St. Johns by the Gas Station

I'm not sure why, but a favorite (of mine) bishop of the Lutheran church would refer to a fictitious congregation as "St Johns by the Gas Station." I would suppose it was to avoid any possibility of folks thinking he was speaking of an actual congregation here in Upstate NY.

Most of us who belong to faith communities are familiar with the broad range of saints after which congregations are named.  There are the classic saints:  Peter, Paul, John, Mark, and Matthew.  There are the lesser known disciples like Andrew, James and Batholomew.  There are Roman Catholic parishes named after popes such a Gregory the Great and of course, the more general titles of Christ, Prince of Peace, Trinity and Emmanuel.

In more recent times, congregations have chosen names which reflect a specific identity such as The Sanctuary, or House for all Sinners and Saints, or even House of Hope.  These names look not to the historic tradition but attempt to reflect the essence of the community: what principles it holds dear and (hopefully) what one can expect when engaging with its members.

As an aside, there are, of course, less flattering names which would, in fact, accurately reflect the reality of some communities.  Like St Anthony's of the Bottom Line, or St. Sophia's of the Highly Educated (and self-satisfied).  We could rename a few The House of the Revered Tradition or even, alas, The Saints of Disagreeable and Disgruntled.

I serve at Luther Memorial, which would imply that we are a memorial to the teachings and theology of Martin Luther.  I don't disagree, but I am aware that most of modern America mistakes Martin Luther (16th century German monk and reformer ) with Martin Luther King Jr. (20th century African-American civil rights leader)  So I was pondering what we might re-name the congregation which would reflect our understanding of our call as disciples of Christ.  I have considered traits like mercy or grace or hope.  There is the possibility of focusing on the sacraments of baptism or holy communion so we might have a name like Water of Life or The Table.



I have no intention of suggesting a name change for Luther Memorial (that is generally an invitation to difficult and contentious conversation), but in the contemplation, I realized that is really a discussion of mission and self-identity.  That is always a good conversation to have, and just possibly worth the contention and discomfort it causes.

Just possibly.