10 May 2026, The Name God Calls You, 1 Peter 2:2–10 | John 16:20–24 | Mother's Day

A little while ago, I came across a short video clip, and I couldn't stop laughing. I was sitting there by myself just saying, “This guy is an absolute genius!” It was a stand-up comedy show in Melbourne. One Asian man stepped onto the stage. Sharp haircut. Clean-cut, wearing a suit and a red tie. A big, shiny watch on his wrist. You could tell just by looking at him that this was a man who had done well for himself.

He walks out, gives the audience this slightly shy, awkward smile, and just waits. Then he says nothing for a few seconds. The room goes quiet. And then he opens his mouth in this careful, deliberate tone: "Don't worry. You can relax. I am not gonna buy your property." The room exploded with laughter. People were losing it!

But why? It’s because he touched on the exact stereotype people had in their minds. He knew perfectly well… how the public perceived him, and he chose to acknowledge it ….before anyone else could, with wit, warmth, and total confidence.

His message was simple: “I'm on your side.” He took the identity that society had placed on him, faced it head-on, and turned it into laughter. That takes real intelligence.

I actually have similar experiences quite often. I visit hospitals or aged care homes, and whenever I go, I have my own little "dress code." I try to look neat, smart casual, nothing over the top. And I always make sure to wear my name badge on my chest. It’s my way of showing respect… to the patients and their families, and I want to look trustworthy to the people I pass in the corridor.

But here’s the funny part. I’ll be walking down the corridor, feeling all "prepared," when a staff member or a patient will stop, look at me, and ask: "Are you a doctor?"

In my head, I’m thinking, "Hey, not bad!" I like to tell myself… it’s because of my "professional aura," but let's be honest, there’s just a bit of a formula at play here:

"Asian guy + smart casual + name badge in a hospital = must be a doctor." Every time that happens, I’m so tempted to say, "Don't worry, I'm not here to give you an injection!"

The moment I say, "No, I’m actually a minister," their whole expression changes. They lean …in to check my name badge and church name properly this time. It’s actually quite fascinating to watch. They "reprogram" me from "doctor" to "minister"

Thinking about these two stories makes me ask one big question: "Who is the 'me' people see, and who is the real 'me'? Maybe we're all carrying two identities at once.

The first is the identity/ the world gives us. Our appearance, our skin colour, our accent, our job, our financial situation. People look at these things, these name badges, and decide who we are. Sometimes I'm a doctor. Sometimes they just see a stranger.

The second is the identity we give ourselves. This comes from deep inside, in a place the world can not see. It’s shaped by how we grew up, our culture, the path we’ve walked, and especially the situation we’re in right now.

All of this comes together to create "who I think I am." And… there are times when we don’t even really understand ourselves, do we?

But today I want to talk about a third identity. One that goes beyond both of those. It's not what the world says about us. It's not what you say… about yourself.

It's what God says about you and me, directly, personally, to all of us.

Let’s look at 1 Peter chapter 2. Peter is writing to the early churches who are going through real suffering. To be more precise, he’s writing to brothers and sisters who are confused about who they are.

These people used to have a place in society. But because they chose to follow Jesus, they were scattered. They became wanderers, not travellers with a destination, but people who had lost their homes.

They weren't welcome in Jewish communities anymore. They were called traitors. They were pushed out. Many couldn't find work. Their children couldn't get an education. The world gave them labels: the rejected, the outsiders, the troublemakers, the dangerous ones.

And as that pressure built up, their faith started to crack. Those labels started to sink in. And they began to ask themselves: Are we wrong? Are we just failures? Why is God silent? Is He even coming back? Who are we? What are we?

Right at that moment, Peter sends this letter. And he says: “Look, whatever the world calls you, that is not your real name.”

And then comes one of the most beautiful declarations in the entire New Testament. Verses 9 and 10: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession… Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received… mercy."

Try to imagine being the person… receiving this letter. Outside, everyone is shouting, "You're a reject." Inside, you’re starting to believe they’re right. And then you hold this letter in your hands and read those incredible words.

"You are chosen.""You are a royal priesthood.""You are a holy nation.""You are mine.""I have called you out of darkness into my wonderful light."

What wonderful comfort. What massive encouragement. What a powerful declaration.

To write this letter, Peter goes back to Exodus, Isaiah, and Hosea: three books, four separate quotations. He must have put so much time and heart into preparing every single word.

Think about how much he cared. He was saying: “This isn't just my opinion. This is what God has been saying from the very beginning.”

It doesn’t matter what the world calls you. It doesn’t even matter what you call yourself. This is how precious you! Are! To! God….!

But here’s the thing. As I sit with this passage, I start to notice something a bit different. At first, it sounds like a warm hug. It’s beautiful comfort. But as we keep reflecting, we realise it’s more than just a "cheer up" message.

Listen to those same words again, but from a different perspective.

"I chose. you," So, don’t take this… as a badge of pride, take it as a gift of grace. Live like someone who has been chosen. 

"You are a royal priesthood," So don't act like a ruler. Live like a priest. let it be your strength to love and serve.

"You are a holy nation," So live in a way that reflects that matches your calling.

"You are mine," So live like it.

The same sentences, but they sound completely different now, don't they? I didn’t see it before, but suddenly it hit me: blessing and responsibility always come together.

Peter is handing out new name tags, but those name tags aren’t just for comfort. They are a mission.

This isn’t just a blessing; it is a calling. He is basically saying, “Reject the identity the world gives you, and start living up to the name God gives you.”

He wanted them to "declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." That was Peter’s way of comforting them. That's how Peter offers comfort. Not just "cheer up," but "remember and live accordingly."

Today is Mother's Day. And from the bottom of my heart, I want to bless every mother here, and every mother out there. I also want to bless the "mothers" of our church, those of you who have loved, served, and prayed for this community with such a mother’s heart.

James Joyce once said: “The word ‘mother’ is the most beautiful word on human lips. No man, and no law, can ever fully understand the mystery of that sacrificial love a mother has for her child.” I couldn’t agree more. The way God created mothers is something truly noble and mysterious.

Think about it. What is the closest possible relationship between two human beings? Many might say it’s a husband and wife. But it’s not. The closest relationship is between a mother and her baby in the womb.

The more I think about it, the more I’m in awe. One human being living inside another. Two lives sharing one body. Nothing in this world comes closer than that. And that is how God designed it.

Now, I have to apologise to the fathers in the room. This is one area where we just have to step back. No matter how much we try to understand, there is a depth here that only a mother can know in her whole being.

Jesus says in John 16: "A woman in labour has pain... but when her baby is born, she forgets the anguish because of her joy." Isn't that remarkable? Jesus is explaining the agony of the Cross but the image He reaches, uses for is not a battle, or a storm. It is a mother in labour.

He is showing us that the greatest joy …blooms at the very peak of the greatest pain. That is the mystery of the Cross. Believe this, and that is the meaning of being a mother.

To give of your own life so that another life can begin. To pour yourself out in love completely. I am sure God placed this mystery inside mothers so that we could see, in the most tangible way possible, just how far his love goes.

That is why a mother's love is the closest thing on earth to the love of God. Mothers are, in a very real sense, a living cross visible! and right beside us!

The world might say... all mothers into categories. “Good mums. Bad mums. Successful mums. Failed mums. Rich mums. Poor mums. Healthy mums. Sick mums. Educated mums. Uneducated mums. Strong mums. Struggling mums.

We put these labels on ourselves, or sometimes, others stick them on us. But I want to say this simply:

One word is enough. Mum. As I get older, I’m realizing this more and more. Before God, a mum is simply a mum.

So today, I want to take those desperate, beautiful words that Peter wrote to those struggling exiles 2,000 years ago, and I want to give them directly to you, the mothers here today. I believe God is speaking these words to all mums today.

My dear mothers, you are chosen by Him, personally." You didn't become a mother by accident. God trusted you with these lives. He chose you to be the foundation of your family.

"You are a royal priesthood." At work, in the kitchen, in the lounge room, or beside a child's bed in the dark every prayer you have prayed was a most sacred act of worship. You have been the bridge between God and your family.

"You are a holy nation." The world might call you "so-and-so's mum," but in God's eyes, you are a nation small, perhaps, but beautiful a place where God Himself chooses to dwell.

"You are mine. My special possession. You belong to Me." You are God’s heart, and you are His glory, all at once.

To every mother here today, and to everyone who carries a mother in their heart right now, I pray that this letter comes alive again on this special day.

The most beautiful name in the world is "Mum."

It wasn't invented by us; it was designed by God to show us, in the most human and tender way possible, what His love actually looks like.

Just as Jesus compared the Cross to a mother's labour a love that passes through great joy remember this as you walk out of here today: God knows your name. He chose you. And right now, in this moment, He holds you as His most precious treasure.

Carry that. Walk with it. A little more boldly, a little more at peace. You are God’s own—and that is more than enough.

Again, happy Mother’s Day. Amen.

Now, may the God who chose you before the foundation of the world,

The Christ who turned the deepest pain of the Cross into the greatest joy of life,

And the Holy Spirit, who makes your home a 'holy nation' and your heart His dwelling place,

Bless you, protect you, and give you His peace.

Go now, not as the world labels you,

but as the 'special possession' of the Most High God.

May you walk boldly, love deeply, and rest in the name He calls you:

His own beloved.

Amen."