On This Night

Gift wrapping is also odd. I don’t know about you, but I look for the cheapest wrapping paper possible. After all the pomp and ceremony is over, the paper just ends up in the garbage can. I remember on one occasion when my daughter and I were Christmas shopping, and we needed some wrapping paper. She wanted to buy the fancy plaid paper because it looked classy. But there I was, comparing the price per square foot to get the best deal possible. I dare not overspend on wrapping paper! Now, picture this: We take the cheapest paper possible and wrap the most expensive gifts that we’ll buy the entire year in it. Isn’t that kind of odd? We wrap some of the most expensive gifts (jewelry, cell phones, a PS4) in the least expensive paper we can find. The wrapping paper does not befit or accurately represent the gift that lies hidden inside of it. However, there are a few precedents for doing this.

Think about human beings, for instance. When God created humans, He formed our bodies from the dust of the ground. Genesis 2:7–8 says, “The Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” God took a pile of dirt (talk about some cheap wrapping paper) and breathed His precious gift of life into it, and we became living creatures. I’m not saying our physical bodies are worthless and don’t matter. The Bible says, “We are fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). But right now, because of sin and its effect on creation, our bodies are falling apart, imperfect, and flawed. Listen to the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:2–5: “For while we’re in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling …”

While we’re in this physical wrapping paper, we long for something more. I think you all would agree, it’s what’s on the inside that makes us valuable and makes us who we are. How many different sayings do we have to that affect? “You can’t judge a book by its cover. Appearances can be deceiving. It’s what’s on the inside that counts.” God places His precious gift of life, and all that life entails, inside this wrapping paper. In its current state, humanity is one precedent. But there is another precedent for wrapping something precious in something common and inexpensive: it’s what we celebrate at Christmas and why we’re gathered here for worship.

When the eternal Son of God was born of a virgin, God literally wrapped himself in human flesh. You talk about a contrast! Listen to John 1:1–4, 14 (Note: this is a portion of the gospel of incarnation): “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made. In Him was life itself, and the life was the light of men … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus is God wrapped in our flesh. Can we even understand what that means? Luther didn’t think so. He said, “Human reason does not apprehend it and should turn utterly blind, dark and foolish and step out of its old false light into a new light.”

Hear me on this: the very essence of God, the same God who formed humanity out of the dust from the ground and breathed life into us, the same God who made all things and who spoke in the desert at Mt. Sinai to the children of Israel and parted the Red Sea, the same God who rained manna from heaven, the one true God, the essence of life itself and everything we know about our existence—this same God wrapped Himself in our flesh. Luther continued, “All the majesty of God was masked and wrapped in Jesus’ humanity. God has hidden His majesty in Christ. He does not appear with lightning, thunder, or angels, but as one born of a virgin and speaking with men about the forgiveness of sins.”

God wrapped Himself in our flesh so that we could see Him, hear Him, touch Him, and know Him. Apart from Jesus, it is not possible for us to see the majesty of God. But God wants to be seen, heard, touched, and known. Therefore, He wrapped Himself in human flesh and was born of a virgin. What a gift!