Throughout my life, I have frequently been asked about my “real name.” The questioners assume that Barry is a shortened version of a longer name. I’ve joked with them, offering such possibilities as Barrold, Barrymore, or Barrance. But the truth is, my real name is Barry. It’s what is written on my birth certificate. I’ve also never really had a nickname. A few suggestions over the years have been quickly dismissed. My name is Barry. That is enough.
But if you want to call me something else, I would love to be called “Repairer of Broken Walls” or “Restorer of Streets with Dwellings” from today’s passage. They were new names that Israel was promised, but they came with a condition. Attention to the needs of the poor and oppressed, fighting against injustice, and “spending yourself in behalf of the hungry” are listed as part of those conditions. When we work to pay attention to these needs, God responds by making us light, by strengthening us and satisfying us, and by making us like a well-watered garden. And by giving us new names: “Restorer” and “Repairer.”
I can’t think of something better for someone to call me. So I will purposefully and intentionally make social justice issues a part of my life. Participating in a project that helps to feed the homeless and teaching English to immigrants and refugees are two things that I do because they matter to my heart. And they matter in God’s Kingdom. They are what God calls us to do.
I don’t do this Kingdom work or talk about it in order to earn accolades or admiration but instead to encourage and challenge you to find the right ways for you to care for those who desperately need our love and attention. May each of us passionately pursue the values of the Kingdom. And may each of us be known as “Repairer of Broken Walls” or “Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.” May it truly be so.