I remember the first time someone called me “Pastor.”

In seminary, people referred to each other as pastor all the time, but that was just an easy way to not have to fess up that you had forgotten someone’s name. This was different.

I had just finished my masters in youth ministry and was at a summer camp as the camp pastor for a week. I had sat down to eat with some of the staff when someone behind me began to talk. I heard “Pastor Erica” come out of their mouth, but it took the rest of the sentence for my brain to register the fact that they were speaking to me.

Me? Pastor? It felt so weird. I almost felt like an imposter, because I didn’t feel qualified or worthy enough.

I imagine this is how the Christians in Ephesus felt when Paul addressed his letter to them by calling them saints. He is calling them exceptionally holy people by using this term.

I imagine many of them responded as we would today, “I’m no saint, have you not seen what I have done?”

The beautiful thing though is that when we accept Christ, we become in Him that which we are not on our own. In accepting Him and being in relationship with Him, we are covered by His righteousness, and we are called holy, or saints, because of His worthiness.