Walk by faith, not by sight. 2nd Corinthians 5:7 depending on the translation.

We were about 7 days from the wedding. My bride’s family was amazingly helpful and worked so hard. We are very grateful and the wedding would not have been as amazing as it was without their help and hard work!

This is a topic we talked about a few times and it was a pretty low key conversation.

My bride wasn’t keen on taking my last name. She was pretty well known within her work community and was on the edge of starting some really great and important projects. Even more so, when she got divorced, she took her step dad’s last name and liked it!  She decided she would keep it even if she did get remarried, though remarriage was not on her agenda. Taking my last name wasn’t a high priority for me either, so I really didn’t care. We agreed, she would keep her last name and I would keep mine.

I was going to  college online to get my bachelors in biblical studies in order to become a pastor. Our family members expressed concern about us having different last names and me being a pastor. They thought we should have the same last name.

So it was about 7 days from the wedding when I get the phone call. My bride is in tears. She explained to me her family’s thoughts on us having the same last name. She just didn’t want to take my last name.

There is a short silence.

Then I ask this question:

“How much of you not wanting to take my last name is because you don’t want to be the 4th McDermott wife?”

It was silent.

My bride came to the realization that was a big part it and I understood.

After an ever so brief silence I ask her what she thought about choosing a completely new last name.

She asked me if I was really willing to do that and my response was yes and explained way.

We are all, as individual believers, a new creation in Christ. Likewise, I believe, when we get married, and the two becomes one flesh, we are a new creation in Christ as well.

We are not just bound in the flesh, but are to strive to be like minded and one in spirit also.

So my thought was that the name we would choose was to represent Jesus.

Shiloh is found in Genesis 49:10 in some translations.

We used the New American Standard Bible translation:

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”

This is part of Jacob’s prayer over his son Judah.

Jesus gave us a new name.