| Uncomfortable Pew - article by Joel Hempel Those of you who worship at Glendale Lutheran Church, have you noticed that the pews have lost some of their cushioning? It’s what drives my bony butt to the richly padded chairs in the choir loft. But the choir loft is not where God wants to send us. Why? Because God wants us to be uncomfortable! Reading a book my friend Dr. Bob Scudieri* gave me entitled God’s Sending Heart, the obvious struck me. When God called those first ordinary people to be his disciples, he sent them away from the comfort of their homes and familiar activities and into the surrounding communities to people they didn’t know. They were to go, bring healing, and talk about Jesus and the love of God – things they had not done before. But how were these fishermen, the woman from Sychar, Anna from the Temple, and others supposed to know what to say? The sent Christians from the first century had what we have: Basic training in the Word of God and personal experience in how Jesus changed their life. In two thousand and twenty-five years, nothing has changed. Of course, we have a lot more sophisticated means of communicating. There are John 3:16 signs in the end zone at televised football games, “Jesus Gets Us” ads on TV, email and text messaging, a national and international postal service, and 20+ social media platforms. But can anything beat the first-century method of communicating the love of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Probably not! But this has been my objection for years: Not every person has the kind of personality that easily talks about Jesus. I’m one of them: I’m an introvert, God. You made me this way! I’m not comfortable talking with strangers about Jesus. But if you give me the courage, I’ll send a text. Here’s the challenge from Jesus – the expert teacher in one-to-one ministry. Proclaiming the love of God and the Gospel of Jesus is not supposed to be easy or comfortable. It’s supposed to be empowered! When Jesus sent the 72 followers on a nearby mission trip, he told them not to take any money, knapsack, or sandals (see Luke 10:1-12). What he did send with them was the kingdom of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the power of God’s Spirit. No, we don’t have Jesus in the flesh to encourage us. But we still have what the original 72 had: The Kingdom of God (Christians rich in grace, devoted to his rule, and equipped with his Word), the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the empowering Holy Spirit. If that is not enough, we have: PRAYER. Are there people nearby to whom God is sending you? Are any of them in need of healing, the love of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Those of us at GLC, are there people we are not attending to who may be waiting to hear from us? I would suggest there are! Our unseen members and parents of CCLS children. Is it too much to expect us to go when we have been sent? As Dr. Bob says, What is great about our Lord’s Great Commission is Jesus’s promise to go with us (Matt 28:19-20). *Until his retirement, Rev. Dr. Robert Scudieri was executive director of the Office of National Missions for the LCMS, and then creator and Editor in Chief of Mission Nation Publishing Co. | 
