Advent Conspiracy

My wife and I were doing our Christmas shopping one weekend when I found myself thinking about a pastor friend who has challenged our family to see Christmas in a completely different way—not as a shopping season, but as a conspiracy.

His point is simple. Somewhere along the way, Christmas was quietly captured by consumerism. Every year we spend billions of dollars on gifts that soon break, wear out, or lose their appeal, often leaving us with debt long after the decorations have been packed away. 

Our economy depends less on what we produce than on how much we consume. Meanwhile, millions of people around the world struggle to survive on just a few dollars a day. Something has gone wrong.

My friend believes the first Christmas invites us into a different kind of conspiracy—a conspiracy of life.

That thought reminds me of an insight from C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity. Lewis points out that the New Testament uses two different Greek words for life. The first is bios, from which we derive the word biology. Bios refers to our physical existence—the life that depends on food, water, air, shelter, and constant care. It is precious, but it is also temporary. Everything that belongs to bios eventually wears out, including our bodies and, for that matter, most of the things we buy.

The second word is zoe. This is the life that belongs to God himself—eternal, abundant, and inexhaustible. It is the life Jesus possessed and came to share with the world.

Throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus met people’s immediate physical needs, yet he always pointed beyond them to something greater. 

He offered water to a weary Samaritan woman but promised her Living Water that would never run dry. He fed more than five thousand hungry people, yet declared himself to be the Bread of Life. He raised Lazarus from the dead, but then proclaimed, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Finally, through his own death and resurrection, he opened the way for all who believe to receive eternal life.

Jesus continually brought zoe into a world limited by bios. That is the true Advent conspiracy.

So perhaps we should think differently about Christmas. Instead of asking, “What can I buy?” we might ask, “How can I give life?”

Give gifts that carry something of yourself. Write a letter that expresses your love.  Create something with your own hands. Spend unhurried time with your children or grandchildren. Share a meal. Tell family stories. Make memories that will outlast the latest gadget or fashion.

In other words, give more than presents.

Give yourself.

There is another way to join this conspiracy as well. If bios is the fragile, temporary life we all possess, consider giving a significant portion of your Christmas budget to organizations that bring both practical help and the hope of Christ to people living in poverty. Meet immediate needs, but also support those who share the life that Jesus came to give.

The first Christmas was never about consuming more. It was about God giving himself. Perhaps the best way to celebrate Christmas is to join his conspiracy—by giving life.

Advent Conspiracy is an annual Christmas movement that encourages believers to worship fully, spend less, give more, and love all. Learn more at adventconspiracy.org.