JFK, Area 51 and Baby Jesus
Last year on the First Sunday of Advent , I discovered something I had not been aware of…..the Advent Conspiracy.
The Advent Conspiracy is the brainchild of several friends who were pastors, who wanted to remind others of the power Christmas has to change the world. They suggested that Christians can still harness the power that came to earth as a result of the birth of Christ both in how we prepare for and celebrate Christmas.
The Advent Conspiracy has four main elements: Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More and Love All.
My hope is that my own parish of St. Thomas will consider rejecting consumerism this Advent Season in order to more fully embrace Christ. The first Christmas began with worship. The Shepherds, Angels and Magi gathered to worship the Incarnate God on the first Christmas and we as Christians are challenged today to do the same.
Most of us, if we admit it, will spend more every year at Christmas than we would like. We also spend more time than we would like fighting lines in parking lots and at mall counters buying gifts that many times others do not actually want. What if we were to intentionally spend less money on gifts this Advent?
What if instead of spending more money, we gave more to others? This does not simply mean giving more money away, though it might certainly include using some of the money we save to those in need. It also means giving more of our time to those we care about, to give more presence and less presents. The proponents of the Advent Conspiracy rightfully point out that it might actually be harder to give less expensive gifts that are more meaningful.
Last on the conspirators’ list is to love all. That means finding ways to pray for one another, to share our time and energy with those we love and to do what we can to help those in need. The Advent Conspiracy is not an easy thing to accomplish, but in my mind well worth the effort.
You can find out more about it by clicking here.
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