Come, Lord Jesus, Be Our Guest

The Mealtime Prayer, Fritz von Uhde.

by Jane Jacob

During the season of Advent, we turn our minds to Jesus, and focus on the first and second coming of Christ. We contemplate that He was born in Bethlehem thousands of years ago, and will eventually return to earth in glory. While it is good to meditate on the Scriptures about these two events, we can also reflect on the reality of Jesus’ presence in the here and now.

We often think of God’s presence while at church; stained glass, candles, and crosses surround us, all declaring that we are in a house of worship. It is God’s house and we know that He is present, because, as Jesus says in Matthew 18:20, “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them.” We also encounter His presence in a physical way each time we partake in communion. Somehow, regular, ordinary bread and wine become also the body and blood of Christ. It’s certainly easier for us to remember He is present when there is a physical element or means. God knows we are earthbound and sometimes need a physical connection and reminder. We may not completely understand this real presence as it is a mystery, but we know that it is something holy, something we can touch and taste in the bread and the wine.

But then we leave church and go about our rather ordinary lives during the week. Do we regularly consider God’s presence? In our homes, during mealtimes, we may think of God when we pray, “Be present at our table, Lord” or “Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest.” Is Jesus actually with us, during meals and the other regular, routine activities we do each day? It often doesn’t feel that way at all. Sometimes we feel close to God; at other times He feels far away.

Luther described it by saying that we are the very hands of Christ; we are the physical means that God uses in His work. Again, this is not something we completely understand, but it certainly gives greater importance to the daily, ordinary tasks that we do. As we read in Ephesians 2:10: “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

As Christians, however, we are fortunate that we don’t lean on our emotions for answers, but instead can look to the truth of God’s Word. We can read David’s words in Psalm 139 where he says, “Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, You are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.” There is nowhere we can go that God is not present; this message is clear throughout the Bible. We find Jesus saying in Matthew 28:20: “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Similarly, we read in Hebrews 13:5: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” God is truly with us. Think of the title of “Immanuel” which Jesus bears: it means “God with us”.

Can this sure knowledge of God’s presence impact our daily lives? Yes! It means that even when we are making dinner, mowing the lawn, and paying bills, God is with us. These ordinary, regular works are important because—to paraphrase Martin Luther—“God doesn’t need your good works. But your neighbour does.” God is present as we serve our neighbour—a word which does not simply mean those people who happen to live nearby, but rather all the people God has placed in our lives, including our families. Many of our routine and mundane chores are necessary in service of family, and these are considered good works for our neighbour. Tasks such as cleaning floors, packing school lunches, or folding umpteen loads of laundry can be seen in a new light: as good works done in the presence of God.

Christ with the Peasants, Fritz von Uhde.

This is a responsibility and a wonder—that God uses us and our lives, no matter how imperfect or broken they are, for good works. Luther described it by saying that we are the very hands of Christ; we are the physical means that God uses in His work. Again, this is not something we completely understand, but it certainly gives greater importance to the daily, ordinary tasks that we do. As we read in Ephesians 2:10: “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

This is a lot to take in and contemplate. How can the almighty God be associated with us, even during our menial and lowly labour? Because this is the God we serve: One who chose to leave the inconceivable beauty and perfection of heaven to come down to earth to serve us and save us. A God who describes Himself as “gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). This Jesus—who healed at times with mud and spit, who shocked the disciples by washing dirty feet—this same Jesus humbled Himself, even dying on a cross for us.

It’s certainly easier for us to remember He is present when there is a physical element or means. God knows we are earthbound and sometimes need a physical connection and reminder. We may not completely understand this real presence as it is a mystery, but we know that it is something holy, something we can touch and taste in the bread and the wine.

He is with us because of His great love for us. Jesus was born, lived His remarkable life, and died, all in service of us. Rising again, He opened wide the gates of heaven for us, destroying the finality of death. Our knowledge of what Jesus has done for us can lead us to respond by infusing even our ordinary and mundane tasks with love, knowing that we are accomplishing work that’s important to God.

But even this remarkable knowledge that we are hands of Christ can be hard to remember. We tend to be forgetful of the things of God and need frequent reminders. There are times when we long for physical means to make it easier to remember—like in the Old Testament, when God was present for the Israelites during the exodus as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Something we could see clearly and follow would make it so much simpler to understand.

But we are without these spectacular pillars. We serve an invisible God, and because of this we need to be deliberate in choosing our reminders. Something physical that’s tied to our daily routine can serve as a prompt to turn our minds towards Jesus. Luther suggested that, each time we wash our face, we remember our Baptism. We can keep an open devotional on the desk, a favourite Bible verse on the fridge, or a cross in a prominent place in our homes. These daily reminders can help us remember that, even in the routine and ordinary, God’s presence is with us and He is working through us.

So, during this Advent and Christmas season, let’s consider all the reminders we see around us of Jesus and His birth. This time of year is filled with Advent calendars, wreaths, and nativity scenes—all there to help us remember that God is with us. As this Christmas season unfolds with all its busyness and many preparations for family and friends, let’s take heart that God is not only with us but working through us, in all we do in service of others.

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Jane Jacob is a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in London, Ontario. She holds a Master of Theological Studies degree from Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary in St. Catharines, Ontario.

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