I Miss the Wooden Pews

I don’t about you, but I miss wooden pews. I understand the advantage of using the portable fabric covered chairs like Lake Cities and other churches have transitioned to. They are more modern, comfortable, and their portability makes it easier to use our worship spaces for other purposes. It easy to see why churches would choose to make the change. However I feel we have also lost something important, discomfort.

In an attempt to make church more pleasing to people we have forgotten the importance of discomfort. Jesus often spoke of the importance of our discomfort. In the Beatitudes of Matthew 5:1-12, Jesus said blessed are those who are poor, mourn, thirst, hunger, and persecuted. Never did he say blessed are those who are comfortable. If we are comfortable with the conditions of this world we find no need to seek righteousness. If we are comfortable, we fail to empathize with those who are persecuted and oppressed. If we are comfortable, we believe everything is right in the world and there is no need for our action.

The wooden pew reminds me of discomfort. It reminds me that I am not meant to just sit in church and listen. It reminds me that I am only here for a little while and very soon I will be called into action. I like the think of the wooden pew as a bench at a bus stop where I am waiting for direction to lead me to my next destination.

Fortunately and unfortunately, I don’t think we will be moving back to wooden pews at Lake Cities any time soon. The chairs we have do serve a purpose and they are not solely responsible for us becoming too comfortable. We need to personally take responsibility for seeking comfort over righteousness. When a message is preached that seems too difficult to swallow or when a song is played that pulls at your heart, may you allow the Holy Spirit to move you towards discomfort for the sake of righteousness. If right now you are too comfortable, I encourage you to welcome a season or two of divine discontent. It is in divine discontent that God molds us and makes us into a new creation.

In God’s grip,

Pastor Chuck Church