Seeing Double

Biblical Texts: Hebrews 5:1-5; Luke 1:5-9

Good morning! Several years ago a young pastor, fresh from the seminary, was called to become the administrative pastor of UCCP Valencia. Being a small church, and like almost all the rural churches, the church can only hire one personnel – the pastor, and all the rest of those who are involved in the church are volunteers. One day while the pastor, who was then single, was busy cleaning the parsonage and was in her ordinary cleaning clothes, a visitor came and said, “Day where can we find the pastor?” Amused with the unexpected visitor and the unexpected question, the pastor asked back, “Kay ngano man diay sir?” To which the visitor answered while stretching his neck and trying to look inside the house, “Basta kay naa koy tuyo niya. Asa man sya day?” “Ah, kuan, ako man ang pastor diri nong.” Perhaps her answer didn’t quite sink in immediately, or maybe because he didn’t believe the young pastor who was in her ordinary cleaning clothes. “Ang pastor ang akong gipangita day. Asa man sya? Kanang tigulang ba.”

Friends, in our celebration of the Stewardship Month, we emphasize today the Stewardship of Pastors, this Sunday being designated in the UCCP Calendar as Church Workers Sunday. That is why we are very happy and thankful that our liturgists today are fellow church workers coming from different special assignments and some students from the Divinity School.

Just like any other ordinary beings, church workers come in different sizes, from different backgrounds, with different characters and nuances. Just like that pastor in UCCP Valencia, some are very young while others, like our Pastor Emeritus Dr. Proceso Udarbe, are quite advanced in age. Some are introverts while some surpass a politician’s gift of gab and are very sociable.

While our scripture passages today in Hebrews and in Luke talk about priests, let me first talk about some of the other functions and roles of church workers in our community.

Aside from being a janitor and utility person at times like that of our pastor then in UCCP Valencia, church workers are basically teachers, always preparing for the Sunday School classes and Bible Studies. In larger churches, pastors become Deans of the most basic Theological School there is, and that is of course the church, where studies about who God is being taught, not only in Sunday Schools and Bible studies but even through the sermons and meditations that are preached. That is why pastors are worried no end when the church’s Sunday Schools and Bible study sessions are not well attended. Students just don’t go to seminars and listen to lectures once in a while, they go and attend regular classes to study and interact with their teachers in order to really understand what the lessons are all about and how these can be used in their day to day lives. I experienced teaching in the university and I always tell the students to study hard because what they learn in class will be of great use once they are already in the field. This is the desire of every church worker-teacher, that the lessons of the faith are seriously learned and applied to the lives of the community of faith.

Church workers also act as advisers, especially to the church-related groups such as the Women’s, Men’s, Young Adult’s and Youth groups in their different activities.

Corollary to being advisers, they are also counselors, someone who listens to members’ problems and helps them look at life in the eyes of our faith. Church workers spend quite a lot of time listening to members’ different concerns and problems and helping them unburden their loads.

Church workers are all missionaries, and they are most ready and willing to go where God sends them, even to assignments that are quite difficult and challenging. Church workers as missionaries always rely upon God’s guidance and strength in everything that they do, for in their own strength they can do nothing.

One of the things that we are currently doing is the campaign for the rural pastors fund drive. With this fund drive, we are actually recognizing the status of church workers as missionaries being sent to ‘mission’ areas, places where church workers’ financial support is not an issue not only because that is not the primary focus or reason for being of church workers, but also because the constituents or congregation that they are serving simply cannot afford even to provide three square meals a day for their own families.

In most small to medium sized churches, church workers are also the administrators of their churches and are bestowed administrative or managerial prerogatives and responsibilities in running the affairs of the church. In big churches like Silliman Church, an administrative officer or assistant is very much needed as the church workers are all preoccupied with the other functions more inherent in church workers. The presence of other regular church staff and personnel, and the responsibilities of maintaining order and managing its properties and resources is more than enough to take away some of the most important functions of church workers. And in our case, I believe we have to act on this, especially as we prepare for the hosting of the UCCP’s General Assembly in 2010 and our church’s centennial celebrations come 2011.

Church workers are also prophets. Prophets in the olden times are popular or unpopular due to their no-holds-barred telling of the truth about God’s judgment on his people. Prophets warn the people of their impending doom when they don’t follow God’s commands. Prophets shake the people and open their eyes to the reality of their sinfulness, their greediness. This function is why a lot of our church workers are branded as communists as they tell of the truth about God’s message for the people to help the poor, the marginalized and the oppressed; to bring a message disturbing the comfortable, for them to comfort the weary, for the rich to help and distribute their wealth to the needy who are also created and loved by God.

Yes, being prophets and disturbing the comfortable is a daunting task of church workers. However, church workers are also pastors. We like to call our church workers ‘Pastors’ for the very reason that the pastoral function is something that we very much love to be experienced from our church workers. As pastors, church workers are the shepherds of the flock, ever providing love and care to the congregation. The pastoral duty of every church worker is a reflection of the loving, caring, merciful and gracious nature of our God. As shepherds, pastors lead the flock to the right place, to the right mind set, to the right direction in their lives.

A big chunk of the role of church workers assigned in a church or local congregation is that of being a priest. Yes, pastors or church workers also function as priests. We are priests. Sometimes people call me ‘father’ when I’m attending functions and wearing my clerical garb, and I smile because I am a father of my three children, but yes, we church workers function as priests as well. In our gospel reading in Luke, we are given a glimpse of the life of one of the priests at that time—Zechariah, who was married to Elizabeth who also came from a priestly lineage. They were the parents of John the Baptist.

As priests, church workers perform sacramental rites and functions that remind us all of our holy relationship with God. In the Old Testament priests perform a very important role in the life of God’s people. In our Hebrew scripture, we are made to understand the calling and role of priests:

But the coming of Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection, opened up the whole priesthood to all of us who believe in him. That is why we can now come before God without the necessity of priests to come to God on our behalf. In the passion story, the temple veil was torn apart, opening our access to God through Jesus Christ. And this direct access to our loving, caring and merciful God granted to all those who believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, accorded us the title of the so-called universal priesthood of all believers.