a son in his old age and told him to name him Isaac, meaning laughter, because Isaac would bring much joy to the hearts of his aged parents.

Jacob came out of the womb grasping his brother Esau's heel; for that reason he was given his name, "Heel-grabber" or "supplanter". He was a con-man who constantly looked for ways to usurp his brother's place as firstborn, taking both the birthright and the blessing. But later God changed his name from Jacob to Israel, which means a prince of God, because he had wrestled God and prevailed.

Joseph's name was meant increaser, and he was used to increase his family's provision, their wealth, and their place in the population of Egypt.

Moses was named so because he was "drawn out" of the water, and later he would drawn his own people out of Egypt and deliver them through the Red Sea.

The list could go on and on and on. But it culminates in the perfect name for the perfect man--Jesus means "God is Savior". He was not the first man to be called that; he was not the last man to be named that. But He was the man who perfectly fulfilled the meaning of His name, for He was the savior sent by God to reconcile a fallen human race to Himself. He was destined to be the Savior, sent with that purpose and for that reason, and He became what no other human could ever be...God the Savior, Redeemer of the world!