I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. – Philippians 4:2-4 (NIV)
I got my latest Covid booster shot last week. It was a much more relaxed process than the previous rounds. I walked in, let the desk know that I was there, and someone came and gave me a shot. I was out before my official appointment time. When the technician gave me the shot, though, she was eager to let me know that the site of the injection might start bleeding a little bit. She was keen to let me know that this was normal and nothing to worry about. It would not last long. The problem was that she was so intent on telling me about this that she forgot to get a bandage ready to put on the injection site. Midway through her explanation that there might be a little bit of bleeding, she had to cut herself off. There was already a bit of blood and it started rolling down my arm. Flustered, she had to quickly drop what she was doing and find a bandage to put over the spot. All of this occurred within a few seconds. There were no problems, and the bleeding stopped within an instant. I was not bothered at all. Still, it took her a moment to get herself back on track.
How easy it is to get so intent on showing our concern that we miss out on doing the essential things needed to actually provide that care! I know I have too often been more concerned with explaining than with completing the action that will make a real difference. Hopefully it is usually minor, like a delayed band-aid, but too often we miss out on the real needs around us and the preventable ways people could be hurt because we have gotten too excited by what needs done and miss out on actually doing it.
We often skim past the names that Paul includes in his letters. We tend to focus on the ideas he shares and try to make sense of his theological statements. These are, of course, essential. Yet when he lifts up names in greeting, he is talking about real people who are part of real church communities. It is a mix of men and women that he brings up in his various letters, commending these important leaders of the early church. They are often people who put service first, focusing on caring for the needs around them and being an example of life transformed by the Holy Spirit. The actions are too often overlooked as an essential piece in the story of Christ at work in the church and witnessed to in the New Testament. May we always remember the deeds of caring that flow from the work of Christ among us.