The phrase that came to me this morning is “Jesus Unwrapped”
Yes, we need to open the gift that is Jesus and receive him. But we need to receive the real Jesus ~ I believe there are places where we have mummified him, bubble wrapped him, boxed him, tried to make him pretty and glittery rather than the pure, unadulterated Jesus, unwrapped in his fullness.
Yes he was wrapped as a baby in swaddling clothes but he doesn’t stay that cute baby in our nativity pictures. He was wrapped as a dead sacrifice for us but then unwrapping himself from death, he emerges a gift to us all.
Naked and unashamed! Restored to life and fullness, conquering death.
He ascended and is seated in glory and is returning as a king
This is the Jesus we celebrate.
The one who overcame, the one who defeated death and sin.
The king of glory not just gentle Jesus meek and mild who we may sing about at Christmas, but not really know, who will comfort me as a good shepherd but sometimes his comfort, his care, will make us uncomfortable: I remember sheep dipping time – cleansing the sheep of parasites, dosing against disease, trimming and cleaning the feet of infestation so they could walk freely, clipping excess, ragged and unhelpful wool that is not for the season. The sheep didn’t always love these things but it was what they needed!
We need to allow Jesus to be unwrapped in ALL his fullness in our lives – he is coming back as the warrior king to rule and reign and some of us want him to stay in shepherd mode, or cute baby mode.
David went from the fields with the sheep to being a king warring with the enemies of God’s people, bringing about a righteous, peaceful reign. Moses went from the fields with the sheep to delivering the people of God from bondage.
Jesus went from the baby in the manger attended by shepherds, to an obedient child, to ministering life, healing, wholeness and the gospel of the kingdom, to being the sacrificial lamb, our Saviour, to the conquering one who sits in glory on his throne next to the Father.
I wonder if sometimes we have got stuck in our unwrapping of the gift that is Jesus in the sense that he is stays the baby in the manger, or stays our Saviour, stays as the one bringing our healing and deliverance or is he Lord of all, the coming King, the ever-coming one of whom we will forever be singing Holy, Holy, Holy as we explore the everlasting nature of the revelation of who he is?
‘Jesus unwrapped’ is an ongoing process as he reveals more and more of himself to us.
Praying that we might allow him reveal himself however he chooses today, and going forward, that we might know him in his fullness!
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