Advent Conspiracy:
Rethinking Christmas Before It’s Too Late … Again This Year.*
Mark 12:29-31
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Merry Christmas!
Well, I know that seems a bit early but you wouldn’t know it when you walk in some stores. Right next to Halloween decorations you find a Christmas aisle! Not to mention – that Christmas is only 66 days away.
What I am trying to say is … Christmas is already on the local retailers radar and they have a VERY specific agenda regarding how they want you to celebrate it.
I contend that our faith offers a more wholesome alternative to celebrating Christmas than the retailers are offering – it is worshipping the Christ.
This morning I am going to introduce you to this year’s Advent theme. We will look at it in more detail beginning on the first Sunday of Advent; November 30, 2014.
Actually, what I am really hoping to do is introduce you to a new way of “doing Christmas.” It is a project my family and I have been working on and struggling with for a many years. I minimizes the consumer aspects and emphasis the Christ aspects. It’s not a “Bah! Humbug!” mentality – it is a worshipful and celebrative opportunity and, for me, it makes Christmas far more satisfying and meaningful.
In 2006 a group of Pastor’s got together for fellowship and began to talk about the frustration they felt personally and professionally when the Christmas season rolled around. They shared their feelings of failure to help their congregations rise above consumerism and they discussed their feelings of betrayal because secularism has co-opted the season.
They were looking and praying for a way to circumvent the stranglehold that secularism had placed on Christmas. And they devised a workable “conspiracy” to reclaim the season. That conspiracy became known as “The Advent Conspiracy” and it has not only met the need for those congregations but it has been spreading ever since to thousands of other congregations.
Advent conspiracy does more than simply help us rethink Christmas – it actually helps us redefine our lives as people of faith. The principles of Advent Conspiracy can affect us 52 weeks a year – not just in the month of December.
It plays very nicely into Jesus’ passion (and ours) to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and our neighbor as ourselves.
Advent, you may remember, is the four weeks that lead up to Christmas. They are designed / intended to be times of preparation and reflection upon the coming of Christ – not only His first coming but also His second coming. They are intended to make us receptive and open to have a fresh encounter with Christ during the season … think of Advent as being the season to experience a personal coming of Christ into your life.
Let me ask you:
• Do you find the Christmas season to be less than satisfying?
• Do you come to the end of the season thinking (maybe even saying) “Is this all there is?”
• Do you wish that you could restructure your Christmas season and maybe even re-invent it so that it has more depth, more value, more meaning for you and for those you choose to bless during the season?
Me too!
And I think Advent Conspiracy can do for you what it has done for me. It can give you a few ideas that, although simple, will radically impact you, your family, your friends, and our church. As with the weeks in the Advent season – the suggested ideas are four in number.
1. WORSHIPPING FULLY
I place this one first because this one provides the motivation, courage, and faith for the remaining three. You see, loving God with our whole being (worshipping fully) helps us return to the prescribed activity of the first Christmas. It does not matter whether you look at angels, wise men, or shepherds; they worshipped fully – they were fully engaged – they were fully Christ-centered.
Sadly though – many of us feel we are too far from the stable to see the Christ. We are searching for hope, peace, rest, love, community, but with every step we take inside the mall we feel we are moving further away from the nativity. It seems that the time of year that should be easiest for us to worship Christ becomes the hardest.
The invitation (and challenge) of Advent Conspiracy is remain in the Gospel of Jesus and worship Him – no matter how strong the pull of cultural demands become.
Christmas, like worship, starts with Jesus and end with Jesus. It’s a season where we are called to put down our burdens and lift a song up to our God. It’s a season where love wins, peace reigns, and a king is celebrated with each breath.
We can enter (and exit) this season with an overwhelming passion to worship Jesus to the fullest. It may, however, require some “preemptive strikes” on your part to accomplish.
• You might want to use an Advent devotional each day
• You might want to serve notice to friends and family that you are rethinking Christmas
• You might decide to develop a schedule that lets you control the season rather than the season controlling you
God came to earth as one of us – to walk among us – to save us – to heal our lives. So let your worship be the outpouring of your heart – take Jesus seriously; desire the same things that move His heart.
Worshipping fully means that: at the end of Christmas you won’t feel like you had to “stuff” Jesus into the season here and there. You will know you have indeed loved Him with your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Four choices that can change your Christmas:
1. WORSHIPPING FULLY
2. SPENDING LESS
Quick question for you: What was the one gift you remember getting for Christmas last year? Next question: What about the fourth gift? Do you remember that one? Truth is many of us don’t because it wasn’t something we necessarily wanted or needed. Spending Less isn’t a call to stop giving gifts; it’s a call to stop spending money on gifts we won’t remember in less than a year. America spends around $600 billion dollars during the Christmas season, and much of that is joyless and goes right onto a credit card. By spending wisely on gifts we free ourselves from the anxiety associated with debt so we can take in the season with a full heart.
Seriously, how bizarre is it that debt and consumerism reach their pinnacle on the morning we celebrate the birth of Jesus – the Savior who came to liberate us from ourselves?
Christmas is a season of excess and it is often difficult not to get swept up into it. The pull to spend less seems like an impossible next step to many of us. But it flows from a heart that is directing its excess towards worshipping the Christ.
Spending less forces us to ask wholesome yet hard questions:
• What does my gift-giving say about my values?
• What does my gift-giving say about what I think of the recipient?
• How much is too much?
• Is it appropriate to give someone (i.e. my children) whatever they want?
• What is my manner of gift-giving teaching my family?
I am not suggesting you not give gifts. I am all for giving gifts. Spending less does not mean spending nothing. I am suggesting to you give gifts differently. I am suggesting putting thought into your gift giving. Spend wisely – from a framework of faith not from secularism’s framework of consumerism and commercialism. Let your spending meet a need not simply provide someone with another temporary entertainment.
Four choices that can change your Christmas:
1. WORSHIPPING FULLY
2. SPENDING LESS
3. GIVING MORE
Spending less does not mean spending nothing and is certainly does not mean giving nothing. In fact, I contend that if you are giving from this motivation your gifts will be more valuable.
Think of it this way. Instead of “giving more” – give relationally.
Give gifts with meaning.
How many gifts are given each year that show a disconnect between wish lists and the story of Jesus’ birth? We search, every Christmas morning for a fleeting moment to interject the Christmas story into the event and come to the end of the day with an aching emptiness. Deep down we know we have missed it again this year.
So here’s my suggestion – REBEL!!!!
• Rebel against the craziness!
• Rebel against the credit card debt!
• Rebel against the competitiveness!
• Rebel against giving out of obligation and guilt!
• Rebel against the hollow gifts!
There is something deeply moving and beautiful about giving the right gift to the right person.
Without fail, these “right gifts” are personal and relational aren’t they? You see, the best gifts celebrate a relationship.
One of the best gifts I received recently was from my wife – you know what it was? My wedding ring. You see, over the years my wedding ring had become more egg shaped that round and it was actually cracked/broken. I couldn’t wear it so I took it off and placed it on my valet. It was there for over a year. I forgot about it even. And then, for Christmas, one of the boxes I opened was my repaired wedding ring.
I got a lot of gifts that year but nothing (or even the accumulation of them all) meant/means more to me than the ring. In fact, I don’t even remember anything else I got!
That, my friends, is a simple example of giving relationally -- of thinking through a gift. It was about relationship.
And we all know God applauds the strengthening of relationships. God Himself gave us the gift of His son to strengthen our relationship with him. God never solves problems via materialism – it is always through relationships. So let your giving reflect the love and beauty of God.
I did something this week I am not proud of. Not because it was wrong but because I have both and X and Y chromosome and its one of those things guys just don’t do. But I did it none-the-less and I did it for you. I logged on to a “chick-site.” A chick-site is like a chick-flick except it’s a website. I logged onto Pinterest. I went to the search menu and I typed in “Advent Conspiracy” and you know what I found? Dozens and dozens of good relational gifts that you can give for Christmas. If you are at a loss I would recommend trying something like that because I want you to think personally and relationally.
When you give gifts this year let them be the gifts of your “presence” not simply “presents.”
Four choices that can change your Christmas:
1. WORSHIPPING FULLY
2. SPENDING LESS
3. GIVING MORE
4. LOVING ALL
It all boils down to love.
Love for a savior.
Love to a neighbor.
By spending just a little less on gifts we free up our resources to love as Jesus loves by giving to those who really need help. It’s not that there’s something wrong with the shopping mall—it’s that the better story is about loving all.
You see, my hope for you is not that you simply rebel or push back against the hyper-consumerism of our culture. It is that you do something proactive and positive in its place … you know … like love your neighbor.
Question: Can Christmas still change the world?
I think it can. As God’s people live / embody the message of Christmas we can bring genuine transformation to our communities.
There are many ways we can do this. Some are personal, some are local, and some are global. But all give us the opportunity to share the love of Jesus.
For a number of years now Vickie and I have taken advantage of Nazarene Compassionate Ministries’ adopt a child program by sponsoring a child in others’ names during the Christmas season.
This goes back to some of the questions I ask myself,
• “What does my giving say about the recipient?”
• “What does my giving say about my values?”
I am convinced that most of those I give gifts to would feel honored by another person being lifted-up and “rescued” on their behalf.
Vickie and I create a small card with the child’s name and picture on it and write the words similar to “As a Christmas gift to you; we have sponsored this child for one month in your honor.”
And you know what – when people reciprocate by doing something similar for me during Christmas … well, let’s just say it’s a wonderful gift to share with anyone.
There will be many opportunities this Advent to share that love. I want you to thoughtfully sift through each one and choose the ones that best reflect your values and express His love.
WRAP-UP
The Christmas story is a story of love, hope, redemption and relationship. So, what happened? How did it turn into stuff, stress and debt? Somehow, we’ve traded the best story in the world for the story of what’s on sale.
In closing, let me ask you a few more questions:
• What if, together, we decided that “enough is enough” and we will not do Christmas as usual?
• What if, this year, Christmas could be different; more meaningful, more like we desire it to be?
• What if Advent could be bigger and more effective than we ever imagined?
I want to encourage you to take the bulletin insert home and use it as a guide and source of encouragement as you begin your Christmas this year. I want you to make it through the season and discover that this time you did not begin looking for Jesus only to fill that quest with stuff instead.
Let’s ask God to awaken us this season.
Let’s ask God to realign our priorities.
Let’s ask God to place us in the midst of His mission.
Let’s choose to:
• WORSHIP FULLY
• SPEND LESS
• GIVE MORE
• LOVE ALL
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* For more information on this opportunity check out the Advent Conspiracy’s website at http://www.adventconspiracy.org/
This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
First Church of the Nazarene
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
www.banazarene.org
