The Unwrapping

My children buy presents for each other.
They do not do a Pollyanna gift exchange where names are chosen.
They do full fledged, all-out purchases for each other.
They get something for their dad and I as well.

The gifts are wrapped and placed beneath the tree.
Colorful boxes and bags are waiting to be opened.
They take pictures of the tree with the gifts underneath.
Christmas morning has its traditions.

The gifts we give our children are opened first before breakfast.
The Christmas story is read from Luke 2 and the breakfast feast begins.
After breakfast, we each sit in what has become known as the Christmas chair.
The person sitting in the chair unwraps each gift as the giver hands it to them.

There is comfort in the traditions.
They are traditions that my children count on and cherish.
The traditions are not what Christmas is all about.
Yet they are our family’s unique way of celebrating.

My favorite day of the year is Christmas Eve.
It is a blessing to go to Christmas Eve service as a family.
Then to come home, get cozy in our pajamas and watch It’s A Wonderful Life.
There is something about the anticipation of Christmas.

Christmas day itself is never a disappointment.
Rather there is something about the waiting that brings me delight.
I like seeing the unwrapped gifts beneath our tree.
I like knowing that Christmas is coming.

To a small child, the waiting is very difficult.
For me, the waiting makes the fulfillment sweeter.
That is why I never object to the pictures of the wrapped presents beneath the tree.
That picture actually solidifies a Biblical truth.

In the Old Testament, faith meant waiting.
In the New Testament, faith meant following.
The promised Messiah was foretold, but had not yet come.
Some faithful ones waited yet never saw the fulfillment of the Promise in their day.

We, on the other side of the Incarnation, know the whole Story.
For us there is no waiting for Him to come.
There is only waiting for Him to come back.
Waiting and Fulfillment is key to understanding the prophecy of the Messiah.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for Him what the custom of the law required, Simeon took Him in his arms and praised God saying, “Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to Your people Israel.”  The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about Him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, His mother, “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:25-38)

Simeon and Anna waited.
They knew all the promises and they waited patiently for the gift of the Lord’s Christ.
Simeon and Anna had one foot in the Old Testament and one foot in the New Testament.
They were standing on each side of the Promise.

Once they saw Jesus in the temple with Mary and Joseph, they knew.
It was revealed through the Spirit that this Child is the Christ.
This is the One who was promised.
They could confidently and with complete surety step figuratively into the New Testament.

And step they did; with both feet.
They knew.
The unwrapped Gift that was promised and anticipated was finally here.
The Gift was unwrapped to reveal a Child.

God wrapped Himself in a box.
God wrapped Himself in the human body of His Son, Jesus.
Jesus is God’s gift to us.
God’s Gift was unwrapped on that first Christmas morning.

That is why we give gifts.
That is why we lay them beneath the tree.
It is on the Tree where the Gift of God will be torn apart.
Torn apart not in Christmas wonder, but in Good Friday suffering.

The God-man, Jesus, will be wrapped again in linen and spices.
Once again, He will be unwrapped, with the linen folded where His head once was.
From the tomb will burst forth the Unwrapped One.
The Gift; the Promise.

Christmas has been Easter-ed.
The Present has been unwrapped for all eternity.
The tree which once was a symbol of suffering and shame is now a symbol of victory.
God, that put Himself in a box, is now opened.

The Gift was not under the tree but was on the tree.
It did not stay there very long.
Like most Gifts, it is to be enjoyed.
With gratitude we thank the Giver who sits in His own special Christmas chair.