I first heard about this small band of churches that were thinking about Christmas differently a few years back. This group had come together to rethink the modern day Christian response to December 25th, the day we celebrate Jesus Christ’s birth. What a novel concept I thought as I browsed through their website, intrigued, but at the not much else. Some thing sat with me since that time as I look around at “Christmas” spending, splurging and indebtedness that has come to be a regular part of the holidays and as is normal, the Christian way is the same as the non-Christian way. But for us that was about to change.
I have been fortunate enough to be changed by two short-term trips to Haiti that were way more beneficial to me that the Haitian people. Seeing extreme poverty up close and personal will not leave you the same person. Interacting with the people, learning about their culture and heritage and also seeing the destructiveness of greed and corruption had upon them as a people. Walking away I knew that my selfish, materialistic behaviors were not right and had to change. Honestly I still struggle with those demons most days as I click on the Charity Water picture of the day from my iPhone. But today hundreds of churches are banding together to as the book explains to “remain in the gospel of Jesus and worship Him- no matter how strongly the cultural demands of Christmas pull at us”. Calling God’s people to give relationally to those around us (family and friends) the gifts that really matter so we can send the money we spend on people who have most everything already, to those who need it for the basic needs, like clean water.
Advent Conspiracy is more than an idea, concept or book it’s a movement of Christ following people who are using a time of year set aside for receiving, to give like they see the example Jesus left for us through coming to earth that night and giving us what we could never have on our own, a relationship with God. If we allow the hustle and bustle of this time of year to distract us from it’s real meaning we have lost more than a month out of the year we have lost an opportunity share with others the whole reason Jesus came to earth in the form of a baby to unlikely parents, announced by angels to lowly shepards 2000 some odd years ago.
Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More and Love All
A few of my favorite quotes.
“Our worship has to be reborn. The wise men show us what happens when someone glimpses the true worthiness of Christ. We will travel around the world to meet Him, confront dominant world systems and give our King, our all.”
“What transformation would occur as God’s people moved across the globe loving Jesus with our time, attention and money?”
“We spend less at Christmas, except when we should spend more.”
Quoted of C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity, “There ought to be things we would like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditures exclude them.”
“The conscious giving of our time and presence to another is not a new concept, but a neglected one.”
“We cannot allow the broken and vulnerable to become invisible.”
“When God’s people serve the poor in humble, generous ways, the story of Jesus is told again and again. The poor in our world will be touched by God through how we choose to celebrate Christmas.”
“Clean water for every person in the world. That is our dream, and, yes it’s a big one.”
This is a must read for every person who longs to celebrate Christmas in meaningful and long lasting ways. Which is all of us, who have started a the new year after celebrating Christmas wishing it had be different and meant more.
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/2
