Oscar Buzz and the Power of Names

Jesus engaged the Jews in John chapter 8 and revealed to them about His everlasting nature.   He said:
54Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.55Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.56Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."57Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"58Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."

Jesus said, I AM, which is also the name that God the Father used as Moses asked Him His name in Exodus 3.   What can we learn as we think about this powerful name?   For one thing, Jesus identified with God the Father and stressed His divine nature - He was more than a man, He was God in the flesh, God with us, Emmanuel.   We embrace Jesus as the way, the only way to the Father.  And, we also take away from this powerful name that He is always with us - we serve a Savior who will never leave us nor forsake us, He is with us even now, and that brings comfort and assurance to our lives.

In Exodus 3, Moses asked God to instruct him regarding how he was to introduce Him to the people of Israel.  We pick up the narrative in verse 13: 
13Then Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?"14And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' "15Moreover God said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.'

There were quite a few popular names that emerged from the Academy Awards last Sunday night - there was director Steve McQueen of the Best Picture winner, "12 Years a Slave".   Best Actor Matthew McConaughey and Best Actress Cate Blanchett.   The host of presenters.  Even the designers of various gowns that ladies in attendance wore to the ceremony.   And, there was Adele Dazeem.

Have you heard of her?

Well, she doesn't exist.   That sounds roughly like the name used in the introduction of Broadway sensation Idina Menzel by John Travolta.    Now, the Internet is abuzz with Travolta's misstep, even to the extent that you can go to Slate.com and have your own name "Travolta-ized"!    I am now Brad Colezan.

There was another name that emerged from the Oscars Sunday night, and that name has generated quite a bit of buzz, as well.   The name was uttered by Matthew McConaughey as he accepted his Best Actor statuette. He said, “First off...I want to thank God. ‘Cause that’s who I look up to. He has graced my life with opportunities that I know are not of my hand or any other human hand. He has shown me that it’s a scientific fact that gratitude reciprocates.”

Those words were quoted in an editorial post on the Chattanooga Times-Free Press website. It related that several small gasps were overheard and then only an uncomfortable silence.  The piece, which did not contain a byline, then said:

If you’re not clear on what a big deal this was, know this: God is not a star in Hollywood.

Indeed, according to an Associated Press count, God has only been thanked in 14 of the 100 Academy Awards acceptance speeches given over the last 30 years. Winners thanked the Academy more than that in 2013 alone.

And, according to a Slate.com analysis of Oscar speeches since 2002, Meryl Streep has been thanked more times than God during acceptance speeches over the last decade.

The piece then goes on to discuss "Son of God" and the upcoming faith-based films that will be released. The next one, by the way, is "God's Not Dead", due out in 2-1/2 weeks. It closes by saying, "But perhaps with a wife and three children under 5, he has learned what many people of faith — who also see movies — believe: that a higher power and a sense of morality matter. If so, let’s hope he rubs off on some of his fellow actors."

That's well said.

Jim Denison of the Denison Forum on Faith and Culture dug a bit deeper into Matthew's personal faith.  He tells us:

His Methodist parents took his name from the New Testament. For this reason, he has never shortened it to "Matt." His wife, Brazilian model Camila Alves, was raised as a Catholic and attended a Catholic university. As a result of her faith commitment, they were married in 2012 in a private Catholic ceremony.

Now you know everything I could learn about Matthew McConaughey's faith. Here's what people seem to be missing in the controversy about his Oscar declaration: he articulated a profound theological sentiment. In quoting the late British actor Charlie Laughton, he was more right than he may know: "When you got God you got a friend and that friend is you." When we see ourselves as God sees us, we learn that he loves us for who we are, not for what we do.

We are free to befriend ourselves, to treat ourselves as a true friend would, with unconditional grace and support.

The Lord of the universe considered your eternal life worth the death of his Son. Do you agree?

There you have it - Matthew has some respect for his Biblical name, and he was not afraid to invoke the name of God in a very public ceremony.   And, he's taken some heat for it.

I think we can be reminded of several things from these two highlights from the Oscar show.   From McConaughey's declaration, we can question the degree to which we are bold to speak the name of God - and for the Christian, to speak the name of Jesus.   Paul wrote that he was not ashamed of the gospel. Jesus taught us about the importance of not being afraid to confess Him before men.   If we know Jesus, are we prepared to proclaim him?

And, we can also think about the power of a name, specifically the names of God.  On Thursday's edition of The Meeting House, you'll hear from Dr. Tony Evans about The Power of God's Names, which is the name of his latest book.  A press release accompanying the book says, "...His names emphasize different aspects of his nature and open the door to experiencing Him in new ways to meet life’s challenges. For every problem that we face, God has a name that meets our needs."

Dr. Evans writes that, “God has so many names, each reflecting specific character qualities and attributes, that it is important to know just how He is revealing Himself within the particular passage that you are studying, or reading...Since we cannot comprehend Him in His entirety, it greatly helps in our understanding when he have a greater knowledge and insight into what precise name God is choosing to reveal Himself as.”

The book says, “As we get to know God’s names through our discovery of His Person in the Scripture, we will also come to know that God’s names have been branded...His names are not merely a word. Rather, there is a substance behind each word.”

John Travolta mispronounced a name, and it has created all sorts of discussion and coverage.   Matthew McConaughey spoke a name, and it has generated quite a bit of talk, as well.   Names are important, and when we contemplate the names of God, it gives us some insight into who He is and who He wants to be in our lives.