Advent 2020

[The Conspiracy - 1] So, what happened? What was once a time to your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy celebrate the birth of the Savior has somehow turned Spirit. 21She will bear a son, and you are to name him 22 into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping , for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this lists. And when it's all over, many of us are left with took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and presents to return, looming debt that will take bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which months to pay off, and this empty feeling of missed means, ‘God is with us.’ 24When Joseph awoke from sleep, purpose. he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her 25 • Is this what we really want out of ? as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus. • Is this God’s intention for Christmas? Key Concepts • What if Christmas became a world-changing event again? Christmas is about giving presence, not presents!

Welcome to Advent Conspiracy! Worship Fully because Christmas begins and ends with Jesus The Advent Conspiracy is a movement by Christians to reclaim the true meaning of Christmas. It takes its name Spend Less free your resources from frivolous from the word advent meaning coming, God coming near in things for things that truly matter the birth and life of Jesus Christ. Conspiracy implies Give More give more of your hands, your words, something revolutionary, counter-cultural, and life changing. your time, your heart

For many who embrace celebrating Christmas Share Hope because the story of Jesus’ birth is a differently, this is exactly what they have story of hope for all people experienced. Love All give Jesus a birthday present by This is your invitation to join the groundswell of helping the needy in ways that make a Christ-followers who are choosing to make Christmas real difference what it should be –a joyous celebration of Jesus’ birth, not a retail circus and scheduling nightmare. Goals This discussion guide is designed to help you, your family and your friends begin to reflect on and • Keep the focus on Christ. discuss how the celebration of Christ’s birth can look • No Debt Christmas-create a spending plan that and feel different this year. In it you will find is well within your means and stick to it. questions and ideas to help you build your plan. Choose the practices which will best prepare you for a • Give away as much to those you don’t know as more meaningful Christmas. you spend on those you do know.

Matthew 1:18-25 Getting Started 18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. In the following you will find practical tools as well as When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but questions appropriate for different age levels. Set before they lived together, she was found to be with child aside time to have conversation with those in your 19 from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a household, your friends, and maybe even your righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public extended family. You do not need to discuss every disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20But just when he question. Use the ones which best suit your household had resolved to do this, an angel of situation. the Lord appeared to him An in a dream and Important said, ‘Joseph, Reminder son of David, do We live in a not be afraid to take Mary as culture where

[The Advent Conspiracy - 2] DISCUSSION STARTERS Questions to help reflect one your practices leading through Advent

• What is your favorite Christmas • What makes a memory? Why is it your gift memorable favorite? and meaningful to you? • What does Christmas mean to you? • What would be the response Giving Gifts from your friends and • What does gift giving mean during Christmas? family if you were to suggest • Do you remember what gifts you they make a gave last year? Who received donation to your them? favorite charity • Who is on your list for this year? as their gift to Why are they on your list? you? Or if you totally released • Are they on your list out of them from obligation, joy, thankfulness...? giving to you? • Are there persons in your life who have supported, encouraged Spending and loved you who you want to • Does what we spend on someone thank this Christmas? Who are determine how we feel about they? What would be a them? Does gift giving have to meaningful way to thank them? cost a lot of money? • How could you make gifts or buy • How did you spend your time last gifts which are more meaning- Christmas? (worshipping, gift full, thought-full, beauty-full, preparation, shopping, personal, and intentional this decorating, entertaining, serving year? others) How do plan to budget • What would be the significance of your time differently this year to buying fewer, more meaningful guard against busyness and gifts? stress? • Just as the wise ones gave gifts to Receiving Gifts Jesus, what is some thing you • Do you remember what gifts you might give to a poor child in received last year? Do you know need? where those gifts are? • What would it mean for your • Do you remember what you household to serve others asked for? Why did you ask for together as a family this it? Christmas? • If you only received one gift this Christmas, what would it be?

[The Advent Conspiracy - 3] Week One WORSHIP FULLY

OPENING QUESTIONS them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had 1. Most of us have very specific memories about the been told them. Christmas season, both positive and negative. What are some of those positive memories? How would you describe 1. The shepherds are well-known participants in the the best Christmas you ever had as a child? What made it Christmas narrative. Think about images you have seen on special for you? traditional Christmas cards, nativity scenes, or even the way shepherds are portrayed in a typical church 2. Do you still look forward to the Christmas season? If so, Christmas program. How have we been led to picture these what do you enjoy about the season? If you no longer first visitors to the manger? Christmas, why not? In this passage, we are told that the shepherds were a 3. What word would best describe what you want to socially despised group (poor, criminal, outcast). Can you experience this year during the Christmas season? What think of any parallels to this group today? are some obstacles that get in the way of that happening? The shepherds are the first ones to whom the angels VIDEO DISCUSSION: Talking About Worship announced the birth of Christ. What does that tell us about the heart of God toward social outcasts? How does this 1. What works, makes it unique, for you in corporate relate to the message of Christmas? worship? What helps you engage in corporate worship? What are you missing during the Pandemic? 2. In what ways does the worship of the shepherds differ from our celebration of Christmas? What are some specific 2. What gets in the way of your worship in community? ways in which our contemporary celebration of Christmas 3. How do you find the time to be with God, or know God’s moves us away from the worship the shepherds presence, outside corporate worship? experienced? What can we do to recapture that sense of wonder and gratitude? ENGAGING THE WORD 3. What could you do differently this Advent? Read Luke 2:8-20 together as a group. UNWRAPPING THE MESSAGE In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of We see the shepherds not only approaching the manger in a the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord spirit of worship, we see them moving into their world to shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel proclaim the good news. The announcement that God has said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you given us his Son changes everything. Who still needs to good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born hear this good news? Think of some specific people and this day in the city of David a Savior, who is ways that your family, group, or church can bring this the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign announcement to the world? What might that "Understand what look like this Christmas? for you: you will find a child wrapped in you're doing and bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And why you're doing 2. God has drawn near. He was born as a baby suddenly there was with the angel a it. This is not that night in . Through Jesus, he multitude of the heavenly host, praising about anger, walked among us and the story forever changed. God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the disgust, or This is what we celebrate each Christmas. This is guilt-it is about highest heaven, and on earth peace what the songs proclaim. This is the story we tell among those whom he favors!’ When the entering the story of Jesus to the world each year. What If the choices that angels had left them and gone into we make this year about our spending and the heaven, the shepherds said to one more deeply with a desire to way we give gifts to one another were a part of another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and worship more our worship? see this thing that has taken place, which fully. It is not the Lord has made known to us.’ So they enough to say no The Advent season IS our chance to celebrate the went with haste and found Mary and to the way wondrous moment when God entered our world Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. Christmas is to make things right. It is a season of worship. When they saw this, they made known celebrated by This is the foundation for our conspiracy. Close what had been told them about this child; many; we need to this session by praying as a group for a fresh and all who heard it were amazed at what say yes to a encounter with God during this season of the shepherds told them. But Mary different way of Advent. Pray for a desire to worship more fully celebrating." treasured all these words and pondered and for opportunities to enter into the ongoing story of Jesus and his work in this world.

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