Vintage Church North has planned a special event to begin their Advent Conspiracy, a time of prayer together to Worship Fully.
Vintage Church Downtown and Durham
Titus 3:4–7 (ESV)
“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
Our first day of Advent for Vintage Church Durham and Downtown begins with a familiar Christmas tradition: giving. The idea behind Advent Conspiracy is that we “Give More.” Here’s a quote from Advent Conspiracy: Making Christmas Meaningful Again by Rick McKinley, Chris Seay, and Greg Holder
It sounds so obvious, yet we seemed to have drifted from this liberating, straightforward truth: the Father gave his one and only Son. God’s answer for the world’s problems has never been material things. God did not give us more stuff–even good stuff like work, food, or health. He gave us himself. The most priceless and personal gift of all. This simple truth is why giving is still a good way to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It also points to a way out of the chaos of consumerism that Christmas has become, taking us back to the joy that can still be found at the heart of this story. Our giving can actually reflect in some small way the power and beauty of God coming into our world as one of us.
With this in mind, our hope is to begin Advent by setting the tone for how we will give this year.
List people to whom you’d like to give gifts. Before deciding on what and how to give, pray for each person, asking God how you can share your love for them.