Skip to main content

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!

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Little Words, Big Impact

Sometimes we get caught up in the big words and that certainly has its place.   But, sometimes I think I appreciate the little words even more.   These are one or two or three letters words that can have big meaning and big impact. Take the word “I”.   It is a pronoun that often is used to identify the one who might be communicating.   The communication could be something like “I love you” or “I forgive you” or “I will do that.”   Meaning and impact from a word with just one letter! Take the word “no”.   It can put a stop to things. For example, you could have what you think is a really great idea but if you receive a no, your great idea comes to a screeching halt.   Meaning and impact from a word with just two letters! Take the word “yes”.   It can set things in motion.   For example, perhaps you are in love with that certain special person and you ask that question and they say yes.   Big things are set into motion and yo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Double Entendre

Double entendre:   a word or expression used so that it can be understood in two ways.   For example: Seriously struggle with sin : 1.   Some people seriously struggle with sin.   That is, they see how easily sin entangles and they take their struggle with sin seriously and overcome it. 2.   Some people seriously struggle with sin.   That is, sin easily entangles them and they have serious struggles with sin and they never seem to overcome it. The example is not just theoretical, it is real.   And it is likely that many of us have experienced both over the course of our lives.   But whatever you have experienced, I have some more double entendres that follow a bad news/good news format: 1.   Sin is costly .   The cost is spiritual death.   But we have a Savior who paid the cost with His own life so that we can live spiritually. 2.   Sin has consequences . The consequence of sin is eternal separatio...
Post a Comment
Read more

Flee From/Flee To

If you are going to flee, do it right! What?   Give me a chance to explain! But first, let’s land on what it might mean to flee.   To flee is to run away from a place or situation of danger or evil.   It also means to hurry toward a place of safety. So, here are some possible explanations: 1.   Flee when God tells you: Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt , and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”  (Matt 2:13)   2.   But don’t try to flee from God: But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord . He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord .  (Jonah 1:3)     3.   Flee from danger: For they have fled from the ...
Post a Comment
Read more