SWADDLING CLOTH: A swaddling cloth wasn't a diaper. It was a piece of cloth that was snuggly wrapped from head to toe around a newborn. The swaddling cloth kept the baby warm and simulated the tight, humid environment of the womb, thus pacifying a newborn who would wail and flail if left to lie naked in what seemed like infinite and unfamiliar space. Jesus was wrapped in swaddling cloth at His birth and placed in a manager. When He died, He was wrapped in a shroud and placed in a tomb. Christ's swaddling cloth reveals His identity with every other baby born and prefigures His death. The Baby in the Bethlehem stable was born to die. Lord, we, too, are destined to die. Christ's life taught us how to live and His death redeemed us and gave us eternal life. Swaddle us in Your Love and Grace so that we may live for You and die peacefully and faithfully in Your service. Amen.
