What Do You Expect?

I've been thinking about the radical way we celebrate Christmas, and how, as Christians, it seems that we place almost too much emphasis on the birth of Christ rather than His resurrection or ministry. Shouldn't Easter receive more attention? Why is Christmas such a huge deal?

But then I got to thinking about the age-old adage about Christ being the best gift you can receive at Christmas.
Have you ever received a gift that wasn't what you expected it to be? You open the box, look inside, and say, "Ooh... thanks... it's great." And you're not upset about it, you're not sad, it just isn't what you expected it to be. Hence, your response is polite and grateful, but not exuberant.
Then you take the gift home.
And you begin to use it in your daily life.
And you realize... this is a great gift! It's awesome! I really like it! And you think, "Man, if only I could go back and open it for the first time again and be as thankful for it then as I am now."

I think that's why Christmas is a big deal.

We didn't know what we were getting. We expected a King, and we got a baby. Not a bad thing, just... not what we were expecting Him to be. And so the response to His coming was quiet; grateful, but not exuberant; thankful but not overwhelmed.
Then He lived His life.
He changed the very nature of our communication with God.
He ripped open the gate between man and Creator.
And we realize looking back... He was a great gift! If we had known what He was going to do, how He was going to heal the sick and work miracles and reconcile the world to Himself through one ultimate sacrifice and triumph, we would have been shouting our lungs out in thankfulness. And so now we think, "Man, if only we could go back and see Him coming for the first time again and be as thankful for Him then as we are now."

The original gift is so incredibly important, because it contains everything else that comes after. Jesus as the sacrificial lamb was inside that baby. Jesus as the resurrected conqueror was inside that baby. The One who threw the stars into place was inside that baby. The entire scope of His revelation and nature was inside that baby.
That's an awesome gift.

So I am now wondering to myself, what is my reaction going to be when He comes again? Will I recognize the immense beauty in the gift being given?

The shepherds at Christ's first coming are usually the most talked-about visitors, how Jesus was first shown to humble workers instead of learned scholars. But what about the wise men? These men, highly esteemed and intelligent and noble, found the same King in a young boy's body. They weren't thrown off by it. They didn't take a look and say, "Oops. Guess we were off. We'll just take our not-age-appropriate-gifts and go away." They fell down and worshiped Him. They knew what they were looking for. They had been following His star, they had done their research, they had spent years of their lives pursuing Him before they ever saw Him. They weren't disillusioned when they met Him.

I want to be like those wise men. I want to prepare myself before He comes again so that when I see Him for the first time, I worship and give my very best. I don't know what His second coming is going to look like exactly. It might not be what I anticipate. He may not be exactly what I'm expecting. But I know He will be the best gift ever imagined, and I want to be ready to receive Him.