When I last wrote for this column I was Bishop’s Chaplain. I’m now enjoying being back at the frontline as a parish priest.

I’ve just completed seven weeks as the ‘new vicar’ of Altham and Clayton-le-Moors. It has been a great start and I’m enjoying getting to know the locality and, of course, the people.

I knew a few names before we arrived (thanks to providing cover for services here on several Sundays) but there are a lot of names to learn and match with faces. People are being very forgiving when I end up asking their name more than once.

I know that calling people by the wrong name can be annoying and sometimes it can cause offence. This is because our name is important to us.

It sums up our identity, who we are, how we think of ourselves and how we relate to others. Nicknames used (or once used) by our mates can be significant, too, as can be the pet names we may use to address our nearest and dearest.

The importance of our names is recognised in the Bible. Think of the impact it had when Jesus called individuals by name – Zacchaeus when he was watching from up the tree, for example, or Mary Magdalene forlorn in the garden.

Hearing Jesus call them by name changed their life. In Isaiah we are told that God called his people Israel by name and that their name was engraved on the palms of God’s hands – a lovely image.

God knows each one of us personally and he calls each one of us ‘by name’. The question is, will we respond and come to know him personally too?