She was speaking to me like anyone else would a 29 year old wearing a snapback and a pair of jeans. Casual.
I was only about a month in to my new life in Houston. And I was pleased to find that our primary care doctor was about as laid back as my California self.
She was African American, probably in her early 40s, a native of Texas, and she made me feel right at home. We talked about weather, traffic, sports, allergens, and even the pace of enjoying married life before having children.
It was as natural and hospitable as I had ever felt in a doctor’s office. There was genuine laughter in the room.
And in the natural course of enjoyable conversation, she asked me what I did for a living.
To this day, her response gives me contemplative pause.
I told her I was a Methodist pastor. Had been for about 4 weeks.
Her tone and body language shifted.
It was instinctual and subconscious and immediate.
I am so sorry Reverend Whang… I had no idea you were a pastor.
Of course, I insisted that she address me by my personal American name, but I was confused.
What about my title prompted such apologetic recourse of her wonderfully sincere and hospitable energy? And what about my day to day work demanded a formality in her dialogical language towards me?
In case you didn’t know, generally speaking, pastors are not treated with this kind of respect in California. So her apology prompted culture shock.
But it also prompted vocational reflection.
I began to wonder how the title and function of pastor would shape the way that doctors and lawyers, neighbors and friends, progressives and conservatives, business owners and wage workers - all of society, would perceive and relate with me.
It was really the very first instance of unearthing my own relationship with the vocation and imagination of pastor.
Since moving to Houston, I have had to unlearn, undo, and fundamentally reject many notions of the word pastor, and yet, almost by accident (and particularly in this past year of starting a new United Methodist congregation), I have come to associate the word pastor with much, much dignity.
I’ve decided to start documenting my ongoing scriptural and anecdotal reflections on this ancient and holy vocational art of being a pastor.