In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:1-7 ESV).
Swaddling clothes described in the Bible consisted of a cloth tied together by bandage-like strips. After an infant was born, the umbilical cord was cut and tied, and then the baby was washed, rubbed with salt and oil, and wrapped with strips of cloth. This custom is at the very heart of the first Christmas. Our reading tells us that the shepherds come to the stable to find a rag-wrapped baby lying in a makeshift crib. By itself, that’s not so unusual. Babies show up when and where they happen to be born. Mothers must deal with it, ready or not. And they do, whether the baby is delivered in a hospital, in a taxicab, or in a stable on a dirt floor.
However, what’s unusual here is not the rags. Mary improvised, using what was available. And what’s unusual is not the manger. That was just a smart solution to an urgent need. No, what’s unusual here is the baby himself. Of course, we see the common in the birth of this child. He had the usual number of fingers and toes. You just know that Mary counts them. This baby has the usual smooth, soft skin. You just know that Mary adores his little cheeks. And this baby makes all the usual sounds: coos and gurgles and wails. You just know that Mary takes in these sounds as music to her ears.
What’s unusual about this baby is not his actual flesh and blood, not his appearance, not his behavior. No, what’s unusual about this baby is the identity veiled by his helpless human form. Because this baby is the God “through [whom] all things were made” (cf. John 1:3). This is a wonder. The almighty Creator of all has determined it necessary and right to come from His throne in the heavenlies and take the form of an ordinary human being. He looks like any other newborn child; he sounds like any other newborn child; and he is dressed as any other newborn child. Yet he is anything but normal. He is the Son of the Living God and Savior of the world! If we forget that in the midst of our holiday celebration, we have forgotten the essential nature of our only Good News!