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Be Surrounded, Enveloped and Enclosed by Christmas

Swaddle:  wrap (someone, especially a baby) in garments or cloth in a way that usually surrounds or envelops or encloses on all sides.

Shortly after our granddaughter was born, her mom (our daughter) had her sleep in a swaddling blanket.  It’s an ancient practice that has found favor again.  Today, the research shows that a swaddling blanket wrapped snuggly around the baby's body can resemble the womb and help soothe the newborn baby and promote sleep. 

After a while, our daughter started having our granddaughter sleep in a swaddling sack.  While not as restrictive as a swaddling blanket, a swaddling sack still loosely surrounds the baby’s body to help prevent the startle reflex that can wake up a baby during sleep.

Just on the outside chance that you need a reminder of the most notable swaddling of all time, here it is:

And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.  (Luke 2:6-7)

The “her” was Mary.  The “firstborn son” was Jesus.  And while I won’t venture into the unknown of whether Jesus needed to be swaddled to keep him calm and to promote sleep and whether his startle reflex needed to be kept in check, I will venture into what we do know that has been revealed to us: 

This “firstborn son” was born of a virgin:

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).  (Matt 1:23)

This “firstborn son” was the one to be named Jesus:

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  (Matt 1:21)

This Christmas, may you be totally surrounded, enveloped and enclosed by the miracle of a Savior who came into the world to save his people from their sins!

 

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