Changing Names

What’s in a name?

by Claire Law

Suitable for Whole School (Sec)

Aims

To consider examples of purposeful and meaningful name changes.

Preparation and materials

• You will need the PowerPoint Slides accompanying this assembly (Changing Names) and the means to display them.

Assembly

1. Show Slide 1. 
   Welcome the students to the assembly.
2. Explain that you have a challenge for the students. You want them to work out what the next four slides have in common.
   Show each slide with a brief explanation.
3. Show Slide 2. 
   Here is a photo of St Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city and its cultural capital.
4. Show Slide 3. 
   Here we see a photo of American professional boxer and activist, Muhammad Ali.  He is often regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.
5. Show Slide 4. 
   Here is an image of the Spongy Moth, native to Europe and Asia.
6. Show Slide 5. 
   Finally, our last image is of a Snickers chocolate bar. 
7. Ask the question ‘What do these 4 things all have in common? 
   Listen to any ideas.
8. Point out that it’s not an easy question! Explain that all the things shown have had a change of name at some point in their past. 
9. Show Slide 6. 
   St Petersburg has changed names several times in the history of the city.  Originally named after Peter the Great, St. Petersburg became Petrograd during World War I. Later, the city was renamed Leningrad in honor of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin after his death. Finally, in 1991, a public vote selected St. Petersburg for the city to be known by once again. 
10. Show Slide 7. 
    Muhammad Ali was known by a previous name was Cassius Clay.  
11. Show Slide 8. 
    The Spongy Moth was once known as a Gypsy Moth.  In 2022, the Entomological Society of America changed the name of this moth species. The month’s name of spongy moth is in reference to the egg masses of this species, which are kind of spongy-looking as they overwinter on trees.
12. Show Slide 9
    Ask if anyone knows what a Snickers bar used to be called. Ask some of the staff. Explain in 1990 the Marathon bar was rebranded to a Snickers bar, to align the British product with the global brand name. 
13. We can see that people, places, products and animals can all change name.  There are good reasons behind these name changes, and changing names can be a symbolic gesture that conveys meaning and identity. 
14. This is also true for a figure from history that is celebrated and remembered within the Christian calendar each year.  The Feast of St. Matthew is celebrated annually on 21^st Septemberi n the Roman Catholic and Anglican traditions, and on 16^th November in the Eastern Orthodox Church.  
15. Saint Matthew, one of Jesus’ disciples, is thought to have changed his name.  Originally, he was known as Levi.  Levi was a tax collector, working for the Roman Empire.  Tax collectors at the time were known for extorting extra money from their own people and were seen as outcasts.  Once he had been invited by Jesus to ‘follow me’, Levi embarked on a new life, and it is believed, adopted a new name, Matthew.  It was a common practice at the time to adopt a new name to signify a life transformation. 
16. Matthew’s new life involved a radical shift away from his former career into a life of service to Jesus.  In time, Matthew became someone who helped others know of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. He is the writer of Matthew’s Gospel in the New Testament.  He is known as one of the 12 apostles,  the followers of Jesus who were commissioned to preach the gospel after Jesus’ resurrection, and he is believed to have eventually been martyred for his work in telling others about Jesus.
17. Let’s hear the passage from Mark’s Gospel that describes this change in Matthew’s life, when Levi was called to be a follower of Jesus. 
    Show Slide 10.
    Read the passage:
    Mark 2:13-17:   Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them.  As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth.
    ‘Follow me,’ Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.  While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.  When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’
18. Interestingly, the name Levi means ‘joined’ or ‘attached’.  Some people point out how attached to money and self-interest Levi once was as a tax collector.  The name Matthew means ‘gift of God’.  Once he began to follow Jesus, he was no longer a man who took for himself, but a gift to God and the early church.
19. Show Slide 11.
    The story of the calling of Levi has been depicted many times in art. Here we see the famous painting called ‘The Calling of St Matthew’ by Italian artist, Caravaggio.  The oil painting shows the moment Jesus calls Levi to follow him. It was completed in 1599–1600 in a chapel in Rome, where it remains today.  Jesus is pointing at Levi.  A beam of light illuminates the faces of the men at the table who are looking at Jesus.  Caravaggio’s painting tries to convey a moment of spiritual awakening from darkness, towards light. 

Time for reflection

Inspired by the example of Matthew, formerly known as Levi, let’s reflect upon our own names, and also the ways in which we can change and adapt in life. 

Firstly, let’s consider our names.  Who gave you your name?  Is there a story or a reason behind your name?  Do we like our own names? 
Pause to allow time for reflection.

Secondly, have you known anyone who has changed their name?  Do you know the reason for their change?  What did it signify to them? 
Pause to allow time for reflection.

Thirdly, what do you know about your own ability to make changes in your life – to change focus, or to have a change of heart? 

Have you ever made a fresh start, or wanted to make a change in your life that felt big, important or transformational?  What helped you to make the change?
Pause to allow time for reflection.

Finally, is there anything you would like to change about your life just now?
Is there anything from Matthew’s example that inspires you to make a change to live with meaning and purpose? 
Pause to allow time for reflection.

Prayer:

In this month of September, when many Christians remember the example of Matthew, formerly known as Levi, let’s bring our thoughts and reflections together in prayer:

Dear God,
Thank you for the example of Matthew. 
He shows us that it is possible to make a changes in our lives; to choose to live with a different purpose and with a different focus. 
He shows us that a relationship with Jesus can change someone. 
We ask for your help with things we find difficult and want to change about our own lives, or even our own name. 
Inspire us to find ways to live with meaning and purpose and to know how and when to make changes that bring us closer to living in your love.
Amen.