Okay, 43 days, 4 hours, and 2 minutes until Christmas! So this week I’m going write about the second pillar of the Advent Conspiracy – SPEND LESS! Now for some of you that sounds like good news from a far country, like cold water to a thirsty soul, or, as Southerners would prefer it, like a tall glass of sweet tea on a hot day! For others, meh, it’s bad news because either we like spending money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like, or because we like people spending lots of money on us…yes, I’m being a little snarky there. But here goes…

We need to learn to resist the empire of consumerism, and resisting this empire is going to take intentionality and strategy. You see, the empire of this world demands our allegiance at the risk of our souls.

“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36 ESV, Jesus)

Let me give you a taste of the empire we’re up against. Some of the hottest Christmas toys through the years: Mr. Potato Head (1952), Pet Rock (1975), Atari (1979), Cabbage Patch Dolls (1983), Game Boy (1991), Tickle Me Elmo (1996), Playstation 3 (2006), and Zhu Zhu Pets (2009). I wonder what it will be this year? What will be that one thing people need, can’t live without, and will go to any extreme to obtain even if it means they can’t afford it?

We live in a kingdom of gold and glitz. It is an empire of power, wealth, and materialism. How do we successfully resist this empire of our day? I believe the storyline of the Bible gives us the answer we are seeking. Our only hope of resisting the empire of spending more is the power of the gospel. What transformed and rescued us in the first place is what transforms and rescues us today.

Jesus entered the human scene during the time of Herod the Great. He was ruthless, wealthy, thirsty to conquer, and insecure (he killed his own family members because he felt threatened by them). Herod was more interested in saving his empire than he was in saving his soul. When the news of Jesus’ birth hit Herod the Great’s ears the Bible records that he was “troubled.” This means that he was thoroughly agitated, greatly distressed, and highly anxious. And when Herod wasn’t happy, nobody was allowed to be happy.

At this point Herod went on the attack. Because he felt threatened by a child born into poverty, he ordered the slaughter of all the baby boys in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16-18). He was not about to be outdone by some would-be poor, baby king born in an animal stall. He was going to squash the competition.

However, the empire will not threaten God’s purposes. He subverted Herod’s plan and power by waking Joseph in a dream. God’s plan of rescue through redemption will not be threatened by another kingdom (Matthew 2:13-15).

The power of the gospel is our only hope to resist the empire of today. We must intentionally plan ahead to spend less. We can’t wait until we get to the mall. Don’t go into debt to the empire of cultural consumerism; it only leads to a deeper bondage into the empire. If we rebel against the day of extravagant spending we need to be prepared for an attack. This attack may come from friends or family or even brothers and sisters in Christ, but resolve to spend less to give more. And that’s next week. And now we have only 43 days, 3 hours, and 15 minutes!

Grace & Peace,