Divine Name Calling

Divine Name Calling

By Mark Stucky
In our beginning,
        God whispered into DNA dust,
        and “Adam,” infused with breath,
        became the first named being.
In the millennia since,
        God whispered again and again,
        and people were never the same,
        after they were called by name.

No longer Abram, but Abraham,
        father of nations.
No longer Sarai, but Sarah,
        mother of nations.
No longer Jacob, but Israel,
        tenacious wrestler with God.
No longer Simon, but Peter,
        rocky builder of the Church.

And the Lord said to the people,
        through the voice of a prophet,
        “I have redeemed you;
        I called you by name.”
Moses was called by name from a blazing bush,
        to deliver a people,
        to provide covenantal law
        in a lost and lawless land.
Elijah was called by name by a still, small voice,
        to anoint a prophet and kings,
        to cleanse corruption from the land
        and restore the sacred covenant.
Mary was called by name near an empty tomb,
        by someone who was not the gardener,
        but one who transcended law and death
        to redeem us and give us breath.

In our hearts, God calls us still.
        God calls us to life fulfilled.
        Whispering, God calls our names,
        that we no longer will be the same.


(First published in Agape Review, 10 July 2022. See also my poems “Mystic Physics” and “God Around the Corner.”)

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