Wednesday, November 30, 2016
I would have to admit that one of my least favorite things about preparing for Christmas is wrapping gifts. Whether it is finding the right size box, cutting, folding, having enough tape, placing the bow (though we've done that less these years), or writing and placing the short lived name tag on the gift, Christmas wrapping, in my opinion, is way too much work!
ADVENT ADVENTURES: GIFT WRAPPING?
But one of the adventures we can and should have this Advent season is in reality, gift wrapping. It doesn't matter how big or how many gifts you give or wrap. But that time can be wisely spent not just thinking about the love behind the gift or the expression on the faces of the one who opens it, but using that time to meditate on the gift God Himself carefully took to plan, wrap, and give His Gift to you! That oh-so-familiar Christmas account from Luke 2 speaks about God wrapping a very special gift for you. "And the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger'" (Luke 2:10-12).
Nothing fancy about this gift wrapping. In fact, most wouldn't expect much of anything from such a humble gift. But our Lord God had planned from eternity this Special Gift for each one of us throughout the whole world. It was our Heavenly Father's careful planning and His delicately detailed work for thousands of years that went into preparing for the birth of THIS Baby, God's own Son--wrapped up and swaddled in bands of cloth.
This baby, our Lord Jesus Christ, is the gift of God and the Savior from your soul's sin, the Defense from the pointed prosecution of the devil, and Deliverer from the stench of the grave and eternal fire of hell. Jesus' perfect work was completed throughout His life and in suffering God's wrath for our sin in His death on the cross. His free gift to you is to wrap you in the peaceful and comfortable white robe of His holy righteousness! What an amazing, perfectly indescribable gift! So yes, gift wrapping is an adventure of joy and excitement when it focuses on our Advent Gift, Jesus Christ!
