I know I'm not the first to notice that Christmas displays go up earlier every year at stores all around us. I'm pretty sure Costco started stocking trees and lights in September. (A good friend of mine is a longtime Costco employee and he says that by the time December 25 arrives he is sick of all things Christmas.) As a pastor I do my best to observe the season of Advent instead of jumping right into Christmas. That observation includes decorating and pulling out the Christmas music.
For some reason this year I found myself putting in a Christmas cd in mid-November. Granted it was a gift from a dear friend and it wasn't your typical Christmas carols (to check it out look for Bela Fleck and the Flecktones "Jingle All the Way"). As I listened I thought again about Advent and Christmas practices.
For the last couple of years my family has been participating in the Advent Conspiracy. (You can find their website here http://adventconspiracy.org/) This simple idea revolves around reclaiming the season for the true celebration of the birth of Christ. Their four catch phrases are Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, and Love All. Their challenge is to really dive into this season by attending church and reading scripture, to buy one less gift than you normally would, use the time you would have spent in the mall with family and friends, and use the money you would have spent on that gift to support a mission in the world.
For the last couple of years my family has purchased an animal through Heifer International or the ELCA's Good Gifts catalogue. We've found this to be incredibly meaningful. Will you join the Advent Conspiracy?
No comments:
Post a Comment