TWELVE NAMES FOR JESUS – Post-Communion Experience 33rd Sunday OT_C

TWELVE NAMES FOR JESUS: CHOOSING HOW TO ADDRESS HIM THIS WEEK

Introduction

This is the last Sunday we will see Jesus in his wholeness for nearly two months. As we prepare to meet him next week as Christ the King, and then enter Advent’s focused waiting, we’re invited to choose one name—one way to address Jesus personally—that we will carry with us through the coming week.

Below are twelve names for Jesus from Scripture, spanning the Old Testament prophecies and the Gospel revelation. These aren’t titles to study or analyze. They’re invitations to relationship. They’re ways of addressing someone you know.

As you rest after receiving Communion, let your eyes move slowly over these names. Notice which one draws your attention. Notice which one your heart reaches toward. That’s the name you’re invited to use this week—in your morning prayer, in your moments of loneliness, in your gratitude, in your struggle.

This is how you will call upon Jesus as we close Ordinary Time and prepare to meet him as King.

If you’re in community where it feels natural, you might share your chosen name quietly with someone near you—not necessarily someone you came with, but someone in the bench before or behind you. A simple exchange: “I chose ‘Good Shepherd.’ What about you?”

But if that doesn’t fit your community, that’s fine too. This can be entirely between you and Jesus. He knows which name you choose. He’s waiting to hear you call him by it.

THE TWELVE NAMES

Wonderful Counselor
Isaiah 9:6

Sun of Justice
Malachi 3:20 (or 4:2)

Prince of Peace
Isaiah 9:6

Emmanuel—God With Us
Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23

Good Shepherd
John 10:11

Bread of Life
John 6:35

Light of the World
John 8:12

Living Water
John 4:10

Cornerstone
Psalm 118:22, 1 Peter 2:6

King of Kings
Revelation 19:16

Lamb of God
John 1:29

Friend
John 15:15

PRACTICAL NOTES FOR MINISTERS

Timing

This practice takes 3-5 minutes. Allow silence for people to read and choose. Don’t rush. The quiet itself is part of the prayer.

Display Options

• Projected on screen (ideal for most communities)
• Printed inserts in pews (one per person or family)
• Printed on card stock at exits (people can take home as reminder)

For Communities with Reading Difficulties

If your community includes members who struggle with reading, have visual impairments, or are more comfortable with oral transmission, the names can be read aloud slowly by a lector or cantor. Read each name without its Scripture reference, pausing between each one. Don’t explain or elaborate—just read the names and let them land.

Pacing for reading aloud: Allow 2-3 seconds of silence between each name. The whole reading takes about 90 seconds, then leave 2-3 minutes of silence for people to hold the name they’ve chosen.

For Small Communities

In intimate settings where your faith community is accustomed to sharing, you might invite people to turn to someone nearby (not necessarily who they arrived with) and quietly exchange: “I chose [name]. What about you?”

This isn’t required—it’s optional for communities where it feels natural. The sharing itself becomes a small act of breaking loneliness, of showing up to each other.

Tone

Be invitational, not directive. Some people will engage deeply. Some won’t feel drawn to any name today, and that’s okay too. This is an offering, not an obligation.

CLOSING (Optional—can be read aloud or omitted)

Throughout this week, as you prepare to celebrate Christ the King, call upon Jesus by the name you’ve chosen. Let it be the first word in your morning prayer. Let it be what you whisper when you’re lonely or grateful or confused. Let it be how you address him.

Because here’s what today’s Gospel reveals: Jesus is lonely when we admire the structures but miss the encounter. He’s waiting for us to actually speak to him, to show up in our poverty, to call his name.

So call him. By name. The one you chose.

He’s been waiting to hear it.