DECEMBER 22, 2003

GIFT WRAPPINGS

Some people invest a great deal of time, money and energy into wrapping gifts. More thought may go into the packaging than into the gift itself.

On Christmas morning, their specially-wrapped treasure is probably just one of a pile of gifts for various family members. It may not stand out. It will be noticed for a moment, just before it is torn open; someone may say, “Save the wrapping paper!” or, “What a pretty bow!” But then the leftovers will become part of the heap of trash in the middle of the floor.

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Who are you? Are you the wrapping, plain or fancy, we call the body? No, your body is the wrapping which contains the real gift, which we call your soul.

Maybe you’ve spent a lot of your time, energy and resources on the wrapping—feeding it, entertaining it, exercising it, adorning it. But your body is still just the wrapping. The real you is inside.

Isn’t it interesting, though, that when God sent his Gift to us on the first Christmas morning, he wrapped it in a body just like yours? The Gospel of Luke says that Mary took the Baby Jesus and “wrapped him in swaddling clothes,” but even before that, God had wrapped him in human flesh! That’s the Christmas miracle we call The Incarnation.

God wrapped his gift with great care, choosing just the right mother and just the right time and place. He lived among us in that wrapping, sharing all the experiences we have in the flesh, delivering his great message of hope and salvation while he was still gift-wrapped.

But the world tore at the wrapping and left it hanging on a cross in a place where other throwaway people were discarded. The tearing was an awful experience for Jesus’ wrappings, but it meant the release of the Gift inside—our Savior! As inspiring as the wrapping was—with his great teaching, compassionate healing, and powerful leadership—the Gift itself had far greater life-transforming significance, as well as eternal consequences.

And yet, here’s a surprise! God wouldn’t allow even Jesus’ wrapping to be thrown away. Easter reminds us of how God said: “Wait, save the paper, the ribbon, the bow! I value them as well as the Gift.” And the discarded wrapping rose from the tomb in glory.

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Many in our church family are suffering in their bodies this Christmas season (see the prayer list). For some, the wrappings may soon be torn off, and their soul/gift released into God’s presence. We call this death, but Jesus called it Eternal Life. We need to reassure each other during this time that the wrapping is not the person, and that unwrapping our soul may be seen, by faith, as a moment of great rejoicing and fulfilment.

It’s possible that there will be a funeral soon, where one of us is memorialized, as the wrappings we knew so well are laid in the ground. We will be sad as we discard the used and worn body.

Surprise! God wastes nothing. Even the wrapping is loved and valued by him. He promises a moment of reuniting for eternity, which we look forward to as our resurrection in the end of time. How he will put the pieces together we cannot imagine. It’s as if he sees bits of paper and says: “Oh, I can’t throw that away. Not that ribbon. And the bow—it’s a bit twisted and wilted. Let me straighten it out. And maybe I’ll add a few spangles . . . .”

–Pastor George Van Alstine

NO MESSENGER NEXT WEEK—The office staff will take time to rest from their weekly publishing schedule.