“Community of Christ,” your
name, given as a divine blessing, is your identity and
calling. If you will discern and embrace its full
meaning, you will not only discover your future, you
will become a blessing to the whole creation. Do not be
afraid to go where it beckons you to go. —Doctrine
and Covenants 163:1
My parents named me Stephen Mark at birth. I am not sure if they
considered any other choices or not. However, I do know that my name pointed
my life in a certain direction. I fondly recall times when my mother
stressed to me that I was named after prominent people in the Bible. Both
Stephen and Mark were faithful witnesses of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In
fact, as recorded in Acts 7, Stephen held to his testimony of Christ even in
the face of a hostile crowd who eventually stoned him to death.
While I have had to make my own choices, I must admit that my name has
played a role in whom I have become. Having the early disciples, Stephen and
Mark, as constant companions has strengthened my sense of calling. My name
has become a blessing to me.
Naming as Blessing
To discover one’s calling or identity through naming or receiving a new name
at a pivotal time is a consistent theme throughout scripture. Strategic
naming is a way God steers people and groups to fulfill divine purposes.
A familiar example of this is the story of Abram, who, through a series of
experiences with God, expanded his ability to respond to God’s call. In a
moving passage in Genesis, Abram received a new name that dramatically
expanded the horizon of expectation about the eventual impact of his life
and witness:
Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant
with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be
called Abram; your name will be Abraham and I have made you the father of
many nations.”—Genesis 17: 3–5
The name Abram means “exalted father” and the name Abraham means “father of
many nations.” Abram was a good name for the head of the family, but the
name Abraham created whole new possibilities. The crowning promise of God
was revealed in an act of naming and in the meaning of the new name given.
The name was a blessing because it served to help bring into being the
future that God intended.
We Have Been Blessed
Doctrine and Covenants 163:1 affirms that the name “Community of Christ” has
come to the church as a blessing from God. While that may be clear to some,
others have struggled to understand the purpose behind this recent
development.
Was adopting the name “Community of Christ”—to be used as well as the legal
name, Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints—just a public
relations strategy or was there something more to it? Section 163 brings
assurance that God caused the discovery of a more concise name for the
church to use worldwide.
However, Section 163 also suggests the naming blessing is far from complete.
Clearly, from God’s viewpoint, there is much more for the church to
discover. Receiving the name is just the beginning of the blessing. With the
name before us, God is calling us to probe prayerfully the full meaning of
the phrase “Community of Christ.”
Blessing as Affirmation
It is important to affirm that embracing a new name is not a denial of the
truth or divinity of the church as we have known it. To continue to follow
the example previously used, Abram was able to become Abraham, the founder
of many nations, because of his heritage, life experience, and the core
qualities of his character and faith. In a sense, he had to be Abram before
he could become Abraham.
So it is with the church. The call to become Community of Christ is an
affirmation of our faith journey so far. Our organizational and spiritual
DNA will always carry the best of the history, vision, beliefs, and core
values of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
The testimony of Section 163 paragraph 1 is that the faith journey that
captured the hearts and minds of our spiritual ancestors has been productive
but is not complete. God sees in this faith community the spiritual
foundations and potential to continue to become who God calls us to be.
Blessing as Transformation
The greatest danger facing the church is that we will simply settle into the
name “Community of Christ” without allowing it to transform us. Paragraph 1
of Section 163 stresses that it is important to ask sincere questions about
becoming a sacred community through which the resurrected Christ lives and
continues his ministry in the world.
Initially, this line of exploration should take us back to discover anew the
words and actions of Jesus that announced the coming of God’s reign in
creation. Jesus’ public proclamation of his mission at the synagogue in
Nazareth (see Luke 4:18–19) is a good place to begin. Give particular
attention to Jesus’ core message, such as the Sermon on the Mount and the
parables of the Kingdom, which served as the guiding inspiration for the
first communities of disciples.
Also, we need to realize that Jesus’ understanding of community involved a
level of invitation, hospitality, servant ministry, and inclusiveness that
was and is a radical vision of the compassionate, just nature of God. Are we
truly “Community of Christ” if some people, because of their race, gender,
or social standing, find themselves relegated to secondary or outsider
status? What about those who face only congregational cliques instead of
sacred community?
If we are being “Community of Christ” what may others expect of us? Would a
genuine community of Christ accept cultures of increasing individualism and
greed that are clearly contrary to Jesus’ vision? Or would it promote a
counterculture of common concern, human connections, and generosity? Would a
faithful community of Christ watch silently as some people banish others as
scapegoats for the ills of society? Or would it intervene with words and
actions that cause them to drop their stones? The remainder of Doctrine and
Covenants 163, which will be explored in the months ahead, provides
particular guidance about what it means to genuinely be “Community of
Christ.”
God intends the name “Community of Christ” to do a transformational work in
us. This work may well cause us to struggle with the true meaning of the
gospel of Jesus Christ and, if necessary, wound us with the truth about the
gap between who we say we are and how we behave.
Blessing as Wounding
Wounding usually carries a negative connotation in our modern world. We
spend great amounts of time, energy, and money to aim for comfort and
security. If being vulnerable to wounding as an integral part of blessing
sounds unduly harsh, the scriptures once again provide helpful insight.
For example, as recorded in Genesis 32:22ff, Jacob, self-assured to the
point of being arrogant, found himself wrestling with a mystical being in
the night. Try as he might, he could not prevail through effort or cunning.
As day dawned, the being wounded him in the hip and then blessed him with a
new name, “Israel,” which held great promise for the future. Wounding and
blessing were both dimensions of God’s purposeful grace.
In Acts 9 we find another compelling account. Saul, traveling on the road to
Damascus, was blinded by a divine light and words that penetrated his
hardened heart. Disoriented and helpless for a time, Saul had to be led
around by others and then healed by compassionate Christians whom he had
previously despised. Through the experience of wounding, he repented,
received a new name, discovered his true calling, and embraced a clear sense
of mission that drove him forward as the apostle Paul. Despite the many
obstacles and sufferings he experienced as he sought to fulfill his
apostolic call, Paul consistently held that he counted all of it joy and
blessing.
Do Not Be Afraid
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God” (Hebrews
10:31). Being claimed by a new name and transformed by divine power can be
disorienting and frightening. It presses us to accept the realization that
we are not yet all we are created to be. Becoming vulnerable to needed
transformation requires openness and courage. The closing sentence of
Doctrine and Covenants 163:1 brings a word of assurance to us in that
regard: “Do not be afraid to go where it [the meaning of the name] beckons
you to go.”
Ultimately, fear of becoming all that we are created to be is the only real
barrier that stands in the way of fulfillment of our calling to become
“Community of Christ.” Of course, some level of fear in the face of
unanswered questions and unknown outcomes is natural. It is when fear
overrides faith and paralyzes needed response that it becomes a spiritual
problem. Doctrine and Covenants 163:1 answers this challenge with words of
encouragement—the same words that “terrified” shepherds heard when angels
told them of Jesus’ birth: “Do not be afraid…a savior is born…go and find
him!” (paraphrased from Luke 2:8–12).
God is calling us to “go and find” what it means to be “Community of Christ”
in the spirit of enthusiasm, adventure, and boldness. My testimony is that
God would not call us to this journey unless God had already placed among us
the gifts and capacity to respond. Only faith can ultimately embrace this
perspective and move forward.
