All Wrapped Up
By Dot Bowen
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Luke 2:10-12 (NAS)
Wrapping gifts is as difficult as buying I know from personal experience if you’re looking for a specific toy your child has requested, you’ll do whatever it takes to find it! I’ve been know to ask family members in different cities to look for a specific toy and have even found myself praying to find it before Christmas morning. I’ll never forget the time I was looking for a Tickle Me Elmo for a grandchild, but Elmo was no where to be found in Atlanta! I finally found Elmo, and I could not wait to see the joy on my grandchild’s face Christmas morning! My camera was out, I snapped a photo, and before my camera was back in its case, the grandchild had moved on to the next gift. For some crazy reason, I thought four-year-olds understood the time, stress, and energy required to fulfill their greatest desire! I wanted to ask, “Sweetheart, do you realize how long it took me to find Tickle Me Elmo? I thought you wouldn’t want to put him down for days!” Instead, I smiled and graciously inquired, “What else did you get?”
Speaking of gifts, what about the gifts that are better wrapped than unwrapped? I’ve given and received gifts when the wrapping was the best part of the gift. We’ve all said or heard, “It’s not much, but...” Well, then, why is it wrapped like it is Elizabeth Taylor’s diamond ring? We’ve all gone to great lengths to make sure our gift appears to be a treasure.
In Luke 2, we are told about a different kind of gift. Mary wrapped Jesus in cloths and laid Him in a manger. I wonder if Mary and Joseph thought Jesus was the perfectly wrapped gift. The shepherds were told to look for a baby wrapped in cloths, lying in a manger. Jesus. The Messiah. The Son of God. Wrapped? How do you wrap the glory of God? When the shepherds found Jesus, they didn’t ooh-and-coo about what a cute baby He was or the way He was wrapped. Nope, not at all. Instead, they immediately began to praise God for Jesus.
Jesus is God’s gift to us. But unless we unwrap Him, we’ll never enjoy all He has to offer. When we unwrap Jesus, we can’t help but worship!
He is our peace. He is our Savior. He is the glory of God. He is our hope. He is our coming King. He is our life!
Jesus is all this wrapped up in the greatest gift of all!
What are you asking for this Christmas? What do you hope to find under the tree? Is there any greater gift than the gift of peace, forgiveness, hope, and assurance of knowing your Heavenly Father loves you and will never leave you? There is no greater gift than what God has already given us. He is the gift that keeps on giving, and it’ll take a lifetime to unwrap Him! As we unwrap Him, we’ll see He is our wonderful Counselor, our Mighty God, our everlasting Father, and our Prince of Peace.
Luke goes on to tell us a heavenly host suddenly appeared and began to praise God after the angel appeared to the shepherds and announced a Savior had been born. No wonder they burst into a song—God’s promise had been fulfilled. And He gave us all our hearts could ever want!
Merry Christmas!
Further Reading
Luke 2, Isaiah 9:6