I think Linus sums up Christmas best.

Scripture
So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. John 20:3-8

Observation
As I reflected over the life of Jesus on this Christmas Day, I saw how the story of his life is connected with his clothes.

He was born into poverty. In the rush of travel, Mary and Joseph had no shower gifts to wrap their baby in. So Mary bundled her baby in tight layers of fabric found nearby. What a way to wrap the gift of God becoming man in idle rags.

In life Jesus must have been a well dressed man. His garment was seamless. Someone wove it for him personally with great care. Whoever the woman was, she wanted Jesus presented well. It was so desirable that the soldiers gambled over it. Someone who valued Jesus took care to clothe him well.

Naked and exposed, Joseph and Nicodemus took long strips of cloth, and just as Mary had done 33 years before, they wrapped the body of Jesus tightly and set the stage for the greatest gift of all, the resurrection of Jesus.

It was the Father in heaven who was able to move beyond the wrapping of the gift of Jesus. He brought Jesus not just from the tomb, but through his grave clothes. The words of John suggest that the tightly wrapped bandages around the body of Jesus still had their form and contour. The shape of his body could be seen but he, himself, was gone.

Application
It’s our call to wrap the present of Jesus well, to make him attractive the the world in which we live. It’s ours to wrap tightly those who bear his resemblance so they feel the love of Christ. But it is the Father who can unwrap the present of Jesus to the world in which we live. So Jesus bounds alive and well into the dreary world in which we live. What we can do is nothing compared to what God will do through the presence of Jesus in our world.

Prayer
Father, thank you for the gift of Jesus. This Christmas we made a deliberate family choice not to give and receive gifts. It was the first time in my life I’ve done that. It was nice to fast gift giving this Christmas. What I dissevered was how much I cherished the relational gifts. Having Kris and Laurel married and close was most precious. But it seemed that today I was able to reflect more on the gift of Christ than I have in the past. Thank you for unwrapping the gift of Jesus and making him a part of my life. Amen.