We continued our series at our church (New Hope) today for Christmas entitled, “Advent Conspiracy“. Advent Conspiracy is a world-wide movement of individuals and churches that seeks to recapture the meaning and power of Christmas. The following is stated on Advent Conspiracy’s website:

The story of 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?

Advent Conspiracy is a four-part series for the month of December that centers around the following key concepts that can reconnect us to the purpose behind Christmas:

• Worship Fully
• Spend Less
• Give More
• Love All

This week’s message entitled “Give More” explores the reality that giving is truly better than receiving. Jesus came into the world as the greatest expression of God’s love. It reads in John 1:14 that Jesus became flesh and dwelt among the people in grace and truth. This is the kind of giving we’re talking about. It’s not just stuff or presents, but it’s really about presence with grace and truth. I hope you take a moment out of your busy holiday schedule and take a moment to be refreshed and challenged by this message.

Click here to hear this message on the New Hope podcast (iTunes required) or click here to listen online. In addition, please feel free to follow along with the embedded presentation below along with the video used during this message.