When I first arrived at Second Baptist, we all wore name tags for several weeks. This was mostly to help me learn who you were. But during those weeks, I heard something unexpected from so many of you: you loved the name tags, too. You appreciated being reminded of someone's name—or, in some cases, finally learning a name you'd never quite caught.
The truth is, names are hard. We forget them. We recognize a face but can't quite pull up the name that goes with it. And once we've seen someone ten Sundays in a row, it starts to feel a little embarrassing to ask, "Remind me of your name again?"
That's where something as simple as a name tag becomes an act of hospitality.
We usually think hospitality is about welcoming visitors—having someone at the door, offering a cup of coffee, or helping a newcomer find the sanctuary. And those things matter. But hospitality is really about making it easier for another person to enter into a community.
That's why your name tag isn't really for you.
You may think, "Everyone here knows my name." Maybe they do. But the person sitting three rows behind you might not. The person who joined six months ago might recognize you but still not know your name. And the guest who walked through our doors for the first time certainly doesn't.
Wearing a name tag says, in one very small way, "I'm going to make it easier for you to know me."And perhaps that's a good way to think about hospitality in general. It asks us to pay attention not simply to what we need, but to what might make it easier for someone else to find their way in.
So wear your name tag—even if you don't need it.
Because someone else might.
Name tags can be found outside the worship center where you get your order of worship.
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