Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is love and His Gospel is Peace Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother And in His name, all oppression shall cease Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we Let all within us Praise His Holy name Christ is the Lord; O praise His name forever! His power and glory evermore proclaim His power and glory evermore proclaim
O Holy Night
Over the course of this Advent season, I have been sharing some thoughts and insights I have gleaned from the Advent Conspiracy, a book and a movement which seeks to disciple Christians to move closer to Jesus over the Christmas season, substituting “compassion for consumption” by introducing the four countercultural concepts of worship fully, spend less, give more and love all. We’ve talked about the first two previously. Now on to give more and love all – the easy stuff! When considering giving more the authors challenge readers to think about why and how giving is connected to the incarnation – the personal costly gift of Jesus. As we lean into simplifying our holiday and focusing on how we can worship God through the celebration of Christmas this doesn’t mean we have to stop giving gifts. The challenge is to find ways to make it part of the joy of the season and not something that detracts from it. How can we give of ourselves, give relational gifts, to those we love? In addition, I would challenge us to think about how we can support the things we believe in through our giving – sustainability, small businesses, products made ethically. There are organizations that produce items that make great gifts that are made by, and therefore provide income for, survivors of trafficking and abuse and formerly incarcerated individuals and larger non-profits that allow donations in the name of someone else and sometimes for specific items/actions (like through World Vision you can give goats and chickens – perfect for the farmer or would be farmer in your life!) Love all – “As desperate people who have experienced the righteous wealth of God, it is now our turn to model his generosity with those in need.” This orientation should be something that characterizes how Christ followers celebrate Christmas – and live our lives! As we rejoice in the grace God has shown us and the life he has called us to our response must be love. Loving those our families, loving our commuities, loving those on our Jericho road, loving all! I hope and pray that this Christmas we are all able to celebrate the incarnation of Jesus in joyful hope and profound love. Merry Christmas!
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