We Called It Flat Island! (Acts 4:11-12)

One of the amusing running jokes my family enjoyed during our recent visit to Australia was made at the expense of one of our tour guides. On a lively walking tour of Sydney, this affable young man entertained us with his dry and quirky sense of humor. As he pointed out various geographic and man-made landmarks, he wryly noted, “Now we Australians are not the most creative of people, so we do not come up with the most imaginative of names. This area to the right was built on a pile of rocks so we call it, ‘The Rocks’. When the Sydney Harbor bridge was completed, the locals thought it looked like a coat hanger so they dubbed it, ‘The Coat Hanger’. And those buildings over there, when it was built, it reminded people of a toaster so they called it, you guessed it, ‘The Toaster’.”

We all politely chuckled with the tour guide and his apparent self-deprecating humor. But when we flew to our next destination in Australia, the tour guide's words were prescient! As we toured the Great Barrier Reef and rainforests, off of Port Douglas, our tour guide pointed out several geographic landmarks. “Do you see that island out there, it’s a bit flat on the horizon.” We all nodded when we saw it. “The Australians named it ‘Flat Island’” My daughter and I looked at each other and began to laugh! For the rest of the trip, the concrete metaphors and descriptions that the Australians gave to various landmarks never failed to elicit a laugh from our family!

Sometimes we can give very elaborate names and metaphors to places or persons of interest. The old Yankee baseball stadium was dubbed, “The House that Ruth Built” after the legendary Babe Ruth. But other times, a very concrete and unimaginative name is given, like the Flat Island and other landmarks in Australia. No worries, as the Aussies are fond of saying, it is all good!

Jesus referred to Himself with many names and metaphors. He is the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the Alpha and Omega, All of these are correct and point to His Divine Attributes. But as magnificent and awe-inspiring are these names, only His name truly matters.

This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
Acts 4:11-12 (ESV)

We can describe Jesus by many titles and names, but for salvation and your eternal destiny, only one name matters. You must call upon the name of Jesus Christ and Him alone, confess and repent of your sins, and accept Him as your Lord and Savior.

We call Him Savior! We call Him God! We call Him Jesus.

Amen!

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.