This December I’m leading a class for our iParent community about the subversive nature of Advent. I say “subversive,” because observing a holy Advent really is counter-cultural. And I’m not talking about being Scrooge-like “Advent Police” to people who’ve already put up their Christmas decorations or started saying “Merry Christmas” sometime around Thanksgiving. No, Advent runs counter to our broader society, because it helps focus our hearts and minds on what Christmas is really all about, about the true meaning and significance of the story of God’s Son being born into the world.
In the class, we’re loosely following a program developed a few years ago by some pastors called “Advent Conspiracy.” Their foundational belief is that, if the story of Christmas changed the world, that means it should probably change us, too. And so our observance of Christmas, and the way we remember and celebrate Christ’s birth, should echo the story itself and the life of the one who was born that fateful night in Bethlehem. Yet, the reality is that, for many today, our experience of Christmas increasingly bears less and less resemblance to its central story. Not only is the month of December often one of the most stressful and chaotic for many people, Christmas is dominated by the buying of stuff. Did you know that Americans spend over $450 billion at Christmas every year? To put that number into perspective, one NGO estimates that it would cost about $22 billion a year to provide clean water for every person on the planet, and Richard Stearns, President of World Vision, estimates that it would take about $65 billion to eliminate the world’s most extreme poverty.
In our class we’re talking about how we can work to reclaim the place and meaning of the story of Jesus’ birth in our lives. We’re talking about how we can spend less, yet give more. We’re thinking about how we can experience more awe and wonder and joy. And I hope you will join our Advent conspiracy, too. Take time to pray today about how you can get closer to the heart of Christmas. Ask God to grow your heart and imagination, to lead you to the manger rather than the mall. Look around for ways to give meaningful gifts, and to love more fully and freely.
Yes, the story of Christmas changed the world, and it can change us, too.
-Casey+