The Advent Conspiracy
Okay, so yesterday we talked about Advent and its invitation to slow down, to ponder the significance of what God has done (and is still doing!) through Jesus, and in this way to prepare our hearts to celebrate not just the birth of a beautiful child but the incarnation of God in Jesus as Emanuel, God with us.
I’m guessing that most readers of this blog already know a fair amount about Advent, and that the post was more of a reminder and invitation than an introduction. But do you know about the Advent Conspiracy?
Actually, I’m guessing that many of you do. But for those who don’t: The Advent Conspiracy is a world-wide movement to help us do the things we just talked about – slow down, ponder and participate in God’s ongoing activity, and prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth…in the way Jesus probably would have wanted us to!
Started in 2006 with just four congregations, it’s spread to more than 20 countries where tens of thousands of Christians are now preparing for Christmas a little differently…at least in terms of current cultural norms. While the Conspiracy takes different shape in different congregations and traditions, there are four principles all the Advent Conspirators follow:
1. Worship Fully.
As the [AC] (great logo, isn’t it?) website reads, “Christmas marks the moment where God’s promise was fulfilled and love took form, tiny fingers and all. It is a moment that deserves our full attention and praise.” We’re invited therefore to bring our whole selves to the opportunities to worship throughout Advent and Christmas that we might be struck again by just how much God loves us and all people.
2. Spend Less.
Again from the website:
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 $450 billion dollars during the Christmas season, and much of that 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.
3. Give More.
Really, do I need to elaborate? After all, what kind of gift would Jesus most like us to give to celebrate his birth? Another nice sweater or fancy gadget? Or maybe, just maybe, the gift of fresh water to impoverished villages? Easy one, I know, but given that the [AC] has dedicated itself to helping bring clean and fresh water to as many people as possible, it’s worth highlighting. Did you know that if folks in the U.S. spent just two percent (2%!) of our national “Christmas budget” on fresh water, we could drill wells for about half a billion thirsty members of God’s family? It’s an astounding idea.
4. Love All.
The Bible doesn’t tell us that God so loved the world that God gave us Black Friday and extended shopping mall hours. The Bible says that God so loved the world God sent the Son in order that we might have life. Embraced by God’s love and empowered to live abundantly we, in turn, are invited to love others. Love is what Christmas is about because love is what God is about. So how about this Christmas we keep that in mind…in our gift buying and giving…in our charitable giving…in our service…in the way we treat those who work overtime at low wage jobs to help us find that perfect gift, and even those who seem bent on getting that same gift before we do. Let’s say we reflect God’s love, that is, in how we look at and treat, well, everyone.
So what do you think? Ready to conspire to prepare for Christmas this Advent in a way that a) leaves you feeling joyful rather than spent on Christmas Day, b) shares Christ’s love with those in need, and c) re-orients us to the meaning of Christmas in an active, participatory way? Then climb aboard – the Advent Conspiracy train is on the move. For more information on how you, your family, or your congregation can join the Conspiracy, you can check out the [AC] website and watch the two-minute promo video they put together last year.
[AC] 2012 Promo – Basic from Advent Conspiracy on Vimeo.
Note: if you are receiving this post by email, you may need to click here to watch the video.
We are doing Advent Conspiracy this year at my congregation. Well – in our own way. Focusing on the themes for each week during sermons and prayer. We don’t do midweek services, and no Christmas pageant, so we are using a puppet skit for the finally sermon (Love All) that wraps up the themes throughout Advent. We are inviting folks to contribute to ELCA Hunger, Lutheran World Relief or other Global ministry – like Malaria throughout the season and on Christmas Eve. I had written the puppet skit for my teaching congregation and thought I’d revive the idea in my first call. I used Rolf Jacobson’s “Would Jesus Shop on Black Friday?” for Advent 1. How do we worship fully? By putting our treasure where we want our hearts to be. Good find, David!
Advent Conspiracy is a wonderful idea.
And I have invited our congregation to consider a variation on AC for Advent.
I have not invited our congregation to worship fully, I have changed each weekly emphasis.
I wonder. Does it all begin with worship, or does it begin with our need? I suspect that this is kind of important.
That being said, I bought their AC book (in order to get the video) – and while I did not find anything there to put to use in a Lutheran context, it was better than I expected, and it showed forth a great measure of generosity on the part of God’s people.
One more thing – I think that the “Worship Fully” theme holds a bit of a problem. At our church, we don’t really worship fully. We worship kinda mediocre-ly. We worship distractedly. We worship pretty ok sometimes, but never fully. Yet. . . (To quote the video: “Do you see where this is going?”)