Jesus Calling

Jesus Calling

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.

1 John 4:9

Author Doug Mendenhall shares a brief parable that seems appropriate on the day after Christmas.^aIt starts with Jesus calling from a convenience store off the interstate and asking if he can spend a day or so with Doug and his wife:

I must have gotten that Bambi-in-headlights look, because my wife hissed, “What is it? What’s wrong? Who is that?”

So I covered the receiver and told her Jesus was going to arrive in eight minutes, and she ran out of the room and started giving guidance to the kids—in that effective way that Marine drill instructors give guidance to recruits. . . .

My mind was already racing with what needed to be done in the next eight—no seven—minutes so Jesus wouldn’t think we were reprobate loser slobs.

Medenhall goes on to say he turned off the TV in his den, as well as the one in their bedroom. He continues:

My wife had already thinned out the magazines that had been accumulating on the coffee table. She put Christianity Today on top for a good first impression. Five minutes to go.

I looked out the front window, but the yard actually looked great thanks to my long, hard work, so I let it go. What could I improve in four minutes anyway?

I did notice the mail had come, so I ran out to grab it. Mostly it was Netflix envelopes and a bunch of catalogs tied into recent purchases, so I stuffed it back in the box. Jesus doesn’t need to get the wrong idea—three minutes from now—about how much online shopping we do.

I ran back in and picked up a bunch of shoes left by the door. Tried to stuff them in the front closet, but it was overflowing with heavy coats and work coats and snow coats and pretty coats and raincoats and extra coats. We live in the South; why’d we buy so many coats? I squeezed the shoes in with two minutes to go.

I plumped up sofa pillows, my wife tossed dishes into the sink, I scolded the kids, and she shooed the dog. With one minute left I realized something important: Getting ready for a visit from Jesus is not an eight-minute job.

Then the doorbell rang.

Mendenhall calls this piece “Getting Prepared for the Arrival of Jesus.” So on this day after Christmas, we pose this question: What would the two of you do to prepare if Jesus called and asked if he could spend a day or two with you at your home?

Trumpets! Lightning! The earth trembles! But into the Virgin’s womb thou didst descent with noiseless tread.

—Agathias Scholasticus

^a 192