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“It’s the most wonderful time of the year”…so the song goes. Every year the activities, gatherings, events, sights, and sounds of Christmas promise this season of the year to be more fulfilling and thrilling than any other. However, in reality, research has consistently shown that for many of us, “the most wonderful time of the year” is “the most exasperating time of the year!” How is it that a season which guarantees us of joy and endless merriment can in fact reduce us to levels of stress that seem greater than at any other time. While there may be many factors such as a change in regular schedules, eating habits, traveling, financial pressures or family conflict, all of these seem somehow to be amplified by unrealistic expectations. Pressured by social media, retailers, and less than accurate memories from Christmas’s past, many of us are tempted to edge nearer and nearer toward the seemingly endless drop off the cliff of unrealistic expectations.
Imagine with me if you could possibly bottle the many expectations of Christmas into a container. Think of all the events that must be attended, all the memories that must be created, all the recipes that must be baked, and all the merchandise that must be bought—and those are just your expectations! Add to this the expectations placed upon you by your family and your friends. Now, imagine if you could possibly hold a container which represents the time and resources with which you have been given. In many cases, especially during the holidays, our expectations fill up a ten-gallon barrel; we find ourselves pouring that into a 5-ounce container of reality. The obvious overflow represents stress!
While our expectations for Christmas may be less than probable, they cannot compare to the expectations which God’s people had for the promised Messiah. Following the prophet Malachi’s words, closing the Old Testament, it would be another four hundred years before another revelation from God would come. The expectations for Messiah are well documented throughout the pages of Jewish history. They are so excellently defined and numerous that one might wonder how any coming king could possibly match up to those expectations. One passage that may best describe the longing and expectation for the Messiah is found in Isaiah 9:6. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah records five descriptors of Messiah which depict overwhelming expectation. Yet, in the New Testament, Jesus is unequivocally presented as the One who fulfills every single prophecy (Revelation 19:10)! As we ponder the implications of making unrealistic expectations upon our celebration of Christmas, perhaps we should also consider our expectations of Jesus. Are they realistic, or are they sorely not enough?
Just what kind of expectations should be placed upon Jesus?
1. Jesus is worthy. Isaiah calls Him “wonderful.” Everything that Jesus is and does is wonderful! Everything about Him excites within us praise and adoration! And if it does not, it is not because our expectation of Him is unreasonable, but because it is too low! Everything about Christ is perfect! Everything He does is magnificent! To fail to recognize this is not only counterintuitive to our joy and fulfillment in life, but it is starkly dangerous to our souls.
2. Jesus is available. Isaiah describes Him as “counselor.” This name for Jesus comes from a Hebrew word which denotes one of honorable rank; one who is suited to stand near princes and kings as their adviser. This verse makes it clear that we can seek the counsel of God regardless of the dilemma. However, God is not simply an adviser among many others—He is the Lord! If we view His wisdom as optional, He will refuse to give it.
3. Jesus is able. The designation of “mighty God” reveals the deity of Jesus. This name denotes Jesus’ omnipotence and power in every situation. In the gospels we read of Jesus’ authority over the forces of nature, demons, disease, and even death itself. There is nothing that Jesus cannot do and there is no situation in which He cannot save.
4. Jesus is always. The title “everlasting Father” also denotes the divine nature of the Messiah. This terminology literally means that Jesus is the source of eternity. Through faith in Christ, we have a relationship with God of infinite value. Charles Spurgeon reflected well upon this matter:
The Christian knows no change with regard to God. He may be rich today and poor tomorrow; he may be sickly today and well tomorrow; he may be in happiness today, tomorrow he may be distressed; but there is no change with regard to his relationship to God. If he love me yesterday he loves me today. I am neither better nor worse in God that I ever was. Let prospects be blighted, let hopes be blasted, let joy be withered, let mildews destroy everything. I have lost nothing of what I have in God.
5. Jesus is redeemer. The title “Prince of Peace” denotes the nature of Jesus’ rule and administration. While He certainly gives us peace now, this name speaks more to the truth that we have peace because we are assured that He will one day return and make all things right. We often times associate peace as a feeling. However, in Scripture, peace is described as an assurance based upon Christ’s redemption of our past sins, present circumstances, and future unknown.
So, as we are in the midst of a season in which unrealistic expectations can cause such great stress and anxiety, perhaps we should reconsider what will happen during the holidays by understanding what realistically can, or cannot, happen during this season. Or even better, so that we might cling to an unspeakable joy and an unsinkable hope, may we wonder again at Jesus. Our expectations cannot possibly equal everything that He is!
Raising my expectations in Jesus,
Jason