Isaiah 62:1-3

You should really read Isaiah 62:1-3, or even more of it for sure.

My birth name, given by my parents, is James Patrick McDermott. James, to the best of my knowledge, is mine, because they liked it and the flow of the full name. Patrick comes from my great grandfather, I believe, who was Patrick McDermott. My brother is the historian of the family, not I.

And then there is McDermott. Going way back the name McDermott originated from Mac Diarmada in Ireland. There is a fairly cool story about McDermott’s castle in Roscommon Ireland and as of this date appears to be going to auction in December of 2026. If you buy it, please invite us!

History, legacy, who we once were, who we are now, and who we are going to become.

And you shall be called…

Where we find our true identity is vitally important. From a faith based perspective there are only two places. One is the world and the second the Bible, in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.

I’ve tried to write this for quite some time, and it has always been a bit difficult. As I grow in my relationship with Jesus, clarity is the benefit. So is confidence, to be transparent. Not that I doubt, but there are familial pressures, if you will, that truly up to this point, still had a hold on me a little bit.

It was the beginning of January 2012 and Christy Joy Diachenko and I, James Patrick McDermott, were planning our wedding. We had an immense amount of help from family. It was dubbed the “surprise wedding.” Her family planned much of it, with little input from us. It was an open invite on social media, though we did send out invitations to more specific people. No offense intended at all to anyone. The church was packed! It was names; “The Wedding,” as there was standing room only. It was a full on worship service, and Christ, we strove for, was glorified.

My bride and I were talking on the phone a week or two before the wedding, about our last name. She was trying to establish a presence in the community for autism awareness. She likes her name and really didn’t want to take my last name. I was in college trying to get a bachelor degree in biblical studies believing I was to be a pastor. I wasn’t overly concerned about her taking my last name.

All the while her parents were encouraging her to take my last name, as a pastor and his wife should have the same last name.

The short version is, my bride did not want to be the fourth McDermott wife. I could not blame her at all.

So without a second thought during this conversation, I suggest we choose a new last name. My only stipulation was that it was a name that represents Jesus.

As we come to faith, we are new creations in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17

As such, when a man and woman leave their parents, become married and the two become one flesh, they also are a new creation.

No, there is not a specific scriptural reference for this new creation, however in Genesis 2:24, it talks about a man and a woman, a husband and wife, the two becoming one flesh. In essence a new creation.

As we searched for a name that represents Christ, we landed on Genesis 49:10.

“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.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭49‬:‭10‬ ‭NASB

Here Jacob uses the name Shiloh to represent Jesus in his blessing over his son Judah. It’s beautiful. It’s perfect.

Not many people knew. We listed Ephesians 5:32 at the end of the bulletin for the wedding, as walking with Christ truly is a mystery and a walk of faith. And as the wedding ceremony was wrapped up, Pastor John Krach announced us as Mr. and Mrs. James Shiloh.

Some people caught it, some did not.

Now we know, what we only saw in a mirror dimly. A new name, a new season, a new life.

Yes, things became dim again, as we discovered who the Lord wants us to be as husband and wife.