Let’s wrap it up! That phrase gets used in a lot of different ways. You might say “Let’s Wrap things up” when a meeting has gone on too long, when you are trying to finish a business deal, or when you think a conversation needs to end.

I used to have an Elder in my church who was a very good friend and is now with Jesus. If he thought the sermon was going too long, he would stand in the back and stick one finger up in the air, twirl it around in a circular motion, after which he would bring it down in front of his neck and make a horizontal slashing gesture. The message was clear: Let’s wrap things up!

We like to wrap things up, to get them over with. It gives us a sense of accomplishment. One year I had a son-in-law post online that he had wrapped up his Christmas shopping on November 11. He was done!

That brings up another way we think about wrapping things up. We like to wrap things up in the sense of gifts, putting brightly colored paper and ribbons and bows on things. For many people, that is what this time of year is all about.

Of course, it is possible for us to get wrapped up in things that keep us from doing what we should be doing. You may get so involved in a television program that you neglect to speak to your family members in the same room with you. We have all seen a room full of people staring at their phones and no one speaking to anyone sitting there with them. You can get so wrapped up in a computer game or social media that you neglect your chores around the house. You let your job consume you and get wrapped up in work to the point where you don’t ever take time off for yourself.

I want to encourage you this Advent season to get wrapped up in what matters most. Let’s focus on Jesus and the gift that He is to us and prepare our hearts and lives to celebrate His birth again this year. Don’t let the problems of this world consume you to the point where you miss the Good News of great joy that is for all people: A Savior has been born, who is Christ the Lord.

It does not matter what hardship you face, what difficulty you encounter or the loneliness you feel. Jesus loves you, so much so that He came into this world with all its problems so that you could have hope, forgiveness, life, joy and peace.

Don’t get so wrapped up in yourself or your things or your problems that you miss the gift that was wrapped up in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. He came here to wrap up the problem of sin for you. He did that when He let Himself be killed for your sins and be wrapped in burial clothes. And then He rose from the dead, wrapping up the victory that He gives to all who believe in Him.

Prepare yourself to have a very Merry CHRISTmas.