"Advent Conspiracy" movement

Though it is a bit on the late side, my friend and Unity minister, Rev. Thomas Shepherd, over at his "Theo-blog" has notified me of an intriguing new movement among Christians concerning the Christmas season and the meaning behind Jesus' birth. It's called "Advent Conspiracy":

"The story of (Jesus) 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? Welcome to Advent Conspiracy." (Excerpt from http://www.adventconspiracy.org )

As Rev. Shepherd has stated, though the language of this movement is worded in more "traditional" Christian vocabulary, nonetheless, I believe many Unity and New Thought devotees will be interested and moved by such practices.

The Advent Conspiracy movement is grounded in 4 fundamental ideas that promote the revolution of practicing the Christmas season:

1. Worship fully - Focus on a renewing celebration of God-with-us (Immanuel), which is the underlying message of the birth of Christ.

2. Spend less - Draw back on spending lavishly on expensive gifts. Dial in on the meaningfulness of the gift, the personalization of the gift, rather than how much it costs. Moderation, prudence, and self-discipline is key here, all qualities upheld by Jesus.

3. Give more - Though the gifts may not be expensive, one can still offer more to those in need. Give more time, energy, and service to more people more often.

4. Love all - The greatest gift of all is the gift of paying attention to friends and family. This is really the essence of love and compassion - paying attention to those for whom you care.

If put into practice even moderately, these values could revolutionize the way we understand and draw meaning from Christmas. In fact, I further suggest we practice these principles every day throughout the year as much as we are able.

Peace and blessings!

(Image from Advent Conspiracy website.)