Lisa M. Samra, Minister and Team Leader. Those are the words on my work email signature. Despite its brevity, each of the words in the signature reveals something important. My signature doesn’t reveal everything about me but it hints at my culture and history, provides a sense of who I am, and connects me to other people.
My first name gives a definite sense of time. In the 1970s, “Lisa” was the most popular girls’ name in the US by a significant margin. Now, “Lisa” barely even registers on the US Census annual list of baby names. My middle initial, short for “Marie,” distinguishes me from other women who share my name (and there are several) and links me to my mother’s family because it is a common maternal family name. Samra is my married name. It is the name I share with my husband and my children. My surname reminds me that I am a part of my husband’s family, descendants of poor Syrian immigrants who came to the US aboard a ship they disembarked on Ellis Island, New York.
“Minister” and “Team Leader” are titles describing my position at church. “Minister” designates the pastoral nature of my work and “Team Leader” recognizes that I oversee a team of people serving together to accomplish the vision of our ministry area.
I imagine few people give much thought to the insights they might learn from my name. I too read names rather quickly and without much thought, even the name of Jesus. I am so familiar with His name that when I read a common expression of his name, “Jesus Christ our Lord” (I Corinthians 1:9), I can quickly race past the meaning. But when we pause and read slowly, we can be reminded of the valuable insights His name holds.
Joseph and Mary, Jesus’ parents, did not choose His name. Instead, when an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream to tell him to take Mary as his wife, the angel also instructed Joseph, “you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). In Greek, the name Jesus literally means, “God saves.” Jesus’ name proclaimed His purpose. The Gospels tell the historical account of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection that fulfilled the purpose of His name—Jesus, God who became flesh, provided salvation for all people.
The second name often used of Jesus is “Christ,” the Greek version of the Hebrew word, “Messiah,” which literally means “anointed one.” Like the “Minister” title that is part of my email signature, “Christ” is actually a title. Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, the Israelites long for the coming Messiah, the deliverer who would rescue them. They waited for the one promised in prophecies like Isaiah 61 that announce the coming of an “anointed one” (v. 1). When we call Jesus the “Christ” we affirm that he is the promised rescuer chosen by God.
Another title given to Jesus is “Lord,” as explained by Peter to the gathered Jewish crowds. The apostle told the people that God made Jesus “both Lord and Messiah” (Acts 2:36). Used to refer to God, this name points to Jesus’ relationship and equality with God. It summarizes the reality after Jesus’ death and resurrection that He has been given authority over all things (Philippians 2:9–11). This reality beckons us to obedience. It is also encouraging to be reminded that He is “our” Lord, a personal connection that links us to Jesus and each other.
There is so much waiting to be discovered in Jesus’ names and titles. The next time you read or speak, “Jesus Christ, our Lord,” take a moment to remember again all that Jesus’ name tells us about Him.
–Written by Lisa M. Samra. Used by permission from the author.
