As we enter the season of Advent, a time that seems to come more quickly every year, I often spend time reflecting on the meaning of the season. It’s not easy, to be sure, as I also begin thinking about Christmas gifts, holiday traveling, and preparing for the many worship services. This year, I decided to take some time to listen to the audiobook version of Advent Conspiracy: Making Christmas Meaningful (Again) by Rick McKinley. It was convicting to listen to as I drove to St. John’s Town Center to buy a Christmas gift.
It asks the compelling question of what if the incarnation, the most incredible gift ever given in Christ Jesus, was actually what we celebrated during Advent and Christmas season? McKinley challenged me to think about those who are most vulnerable in the world as we celebrate the one who came as a vulnerable baby to an unwed mother in Bethlehem. In the next couple of weeks, I hope to focus less on the hustle of Christmas shopping and more on Christ’s mission to be with the last, lost, and least.
Consumerism, McKinley says, is the fastest growing religion in the United States. Ouch. As much as I would like to deny it, I know that I often neglect God the Creator for the gods that are money, consumerism, and the insatiable need for the new shiny thing of the Christmas season. Even though I know, theologically, what Christmas is all about, I need to be reminded every year (if not every month and every week), that this season is meant to celebrate our incredible God who loves us so much that God would become flesh and blood and live among us.
Christmas is about a gift— but only one— the gift that saved the entire world in his living, healing, dying, and rising again. I’ll continue to ponder what Advent might mean if we focus more on that everlasting gift and our relationship with our siblings in Christ, and less on the gifts we place under a tree. I invite you to ponder with me.
You can find Advent Conspiracy: Making Christmas Meaningful (Again) by Rick McKinley in the St. Mark’s library. You can also find out more information about the movement at adventconspiracy.org.
No comments:
Post a Comment