Did You Call Me...... Pastor!

Many years ago, I enjoy going to mountains, travelling or walking under the tall, thick forests. It is still enjoyable to hike even in summer time because the path you walk through is covered with extending, leafy green branches of trees, not to mention that sometimes you will catch or get a chance to see a snake or monkey on a protruding tree in some instances when you look up. To those who lived in a place like us, you can probably identify with me in your childhood experience.
By the little background I gave, you have a picture of how I grew up in a village that used to be out of reach of electricity. Life was so simple that you enjoy a lot playing with other kids at night, climbing the trees to hide from being caught by playmates, bad as it was when we would not go home until evening to help in any work at home. Needless to say, we would not even eat just to be with our playmates because there is so much fun.

Wait.... why am I saying all of this? Young as I was, I had not dreamed of becoming a pastor or a missionary. I wanted to earn money. After having been away from our village for a ministry involvement in the city as a pastor, I went home. It was time for me to minister to my own people. God is so gracious that He does not measure neither qualify me from being perfect.

I had to make adjustments when my own people started to call me pastor. I do not feel comfortable. I feel like there is something missing. I do not feel good when they do that. Is it because I know that behind it is the thought of the person telling me that I am far better than him? Is it a cultural thing that has been affecting me with this kind of feeling?

Allow me to unveil my thoughts for this has quite disturbed me as I live with my own people. Please understand that I am not saying that calling someone pastor is not biblical. In fact, the Bible says that there people called to be pastors.
a) Sometimes, I see that my people addressing someone as pastor could mean that person has importance over the other? In other cultures, pastors are treated like kings, leaving the pastor unable to exercise what Jesus practiced on earth, the servant attitude. b) I feel like I am far from my relatives and from my own people whenever they call me pastor instead of calling me just by name or maybe older brother, which is "kuya" inTagalog . I don't know why even in the Christian world, the word "pastor" could sound secular that it can mean power, prestige .... etc. Test someone calling him by name with out the title or "Rev." and you might wonder why he have responded indiferrently. Once, I told members in the church in our village that I would like you to know that when you address someone as "pastor," it means that the person is a servant, ministering to people.

I enjoyed being addressed by my classmates as "kuya"(older brother) after having told them that pastor is too formal. I would often feel far from people because of formalities. If this could be avoided, I would appreciate it. Culturally, in my general impression, most Kalanguyans are not used to prestige and position. I mean, they are more prone to be of the support group, which is sometimes good . I perceived that Kalanguya used to see the rich and the poor standing on equal ground. I would say this can be traced to the practice of padit, kiyad or any feastivities where the richer butcher pigs or cows and share it with all neighboring villages without any charge or payment. It is a festivity where everyone shares their "blessings" or good harvests for years. The neighboring villages can enjoy the food and take home a portion of the meat that is available for everyone who attends. The bad side was that the festivities were offered to the spirits or gods. How lovely it is to behold though that up to these days, this practice continues among Kalangoya Christians through annual conferences held in different villages for feasting on God's word. And the feasting on His word continues....