Being and Doing
Tom A. Davidson
Being and Doing
Recently on television, I happened to watch an episode of “Little House on the Prairie.” The story was about Dr. Baker who had abruptly left his medical practice of many years because he blamed himself for the death of one of his patients. The people in the community loved and deeply respected him, and tried many times to encourage him to return to his practice. But, he adamantly refused. The climax of the story occurred when one of the women who was nearing the birth of her child became desperately afraid, and urgently begged Charles Ingalls to help her get Dr. Baker to come and deliver her baby. Ingalls went to Dr. Baker’s farm and found him at the barn. After he had quit his medical practice, he had taken up farming. Ingalls urged him to deliver the baby, but the doctor strongly refused, telling Ingalls that he was no longer a doctor, but a farmer.
Ingalls responded, “But you are not a farmer, as everyone can plainly see. You are a doctor. It’s not just your medical knowledge and skill; it’s your compassion and your dedication as a doctor. All of the people love you and need you.” When Ingalls realized that pleading and reasoning was not working, he grasped the doctor to him, and said, “You are going to confront your patient, who desperately needs you and wants you. You can tell her yourself that you are no longer her doctor.” The story ends with Dr. Baker delivering the baby under difficult circumstances, and returning to practicing medicine.
A minor sub-plot to the story involved another doctor whom Dr. Baker had secured to meet the medical needs of the community until they could get a permanent doctor. However, when patients went to the new doctor’s office, he was often not there. His secretary said that much of the time he was out on the golf course. His part in the story, obviously, was to contrast sharply with Dr. Baker. While he was qualified to practice medicine, he was not the doctor that Dr. Baker was. He was not compassionate and dedicated to his practice of medicine. For me, the point of the story was that there is a big difference between being a doctor and doing medical practice. In one sense, being and doing are inseparably related. In another sense, they are markedly different from each other.
It would be impossible for me to say how many times I have been asked, “What do you do?” This is a harmless question. It is commonly asked in most any social setting. I have asked others this same question. On the other hand, I have had very few people ask me, “Who are you?” Talking about what I do is easy and simple. Talking about who I am is altogether another question. Suppose someone asks me today, “What do you do?” I assume the questioner is being sociable and friendly. If, for any reason, I do not want to get involved in a conversation, I will probably answer, “I am retired.” I am assuming that the person asking the question is assuming that I am employed/engaged in some kind of work. I am also assuming that my reply will be an adequate response to the question. But, suppose my answer is met with another question: “When you were working, what did you do?” I will probably interpret the question as a further attempt to become acquainted with me. Therefore, I will probably answer, “I am a retired pastor.” This answer may satisfy the questioner. But, suppose there is a further question: “When you were a pastor, what did you do?” If I sense a sincere interest in what I did as a pastor, I will gladly answer the question. Who knows where the conversation will take us?
Now, suppose the questioner asks me, “Why a pastor?” If I decide to give a serious and informative answer, I will share what is personal and important to me that reveals “who I am.” I do not share this information with just anyone. There have been times when I shared such information with someone, only to find myself listening, in turn, to this same person sharing her/his personal information with me. Many wonderful and invaluable friendships in my life have been formed by this kind of personal sharing. This kind of friendship, however, can be very difficult to form, and difficult also to nurture and maintain. But what a treasure! As a pastor, I have seen many church members form and maintain such wonderful and invaluable friendships with each other. I have seen them nurturing and supporting each other as they seek to fulfill their commitment to Jesus Christ in their day-to-day living. This is what I call “Christian community”. In my lifetime, I have known a few churches in which almost the entire congregation seemed to me to be a “Christian community.” I have seen enough to know that this kind of community cannot be achieved just by singing hymns, studying Scripture, preaching and praying. While I know that all of the above is vitally important, I also know that it takes a lot of personal caring, trusting and expressed concern between and among the members of that congregation.
During my pastoral years, I was the pastor of four congregations. With respect to the kind of “Christian community” that existed in those churches when I was their pastor: I would describe two of them as caring and trusting congregations. The other two churches I would describe as uncompromisingly untrusting and fractured. Of the two fractured churches, one congregation was divided over many issues directly and indirectly related to racial prejudice. The other congregation was sharply divided over issues related to interpretation of the Scriptures, and the struggle for control of church program. This is not to suggest that the first two congregations were without faults, or that the other two congregations were without virtues. It is to say that a congregation reflects “who it is” by “what it does.” Whenever and wherever “Christian community” is violated or neglected, that congregation is “being” something other than what it was called to “be.” Unless and until it makes needed changes, its membership is sure to become more spiritually impoverished than it already is. In a church where “Christian community” is honored and consistently expressed, the membership is spiritually enriched and empowered. As the members of a church acknowledge themselves to “be” The Body of Christ, and are consequently led to “do” what they believe The Lord of The Church wants them to “do,” they will know themselves to be a “Christian community.” Put another way, what they choose to “do” will reflect “who” they chooseto “be.”
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What does it mean for
a Christian congregation
to be The Body of Christ?
What does it mean for
Jesus Christ to be
The Lord of that congregation?
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Congregations are composed of individual members, and each member is unique and different from every other member. What I can say about myself can also be said by each and every member of the congregation.
Who am I?
I am myself. I am who I am. I am the only “me” there is. I have always been me. I will always be me. I can be no one else. I am the result of everywhere I’ve ever been, everything I’ve ever done, and everyone I’ve ever known. I am the result of every thought I’ve ever had, every book I’ve ever read, everything I’ve ever heard, and everything I’ve ever said. I am the result of my every success and failure, my every joy and sorrow. I am the result of every experience I’ve ever had. I am all that I have been, and all that I am now. Only I can be me. I can be no one else.
But, this is not all there is of me. I am more than this. I recognize that I am in charge of my life by the choices I make. If I let something or someone else make my choices for me, I choose to let it happen, whatever the reason – good or bad. My choices are based on what is most important to me at the time. What is important to me is what I choose to make important, what I value, which means that I create my own value system. Basically, I live by my own set of values. I prioritize as I will. The point here is not to evaluate what I choose, but simply to say that I am the one who does the choosing. All of this choosing is what is involved in my being in charge of my life. Warning!!! Warning!!! This is where my life really gets tricky and sticky. All of this choosing can be liberating, or it can be imprisoning for me. Which of the two it will be for me depends upon what I choose to make important to me, thus fashioning my value system. And here is where the quality of my life takes a decided direction – for fullness of life at its best, or in the other direction. Anywhere along the way, I can always change to improve the quality of my choices and make the quality of my life better than what it is. The most important thing of all, I have learned that through God’s free gift of faith, I can become a redeemed child of God. This gift was given to me by God’s Son Jesus Christ who promised eternal citizenship in The Kingdom of Heaven to all who believe in Him as their Savior and their Lord. This newness and fullness of eternal life begins immediately – here and now - when I choose to make belonging to Jesus Christ the most important thing in my value system. I have professed my belief in Him, and have committed myself to Him, to follow and serve Him for the rest of my life.
But, my life as a Christian is not lived out alone and by myself. I am united with other Christians in faith, hope and love. Our life is lived out in “Christian community.” In honesty, however, I have to admit that there is a part of me that does not always want such a relationship with God. That part of me wants to “be” in control of my life, satisfying my wants and fulfilling my desires as I so choose, and being accountable to no one – especially God. The inescapable truth is, before I decided to surrender my life to Jesus Christ, I was in conflict with God and with myself. Even though I am now committed to Christ, that rebellious part of me still exists, and expresses itself ever so often.
The apostle Paul wrote about this very conflict which he continually encountered: “When I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Karl Barth expressed it this way: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord, I am not the man I am.” I am very much aware that this same conflict is actively present within me, and will be for as long as I live. Even so, I am confident that I belong to Christ my Lord, and that He will always be with me in the power of His merciful and loving Spirit, just as He is with all those who belong to Him.
What do I do?
First, I must acknowledge that what I have committed myself to do, and what I end up doing, are not always one and the same. In moments of high inspiration and deep resolve, I may actually be amazed at what I might accomplish. On the other hand, I remember very well those times when my amazement has taken the form of shame. This was due to what I should not have done but did, and what I should have done, but did not. Though my faithfulness wavers and fluctuates, most of the time I know very well precisely what it is He wants me to do.
What has He commanded me
to do?
Jesus said to His disciples,
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
“Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness.”
“Love one another as I have loved you.”
“Do to others as you would like them to do to you.”
In the words of Paul, apostle of Jesus Christ: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
On my own, by myself, there is no way that I can “be who I am” and “do what I do” as a servant of Jesus Christ. Both my “being” and my “doing” are possible only because of His guiding and empowering presence with me. There is more. I always have family members and special friends on whom I can depend in times of difficulty and need. Through the years, I have also had different Christian communities that have nurtured and supported me in my faithfulness to Christ. How wonderful it would be if every church congregation were this kind of community. Unfortunately, instead of community, I have often seen division and divisiveness, conflict and unkindness, neglect and indifference. It is very easy for a congregation to become so engulfed and engaged in “doing” that it loses sight of “being.” It is very difficult for every church congregation to remember that it is “The Body of Christ.” It is when a congregation forgets “who it is” that sad and unfortunate things happen. The four churches described above were excellent comparative illustrations. The two churches that visibly engaged in caring and trusting, knowingly and deliberately chose to “be” caring and trusting. Likewise, the two churches that engaged in disaffection and distrust chose to “be” so.
Recently, I attended a special meeting of a church congregation. The purpose of the meeting was to assess its declining attendance and membership, and to make appropriate plans for the church’s future. Also at the meeting was a professional church consultant to help the congregation assess its viability for the future. One way to do this was to assess its present in light of its past. The consultant first asked the members to describe the church’s past. They described their past as being a caring and trusting congregation that had engaged in a purposeful and fulfilling ministry. In describing its present, comments were made suggesting there was less caring and trusting as compared to the past. They described their present mission as uncertain, as was also their future. At the same time, however, there were also expressions of hope and courage for the future. All in all, I thought the meeting was positive and encouraging. I am confident that most of those at the meeting realized that their future “being and doing” as a church was at stake. Hopefully, this congregation will be told that it has a viable future. After that, again hopefully, the members of this congregation will re-affirm their “being” one in Christ, and ready to discern what it is The Lord of The Church wants them to “do.”
A model congregation
The Book of Acts records the multiple missionary journeys of the apostle Paul, some of the sermons he preached and the churches he established. One of these churches was at Philippi. Thus, The Letter of Paul to the Philippians. This letter was written by Paul when he was in prison in Rome, having been accused of rebellion against the Roman Empire. During his imprisonment, it was the church congregation at Philippi that supported him with their many prayers and gifts. This letter was written by Paul to express his gratitude for their loving support of him, their continued love for the gospel, and his love for them. This letter has been called “a letter from a friend to a friend.”
“Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.” (1:1) In The New Testament, saints is another word for believers.
“I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.” (1:3-5) Paul expresses his gratitude to the entire congregation (“all of you”) for their prayers and loving support, and for their constant “sharing in the gospel.” Their “sharing in the gospel” was one of the things they “did.” They “did” it because of “who they were.”
“I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.” (1:6) These were very affirming and encouraging words. Paul is saying to them that their continual faithfulness to Christ - in “being” who they had chosen to be, and in “doing” what they had chosen to do - would fulfill God’s expectation of them.
“It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you shine in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.” (1:7) Paul again affirms “all” of them in their common bond of service to the cause of Christ. It shows up again: “who they are” determines “what they do,” and “what they do” is predicated on “who they “are.”
“And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.” (1:9-11) This is quite a prayer for any congregation: “that your love for Christ may grow more and more, that you will be given knowledge and insight in discerning the will of God for your life. (Such knowledge and insight nurtures and enriches “being who you are.” As you “do” the will of God, you will be blameless before God, and faithful to Christ, to the glory and praise of God.)