advent conspiracy

The following is the vision my church has for Advent Conspiracy, an international movement to refocus our hearts and lives around Jesus during this busy season of the year. I am so excited to be a part of it, and am already thinking of creative ways to give relationally, and intentionally focus on Christ instead of the things this culture tells me are important. I am trying to examine how those who follow Christ can lead the world in taking care of others near and far, and send the message by our actions and lifestyles that truly Christ is our most valuable gift!

Christmas can (still) change the world.

Freedom, restoration. Joy. For everyone. This was God’s agenda 2,000 years ago when he sent his son into our broken world with an outrageous plan to rescue us. This was his gift to humanity.

Today, Americans celebrate this act of revolutionary love by spending 450 billion dollars each Christmas. On December 26, after months of chaos, we may look back and wonder if we somehow missed the point.

The story of Christ’s birth is subversive; it tells of an upside-down kingdom. It’s a story of promise and hope in which the blind see, the lame walk and the least become the greatest. So what if Christmas became a world-changing event again by turning our focus back to the birth of Christ? What if we could trade our celebration of stuff for a celebration of hope and unbelievable memories with family and friends? What if all this could save a life at the same time?

Concepts:

Worship Fully- It starts with Jesus. It ends with Jesus. Christmas is a season where love wins, peace reigns, and a king is celebrated with each breath. Entering the story of advent means entering this season with an overwhelming passion to worship Jesus to the fullest.

Spend Less- We live in a culture that guilts us into overspending. But is buying a loved one the latest gadget really the best way show you care? This Christmas, resist the message that stuff will satisfy and become more available to celebrate Jesus’ birth.
Give More- God didn’t spend a dime when he gave us the greatest gift ever known – the loving presence of his son in our world. So it’s no wonder that we’re drawn to the idea that Christmas should be a time to love our friends, family and people in need. Instead of shopping for excess things, consider writing your mom a letter, taking your kids sledding, serving a homeless family and visibly showing love through relational giving.
Love All- When Jesus loved, He loved in ways never imagined before. He entered our world and gave up everything to bring God’s kingdom to those who were physically and spiritually poor, forgotten, overlooked and sick. By spending less on presents, we can free up our resources and join Him in meeting physical and spiritual needs around the world.

Throughout the month of December, there will be opportunities to give away money you would have otherwise spent on holiday loot by putting it in a red advent conspiracy envelope and dropping it in Mosaic’s offering. 100% of the funds will be redistributed to projects to serve Portland, Haiti, Kosovo, and provide clean water through Living Water International.


I think it's a pretty cool conspiracy....