In a world that can be hard and scary sometimes, it is tempting to think of the church as a hideout, the place where those of us who know the secret password can gather to celebrate our good fortune. It is easy to think of ourselves as consumers of God’s love, chosen people who have been given more good gifts than we can open at one sitting: healing, forgiveness, restoration, resurrection. Then one day the Holy Spirit comes knocking at the door, reminding us that it is time to share.  We are not to be consumers after all, but providers of God’s love, authorized agents sent out to speak and act in Christ’s name.  Next to the calling of the disciples, Matthew’s story about their sending forth may be one of the most confrontational stories in the entire Bible.