He's Here!

"Hurry, Mary! Jesus will be here soon!" Martha exclaims. Laying aside the pot holder too soon, she touches her finger to a pan of yeast rolls fresh from the oven and burns her finger. "Mary? Did you make the sweet tea? Mary?"

A silent house answers Martha. Mary has left the stack of plates on the table beside the pitcher. The door slams behind her as she hurries down the path to greet Jesus.

Martha sticks her sore finger into a bucket of water and swirls it, glancing around the kitchen. Her eyes scan the details of meal preparation. So great is her love for Jesus, she wants everything to be the very best.

Wouldn't it be fun to be Martha? You would clean the whole house, put fresh flowers on the table. Cinnamon rolls? Fig scones? Perfectly ripened fruit on the side table.

But, what if Jesus came unexpectedly?

Would you glance in horror at your messy house? Would you stumble out an apology while trying to swallow the bite of hot dog you just wolfed down standing over the sink?

Imagine Him coming to your table as you hurry to move stacks of old mail and clutter from the table. You hope He doesn't notice the angry, frustrated faces of your children. He couldn't have heard those last words you yelled, could He?

Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel! Joy to the World, the Lord Has Come!

Somebody wake us up! He's here! He is moving among us. He is the God who sees, the God who knows. He's in your house. Check your kitchen.

[I like the way Charles William Daugherty says it in If Jesus Came to Your House.]