Wrapped in God’s Love for Eternity Exodus 13:1–3a, 11–15; Col. 3:12–17; Luke 2:22–40 

 

Grace, mercy, and peace to you, from God our Father, and His Son born in Bethlehem. 

 

Today we’re going to talk about being wrapped in God’s love for eternity.

 

Christmas is the season when we test our gift-wrapping skills. 

 

My gift-wrapping skills are terrible. After I’ve wrapped a present, it looks like I dug the wrapping paper out of the recycling, or re-used last year’s crumbled up paper. 

 

I have to admit, I really don’t care all that much about how it looks, just so I get the gift covered, so you can’t see what it is.

 

Yet having said that, even I’m embarrassed of how bad the wrapping looks. I don’t care how it looks, and I’m embarrassed of it; that’s bad it looks.

 

Thanks be to God for gift bags. A gift bag and some Christmas colored tissue, and everything is good to go. 

 

Now my wife, she was a professional at wrapping gifts; I was in awe of her gift-wrapping skills; it was like, “How do you do that; it’s like magic!” 

 

Thankfully our daughters have her gift-wrapping gene, and not mine.

 

But by far, the best gift-giver and gift-wrapper, is our God. He wraps His perfect gifts to us, in His perfect love.

 

And as we said in our message yesterday, His love is what makes everything beautiful. Covered by His grace and wrapped in His love, we are made beautiful for eternity. 

 

All this is done for us though a child, whose birth we celebrate this season. 

 

Today’s Gospel continues with the events in the life of that child. 

40 days after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph wrapped their baby tight to protect him from the cold and the elements, and with the baby in their arms, they made the journey to Jerusalem.

 

Following Mosaic law, so that Jesus might fulfill all laws and prophecies of Scripture, Mary and Joseph presented Him at the temple as their first born, 

 dedicating Him to God, as the law of Moses required. 

 

However, God had something more in store for His Son. A very old and devout man, named Simeon, and a very old woman, named Anna, who was a prophetess, would bear witness as to the true identity of the child, that this child who looked so ordinary, was, in fact, so extra-ordinary.

 

The Holy Spirit had promised Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. Sometimes people seem to hold on until they reach a milestone, or something special they’re waiting for, and then they pass away in peace. So it was for Simeon. 

 

One day, following the urging of the Holy Spirit, this very old man slowly made his way to the temple courts, and there he waited, until he saw a man and his wife with a baby in their arms, and by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Simeon knew that this was the baby he had been waiting to see, and to bless.

 

He took the baby Messiah in His arms, looked up to heaven, and said, “Lord, now let me, Thy servant, depart in peace… for at last my eyes have seen your salvation (this little child)… a light as a revelation to the Gentiles, and for the glory of Israel.” In other words, the Savior of the nations.

 

And then Simeon blessed the parents of the baby, to encourage them for the awesome task ahead of them, as they would care for and raise the Savior of the world. 

 

Likewise, Christian parents today, have the awesome responsibility to raise and care for their baptized children, as the dear children belonging to God. And He is with godly parents, blessing and helping them to do this good and faithful work.

 

Back to the events at the temple, Simeon said to Mary, “This child will cause the falling and rising of many, and a sword will pierce your soul too.” 

 

Mary would have to endure every parent’s nightmare, to out-live their child, to have to watch their child die. Joseph was gone by then, but Mary, indeed, would see her firstborn suffer and die, but she would also see him rise and ascend.

 

All of that, Simeon saw in the baby he wrapped his arms around, and blessed.

 

And God had another surprise in store for Mary and Joseph, another blessing for them and their child. 

 

Right after that, at that very moment, Luke says, the prophetess Anna came up to them, and she, too, seemed to know who this this child really was. She gave thanks to God, and then spoke about the child to all who were waiting for the Messiah, that He had come at last. 

 

Luke says that Mary and Joseph were amazed by it all.

 

All of God’s love, His salvation for the world was wrapped up in that one, small child. 

 

As we just sang, What child is this, who lay to rest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping… This, this is Christ the king, whom shepherds guard and angels sing.

 

God wrapped up all of His love and His power in the child sent to save us. 

 

Because of the salvation He won, we bring our little children to Him. In Baptism, God wraps His children in the love of Christ for eternity.

 

Dear little Emilia Jane, Emmy, you wrapped her up to protect her from the cold December weather, and brought her to God’s house, so that through Baptism she would be wrapped in God’s eternal love.

 

By the power of the Holy Spirit, her sins were washed away; with the gift of faith she is fully forgiven.

 

Emmy has been made a part of God’s dear family, just as her parents, and grandparents, and sponsors, and other members of her family are, and all of us who believe the Gospel. 

 

We live and rejoice together as one spiritual family on earth, and someday, as one eternal family in Heaven.

 

By the grace of God, in His family Emmy will grow, surrounded by those who care for her, who will support her and her parents, as her parents teach and show her the Word and the ways of the Lord. 

 

In His Church, among His family, by His Word, and His Sacraments, by His Gospel, the good news of great joy, we all together are wrapped and kept in the love of Christ, for now and for eternity. 

 

How many times will you dress and clothe your little baby, and wrap her tight? Each time you do, you’ll do it in love. You might be in a hurry sometimes, and she might get to that age when she resists, but it’s love that keeps us going, and doing it again and again.

 

It’s really, and most of all, love that we give to our children, and to one another; acts of love, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and patterned after Christ. 

 

Sadly, every day our sin gets in the way, but we are washed of that. 

 

By repentance and faith, living in God’s grace, He renews our love for Him and for one another, and wraps us in a multitude of wonderful blessings: peace and joy and faith and hope and so much more.

 

The lives of God’s dear and faithful children are wrapped up in His love. With it, our spirits are rich; without it, our hearts and lives are poor. 

 

May Emmy, and all of us, always be rich in what truly matters, the love that came down for us at Christmas, the love of God for us in His Son.

 

 

Next year, Emmy may be to that point where she tears away the wrapping paper from her Christmas presents, and then plays with the paper, or the box, while mom or dad puts the toys together, and plays with them, while she’s playing with the paper.

 

May we never tear ourselves away from the love of Christ that God has wrapped us in by faith, that comforting, healing, saving, uplifting love that we all so desperately need; and that abundance of love for us to share.

 

May Emmy, and her parents, and her family, and all God’s family, may we all be wrapped and kept in God’s love, for today and for eternity. 

 

And may His peace, which surpasses our understanding, keep our hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus, in whose love we live and rejoice. Amen.