SWADDLING CLOTHES

Lk.2:11.12 – For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.

You can never get tired of hearing this story. It is the greatest of all stories, the one where the Creator of all things became a human baby, born to a young virgin Jewish girl, born in an animal barn with a feeding trough for a cradle. This is God’s love story, He became a sacrificial lamb, an offering for our sin, that we could become children of God. All of creation was waiting for that day, every year we wait in joyful anticipation for the celebration of His birth. All the stores will close down, the shopping centers and restaurants will be empty as the world stops in hushed silence to honor the birth of our Savior. Here is how Brian Simmons describes this event.

“A baby lying in a feeding trough where animals were kept nearby, wrapped in strips of cloths, became a sign of the Man-Savior’s life on earth. He entered the world as a lowly baby, and though he is the mighty God, he lived his life on earth in gentleness before all. The shepherds that night were possibly near Bethlehem at Migdal Eder, “the [watch] tower of the flock.” This would fulfill both the prophecies of Mic. 5:2 and Mic. 4:8, which say, “to you it [he] will come, your dominion [kingdom] from old will arrive.” It was at the lower floor of the watchtower that the birthing of the Passover lambs would take place. Selected ewes that were about to give birth would be brought there. After the birth of the lambs, the priestly shepherds would wrap the lambs in cloth and lay them in a manger lined with soft hay to prevent them from hurting themselves, for Passover lambs must be unblemished with no bruise or broken bone. The miracle sign for these priestly shepherds would be a baby boy lying where the Passover lamb should be—in a manger, wrapped in strips of cloth. It was at the cradle of Jesus Christ that the kingdom from ancient times arrived on earth.”

So Christmas is coming again, the celebration of the greatest of all days is about to break out. As we wait in expectancy other prophecies swirl around in our heads. These are not visions of sugar plumbs but visions of the soon return of our Savior. He said He would return for His children, this time it won’t be as a baby in a feeding trough, it will be on a white horse followed by the armies of heaven and He will be shining in His glorious light. Joy to the world, the Lord is come, let earth receive her King.