Let's face it...our observance of Christmas, as a nation, has become distorted, shallow and misdirected. It hardly even has a hint of the spirit of Christ. This is true even for many of us. We worship what happens at the malls, more than we worship what happened in the Manger. We spend rediculous amounts of money on gifts thinking it will prove or gain the affection of our family. We allow our schedules to be filled with parties, events, shopping and other stressful activities even though they cause us to have less time to spend with family during the holidays.
What if Christmas could be different this year? What if we actually felt deep in our hearts the amazing truth that God has come to dwell among us? What if at the end of December the only thing "broken" about us was not our bank account, but our hearts which were broken for the needs of people around us? What if instead of giving our family more ties, sweaters and gadgets they will forget or discard within a few weeks we gave more of ourselves to them; our time, our affection, our attention? What if when its time for the decorations to come down we know that something we did or gave meant the difference between life or death for children in poverty around the world?
I want to invite you to do Christmas differently this year and, perhaps, for the rest of your life. Beginning this coming Sunday (Nov. 6) we will offer a four week challenge to you. We challenge you this Christmas to "Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More and Love All." In addition to the messages in worship, you may want to purchase and read along in the book "Advent Conspiracy." Several of our Grow Groups will also be using this material for their weekly meetings and discussion. If you would like a study guide for the messages, go to the Grow Group website and download them there.
If you have ever reached a point of saying "I am tired of all the hype! I'm fed up with the pressure to spend money I don't have on gifts people don't need! I wish Christmas didn't have to be so stressful!" then the Advent Conspiracy is for you! I hope to see you each week as we conspire together to TAKE BACK CHRISTMAS! ARE YOU IN?
Stuart
