The Advent Conspiracy

I knew Carter was back to normal this morning when the first thing he wanted to do was rip open Door #1 on the Advent Calendar to get his piece of chocolate. Well, it is German chocolate (straight from the German Club at school) so I guess it's worth getting excited about.

When he first brought it home a few weeks ago, I warned him we'd be doing Advent a little bit differently this year. He's not just going to open the door, see what shape the chocolate is in, eat it and move on with his day. We're going to think a little more about what Advent is.

At my church, we are in the midst of an education series called the Advent Conspiracy. Sounds a little too controversial for a group of Lutherans who normally would only be up in arms if the coffee was cold or there was a "hotdish" with no hamburger in it. But that's not what it's really about.

Their website (www.adventconspiracy.com) says it best:

The story of Christ's birth is a story of promise, hope, and a revolutionary love.

So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists.

And when it's all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling of missed purpose. Is this what we really want out of Christmas?

What if Christmas became a world-changing event again?

You see, the "conspiracy" is that there is something more to Christmas than the Black Friday deals and the spiked eggnog at the company holiday party. There was something more -- long ago -- and now we have to find it again. And, along the way, figure out how to Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More and Love All. Those are the 4 lessons of the Advent Conspiracy.

When you think about your favorite Christmas from childhood (or even adulthood), the reason it is our favorite memory more often than not has to do with a special event or person, not a new toy. In my family, I can guarantee we could talk forever about various "acts" in the family Christmas program we still put on for my parents each year. That has nothing to do with spending money, but has much to do with sharing love and sharing in the joy of Christ's birth.

One of the things I am concentrating on (with Carter) this Advent season is giving more to those less fortunate than we are. He donated food to the food pantry through a drive at school. We donated coats and snowpants to our church (which is giving them away to the needy this weekend). We have 2 sessions on the agenda for bell ringing. And each day that he opens up a window on his Advent Calendar, he has to tell me something he is thankful for.

Today I would have thought he'd be thankful for his health, that he feels fine again. But no, he said he was thankful for clothes and his winter jacket. Trust me, that does make sense today! Eventually, I hope he will realize with this exercise that God gives us gifts every day. Few are material things. But that doesn't mean we can't share them, right?

That's a start anyway.