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Good morning. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,鈥 says Juliet in Shakespeare鈥檚 play. Perhaps not so for the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, now renamed 鈥榅鈥 by its owner Elon Musk. It鈥檚 sad day for millions of its long-term users, many of whom fear the rebrand is not just a simple change of name and logo, but a sign that the platform is changing beyond all recognition. What鈥檚 in a name? I鈥檝e had several - place holders which identify the family I grew up in and who my parents are. The fact I鈥檝e been married, divorced and remarried. The four young people I live with call me mum, and sometimes, when I鈥檓 wearing a clerical collar, people call me Mother. The school children I taught called me Miss. My name has also been prefixed by Mrs and now The Reverend. I鈥檓 still Jayne. What鈥檚 in a name? In the bible, they are everything. God names and renames to signify pacts and blessings. Abram becomes Abraham, the father of nations. Sarai becomes Sarah, a princess. Their child is named Isaac, for news of his arrival made Sarah laugh. Jesus鈥 friend Simon is renamed Peter, for the metaphorical rock that he will become. And Mary is told to name her baby Jesus because he will save the world. Names can be sacred place holders, promises and prayers. A name can be a powerful mark of identity, a signifier of change and a symbol of belonging. It鈥檚 a label we give ourselves to show the world who we want to be鈥r who we want to forget. But it鈥檚 important to remember that being able to name things only gives us the power to say what things ought to be called. It doesn鈥檛 give us the right to decree how things ought to be. So perhaps when it comes to Twitter, an unsettling rebrand from what was familiar to us doesn鈥檛 have to damage the communities that have been created on the platform. In my bible, given to me when I was confirmed 8 years ago, I鈥檝e written 鈥楥hild of God鈥 in the section where it asks who the bible belongs to. Behind all the labels, beyond the outward identities, this is the heart of who I am, no matter what I am called. What鈥檚 in a name? A name is an answer to a question. It鈥檚 one answer to a searching and persistent urging inside each of us that silently asks 鈥渨ho am I?鈥 For me the answer to that question is鈥 Child of God. Loved, known and valued.
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