Homily, What’s in a Name?
Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, 2025
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
Plant City, FL
The Rev. Derek M Larson, TSSF
Today’s Lectionary Readings:
In the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
It’s a big responsibility to give someone or something a name. Do you remember naming someone or something in your life? Perhaps your children, or a pet, or a book, or business. Naming is a big deal.
When our firstborn son came along, we knew we wanted to call him Bear—a cute and playful nickname—but we also wanted him to have a more formal name rooted in the tradition of our faith. So we named him Alban Barrett Michael Larson. Alban for the first Christian martyr of Britain, a name that connects our family to the Christian tradition and the Anglican heritage. Michael is my middle name and my father’s. And Larson, of course, traces back to our Norwegian ancestors and to Lars himself, who came over in the 1800s.
Our second son is Alaster Brecken Larson—a name we loved, with roots in Scottish Gaelic, a form of Alexander. And he was, in fact, born on St. Alexander’s feast day. Brecken is also my wife’s middle name and a family name. We also liked that both our boys would have names beginning with “A.” That was intentional—a shared tradition between brothers, a link of belonging even in their names.
We thought long and hard about the names we gave to our children, as you probably have for the people and the things to which you’ve given names.
Today is a Feast which celebrates the namesake of our parish. Our patronal feast day, the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul (they share a day in the calendar). And I’m wondering why the early Episcopalians of Plant City settled on the name they did for this parish, St. Peter’s. We’ve had 136 years of ministry in Plant City now, and the story of choosing a name is mostly lost to history, although we know the name did not come right away. In fact, for a long while parish and diocesan records use both the names St. Mark’s and St. Peter’s for this parish, and it wasn’t until 1914 that the St. Peter’s name really stuck (still over a 100 years ago). But why did that name stick? What was it about Saint Peter that so resonated with those early parishioners that dedicated their parish to his honor? I don’t know.
But I can imagine.
Perhaps they chose the name St. Peter’s because of a longing for stability. Life at the turn of the century was full of changes, particularly in this part of the world where Florida was still being settled. Plant City was in it’s infancy and growing. The early parishioners of St. Peter’s probably craved something strong and stable in their lives, and here was a saint whom Jesus gave the name, Rock. “And upon this rock, I will build my Church.” Perhaps they were thinking about the building of this new community to which they belonged and wanted it to be solid like a rock.
We, too, often have that longing for something solid under our feet. Our world is quickly changing. Often our lives are full of instability and uncertainty, and so we crave something we can depend upon, something firm and stable like a rock. And thanks be to God, we have blessed Peter as our patron.
Or perhaps they chose the name St. Peter’s because they were looking for a fresh start. Many of our founding members came from other places around the world, both in the United States and elsewhere (you think it’s hard to find a native Floridian now, it was almost impossible then). And those that settled in this new swampy land called Florida, often did so because they were looking for fresh starts. They were looking for something new, perhaps after a tragedy, or a wound, or a mistake, or poverty. They were looking for somewhere to begin again. And here was a saint that had hit rock bottom, denying his Lord and Savior three times at the cross, and yet forgiven, accepted, and empowered by Christ to begin again. A saint who would go on to preach the gospel across the world.
We, too, often are looking for new beginnings. For fresh starts. For forgiveness after wrongdoing. For healing after wounds. For recovery after tragedy. And thanks be to God, we have blessed Peter as our patron.
Or perhaps they chose the name St. Peter’s because they saw in him a simple man empowered for ministry. In those early years of the parish at first there was no full time priest or minister and much of the ministry was done by everyday folks like the ones seated here today. They were lay people living their lives and doing their work in the world, without any particularly strong training for ministry but with deep conviction that the Holy Spirit was moving among them, empowering them for the work to which God was calling them. And here was a saint who started out as a fisherman, not unlike the laborers and workers of early Plant City, and indeed our city today. But God doesn’t call the qualified, God qualifies the called. God doesn’t call those already equipped for ministry, God equips those for ministry whom God calls. And that is just as true today as it was for Peter and as it was for our parish’s founders. This church has a handful of clergy, but it is full of ministers. You are the ministers of this church and God calling you, like St. Peter, to proclaim the gospel and embrace the world with God’s love. And thanks be to God we have blessed Peter as our patron.
We don’t know why our founders chose the name of St. Peter for this parish, but Saint Peter is the name they chose, and thus the story of Saint Peter is an important story for our own journey. Names are important. They are not simply decorative proper nouns assigned haphazardly. Names point to identity, history, and vocation.
Peter is not simply a name on the sign in front of this church. Peter is our our patron, our namesake. Our spiritual companion whose journey offers us wisdom for our own time and place. Whose story speaks to our longing for stability, our desire for new beginnings, our call to ministry, and so much more.
And so today, on the Feast of our namesake, may his name be on our lips not as a coincidental fact of history, but a calling, a vocation, and a guide. And may Saint Peter pray for us, walk with us, and inspire us—as we continue to become the church God is building, right here, in this city, in this time, in his name. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
- How do the names you have given to people, pets, or projects reflect your personal values or beliefs? What story do they tell about you?
- In what areas of your life do you feel a desire for stability, and how can you seek that stability through faith and community, like the early parishioners of St. Peter’s?
- Can you identify a moment in your life where you sought a fresh start or a new beginning? How did that experience shape your understanding of forgiveness and healing?
- How can you respond to God’s call in your life, similar to how Saint Peter embraced his ministry? What gifts or skills do you have that you can offer to your community?
- What does having Saint Peter as a spiritual companion mean to you in your personal journey of faith? How can you draw inspiration from his story in your daily life?
Thoughts on Faith 