Join the Advent Conspiracy

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked”—Luke 12:48 (NIV).

Has the holiday season lost its meaning for you? Has it become a season of stress with traffic jams, shopping lists, and the demands of finding the right gift for your loved ones?

And what happens when it’s all over? What happens when we’re left with gifts to return because they aren’t what we wanted or they don’t fit? What happens when we open the next credit card statement and see the looming debt that will take months, and sometimes years, to pay off? 

What happens when we stare into the emptiness after the twinkling lights have gone out and wonder, “What was that all about?”  

What has happened to the season whose roots are in the birth of a baby who would grow up to radically change the world? His story, like no other, is one of redemption, promise, hope, and a love we cannot even fathom in our wildest dreams. 

What if Christmas became a world-changing event again?  In 2006, five pastors decided to make Christmas a revolutionary event by encouraging their faith communities to “Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, and Love All.” With an overwhelming response to their collaborative efforts, Advent Conspiracy was born.

Their website states, “Advent Conspiracy was founded on the radical idea that we can celebrate Christmas humbly, beautifully, and generously. Advent is the story of a wondrous moment when God entered our world to make things right. It is the greatest story ever told and it changes everything—including the way we celebrate Christmas.”

Advent Conspiracy has become a grassroots movement with more than 1,000 churches in 17 countries participating as co-conspirators to put meaning back into Christmas.  Conspiracy projects are as varied as drilling a water well for those who lack access to clean water or simply encouraging congregations to think of meaningful acts of kindness to replace traditional gifts. 

The following year, through Advent Conspiracy, $3 million was raised for relief projects which included providing clean water and medical attention in communities around the world. According to the “Conspiracy” website, the leading cause of death in under-resourced countries is a lack of clean water with 1.8 million people dying every year from water-borne illnesses. That includes 3,900 children a day. 

Between 2006 and 2022, the amount of money Americans spend on holiday gifts has increased by 12.8 percent. Statistics reveal Americans spent more than one trillion on Christmas in 2016 while it costs only $10 to give one child clean water for life. Only $10. 

What if each one of us decided that rather than giving a gift out of obligation, we committed to giving gifts that really will change the world? What if we gave quality time or donated to a worthy cause to provide clean water or food for the hungry? What if we looked for ways to be more loving, instead of fighting to be first in line to buy the latest popular toy that will end up broken or lost in the back of a child’s closet?

Just as Jesus changed the world, we can help do that at Christmas if we become part of the conspiracy. (For more information and resources, check out https://adventconspiracy.org/