Celebrate Christmas Differently
It's that time of year again!
December has come, and with it, all the joys of Christmas. But what is the real meaning of Christmas? Is it the gifts under the tree, the lights in the windows, the cards in the mail, turkey dinners with family and friends, snow vacations, stockings hanging in the living room, and shouts of "Merry Christmas" to those who pass us in the streets? Is this really Christmas?
We think that's just a part of it embodied in a definition of "the true meaning of Christmas," found in The American magazine from 1889:
“To give up one's very self — to think only of others — how to bring the greatest happiness to others — that is the true meaning of Christmas.”
When we look into the Bible we find the true meaning of Christmas is love. John 3:16-17 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” Christmas is the celebration of this incredible act of love.
What if we celebrate Christmas more with authentic and spiritual meaning?
In our culture, it's a day—and season—filled with Christmas carols, tree decorating, gift-giving, and parties. Celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ is more than a Christian holiday or a Christian festival. It is more than an occasion to decorate our houses.
It is an opportunity to pause and give thanks for the love, hope, and joy found in Jesus – our Savior and friend. As we exchange gifts with loved ones, it is out of remembrance of the gift God gave us in Jesus. The gift is that everyone is loved, is never alone, and can have hope for the future.
The real Christmas story is God becoming a human being in the Person of Jesus Christ. Why did God do such a thing? Because He loves us! Why was Christmas necessary? Because we needed a Savior! Why does God love us so much? Because He is love itself (1 John 4:8). Why do we celebrate Christmas each year? Out of gratitude for what God did for us, we remember Jesus’ birth by giving each other gifts, worshipping Him, and being especially conscious of the poor and less fortunate.
Yet even believers in Jesus Christ can often obscure the true meaning of Christmas. We sentimentalize the manger surrounded by farm animals with baby Jesus in the center, asleep on the hay. But from the biblical standpoint, Christmas fulfills the first phase of God's great rescue mission. Suppose we fail to understand and celebrate Christmas in a way that overlooks or obscures that. In that case, we have, to some degree, sentimentalized Christmas.
Seeing Christmas as God's rescue mission could mean seeing Christmas as an opportunity to give to others in greater need. In this Advent season (a season of anticipation of the arrival of Jesus Christ’s birth) we invite our K-12 VCS students to celebrate Christmas differently. We are conspiring to hijack Christmas, at least partly, from sentimentality and commercialization to a celebration of serving those less fortunate.
“To give up one's very self — to think only of others — how to bring the greatest happiness to others — that is the true meaning of Christmas.”
The original idea started over a decade ago when a few pastors were lamenting how they'd come to the end of an Advent season exhausted and sensing they'd missed it – the awe-inducing, soul-satisfying mystery of the Incarnation.
For many, we are drowning in a sea of financial debt and endless lists of gifts to buy. We struggle to find the connection between our Christmas to-do lists and the story of Jesus' birth. There is often an overwhelming stress that has overtaken worship and celebration.
The time of year when focusing on Christ should be the easiest is often the hardest. Somehow, over decades, this has become the new normal.
Let's change the normal. Valley Christian Schools is joining the Advent Conspiracy movement to embrace four tenets—Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, Love All—to guide ourselves, our families, and our community through this Christmas season. For some, this may be a radically different experience.
Over the last decade, thousands of churches have celebrated Advent Conspiracy with more relational traditions, partnered with more organizations, and channeled more resources to the poor, marginalized, and forgotten. Christian organizations became very creative with changing their tradition. For example, several churches raised enough money to dig water wells in West Africa.
Advent Conspiracy is about the entire body of Christ at work in the world. As we worship fully, spend less, give more, and love all, something begins to happen that is greater than any single person, church, denomination, or school. We get to tell the story of Jesus to the watching world in tangible ways. We pray that more schools, churches and organizations join together to live out the story of Jesus' sacrificial love. God is not finished with our world and is inviting us deeper into the Christmas story.
The Four Tenets of Advent Conspiracy
WORSHIP FULLY
Nearly every character in the Christmas story that encountered our King responded similarly: worship. Let's make the conscious effort to reorient our hearts toward Christ. Christmas began with worship; may it end with worship.
SPEND LESS
In our hearts, we know that mindless consumption is not the way to celebrate Jesus. But spending less does not mean spending nothing. Instead, we will thoughtfully evaluate the companies and causes we support through our purchases.
GIVE MORE
The best gifts celebrate a relationship; most often, they require our time and energy. Relational giving means we think about the other person–who they are and what they care about. We focus more on giving our undivided presence and less on a pile of presents under the tree.
LOVE ALL
Christmas is a chance to move closer to those in crisis. We will love others as Jesus has loved us. God can reach the poor and hurt of our world through the way we choose to celebrate Christmas.
Partner with Valley Christian Schools this Advent to embrace the Christmas story and celebrate more selflessly, like Jesus. We invite our K-12 students to give small donations to support two Christian ministry organizations, one local and one global. In the Bay Area, Stand4 serves those who are vulnerable; providing over 102,000 bags of groceries, feeding over 409,000 people, and giving resources to more than 300 families in crisis. Globally, VCHS partners with Baja Bound. Over the past few years, our mission teams have constructed over 15 homes, served at a local orphanage, and provided scholarships for children to continue their education rather than prematurely enter the workforce. Every house built changes the life of a family and is a tangible reminder of God’s love for them.
The spirit of Advent Conspiracy at Valley Christian Schools is our opportunity to build a culture of generosity in our students.
Reflection
As we celebrate the birth of Jesus this season, let's draw from the inspiration of the Christian Evangelist, Reverend Billy Graham:
Christmas is about receiving and giving. Give the gift of the true Christmas story—that God gave His Son so that mankind would receive Him. Let's focus not on our own joys but making others joyful. Look for others to reach out to especially at this time of year and extend a hand of fellowship, a heart of love. This is what Jesus did for all mankind. He reached down from Heaven by giving Himself to us—a people in great need of a relationship with their God and Maker.
For more information
To learn more, you can read about the VCS Advent Conspiracy initiative, the Advent Conspiracy, and Biblical Unity. For a personal connection, please contact Dr. Steven McGriff, Director of Biblical Unity, Valley Christian Schools.