Nicky Gumbel from the Alpha Course shares a story about Barbara Clapham who came to live in London. At the age of 33, she decided she was going to look for a church. One Sunday she arrived at Holy Trinity Brompton. The young woman who was welcoming people at the door smiled at her and asked her name. Because of that smile Barbara came back the following week. When she walked in the next Sunday, the same person said, “Hello Barbara”. Because that person on the door remembered her name. She decided that she was going to come back every Sunday. That was 1947.

From then on Barbara came almost every Sunday until she died, soon after celebrating her 100th Birthday. She made a huge impact on the life of Holy Trinity Brompton, including running the finances of the church for years. I wonder if the young woman on the door had any idea on the impact she made by remembering Barbara’s name. There is great power in a name. Names are significant. This is true today, but it was even more true in the Hebrew culture that we read about in the Bible. A Hebrew name is no mere label. The name of the Lord reveals who he is. I wonder who’s name you can remember and how you can impact their life? You never know. You might just smile and impact someone, just like Barbara