For the month of December, we will be doing a series here in the News & Notes on three of the four tenets of Advent Conspiracy. We have looked at these four tenets in the past, but because of the cultural pressure around us, it is worth us considering again. So here is what we are going to do:
Each of the next three "Notes" will be a blog post from the Advent Conspiracy blog looking at one of the tenets. In case you aren't quite familiar with Advent Conspiracy, here is a paragraph from their blog post called "Advent Conspiracy 101" that will quickly orientate you to their hope for Jesus-followers:
"We worship fully because Christmas is about Jesus. If we forget this foundational truth, everything else falls apart. Let our actions and our words come from a place of worship. We spend less because we know mindless consumption is not the way to celebrate our Savior. By spending a little less on ourselves we are able to joyfully give to others in need. We give more of ourselves because this is the way of Jesus. God gave us his Son and now it is our turn to reflect that same selflessness to the world. We share our time, talents, and presence with the people we love. We love all because we have been loved first. We believe that the poor and hurting of our world can be reached by God through the way we choose to celebrate Christmas."
Even if you are thoroughly familiar with all four tenets of Advent Conspiracy, I strongly encourage you to read the next three emails so they can help you make the most of your Christmas season.
In Christ,
Erin
Spend Less
from the Advent Conspiracy team
Spend less is an ambiguous goal. But what does it mean? Spend less than last year? Spend less than my neighbor? The truth is there is no formula. The challenge of this tenet is to be willing to ask more questions and then be open to hearing what God says in return.
Is this something I want or something I need?
Why do I want to buy this?
What kind of company am I supporting if I purchase this product?
Can I afford to spend this amount?
How many presents do we actually need?
What did we do with the presents from last year?
You see, spending less requires us to plan. Instead of mindlessly shopping online and ordering more than we know what to do with, we take the time to think about each purchase. We strive to thoughtfully evaluate what we support with our spending, and we allow our spending to support products, people, and causes worthy of being supported. By spending a little less on ourselves we are able to more joyfully give to others in need.
It is not enough to say no to the way Christmas is celebrated by many; we need to say yes to a different way of celebrating.
It’s important to remember that when we choose to spend less on Christmas presents, it doesn’t mean we love our friends and family any less. In fact, for many of us, we’ve found that the creative, intentional gifts we give showcase our love – and perhaps God’s – more clearly than ever before.
More than just an invitation to say no to overspending, this is an invitation to a new way of celebrating. This year start a new tradition of spending compassionately and responsibly.
Some ideas to help you Spend Less this Christmas:
Originally published at https://adventconspiracy.org/spend-less/
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