Theme of the Week: Advent: Hopeful Expectation
Bible Verse: ‘But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ‘ Luke 2:10-11, NIV
Scripture Reading: Micah 5:2-5
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas: stores, sales abound, decorations are emerging from hibernation, and Hallmark Christmas movies are playing 24/7. In some places snow has graced us with its presence. Christmas is in the air.
Getting in the Christmas spirit needs to be so much more than sales, snacks, and Santa. Christmas is about preparing our hearts for something greater than a holiday season. But in order to do that, we might need to do something a little more radical in order to turn the Christmas we know into the Christmas it was meant to be.
One of the ways many Christians since the 4th century have prepared for the true celebration of Christmas is through Advent.
What is Advent?
Advent is the period of four Sundays and weeks before Christmas. Advent means ‘coming’ in Latin. It celebrates the coming of Jesus into the world. Christians use these weeks to prepare and remember the real meaning of Christmas. There are three meanings of ‘coming’ that Christians describe in Advent.
- The first, and most thought of, happened about 2000 years ago when Jesus came into the world as a baby to live as a man and die for us.
- The second can happen now as Jesus desires to come into our lives today.
- The third will happen in the future when Jesus returns.
One more recent take on advent that has emerged, is called the Advent Conspiracy. Now, conspiracy might be an odd way to describe these preparations, but this is not some new fake news…it is the GOOD NEWS of great joy!
In 2006, three pastors, Chris Seay, Greg Holder, and Rick McKinley, decided to try something different to disrupt the hyper-consumerism they saw in many people. They called it the Advent Conspiracy movement, and came up with four tenets to guide themselves, their families, and congregations through the Christmas season.
The Four Tenets of the Advent Conspiracy Movement
- Worship fully
- Spend less
- Give more
- Love all
We all want our Christmas to be a lot of things: full of joy, memories, happy times, but above all, we want it to be about Jesus. Advent Conspiracy is a movement designed to help us slow down and have a Christmas worth remembering, by turning our Christmas upside down and disrupting the routine. This “conspiracy” is a chance to re-direct our hearts towards Christlike values and rhythms and as we remember His story.
This week, our devotionals will invite you to conspire to worship, reflect, give, and love like Jesus. Follow along each day and share with your friends. If you have not done so already, subscribe to our daily devotional to get them in your inbox each day! Looking for to conspiring with you!
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