White Stone
In our Education for Ministry class a few weeks back, I passed around a small box from which I asked each person to select a flat stone. These were not natural stones one would find in the back yard or along a river bed, but manufactured ones made in China form some aggregate composite of materials.
On each of these fake stones was inscribed a saying, representing a name for Jesus found in Scripture, like Living Water, King of Kings, The Vine, and so on.
In addition to sharing what the symbolic name meant to the recipient of the stone, each was asked to ponder that name during the week and come up with a symbolic name for themselves which we shared the following week.
The name we chose would be a way of representing ourselves and the state of our faith today.
Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give a white stone, and on the white stone is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it. - Revelation 2:17
In Revelation, John paints pictures that are sometimes disturbing, depicting a time when everything we think we know about Jesus is turned upside down. The good seems awkwardly bizarre and the commands to action almost like battle cries.
In this verse, John talks about a white stone forged with a new or secret name, known only to the one who receives it.
What must we conquer to receive this stone? What is the meaning of the new name?
In our simple EfM exercise, the meaning of a new name was less dramatic, but possibly just as significant. Names are important in Scripture and receiving a new name was a sign of dedication and belonging to the one who gave it.
By giving ourselves a new name based on our faith, we are taking ownership of our ministry, our spiritual selves. We are claiming something we had no control over when we were born, our identities.
I believe Revelation is a call to awaken the spiritual identities within and bring them to the surface, to put them on like new clothes and wear them boldly, openly and with conviction.
My stone name is Patience. I not only see it as a trait, but as a ministry to be present and calm in the face of chaos for all I meet.
What's yours?
More to come...
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