Admittedly, I’m a fan of conspiracy stories, movies, novels, etc. – the fictional kind, of course – especially the ones where the good guys are also “the little guy” trying to take down corrupt government officials or other bad guys and the chances of success are stacked against them.
Though not specifically conspiracy-oriented, I like J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit (the next installment of which, premiers this month) as excellent examples of good-subverting-evil. In these stories, there’s always a small group of “people” that make an agreement to act together – they conspire – to subvert the powerful forces of evil.
It’s this subversive quality in these stories that really appeals to me. It’s very much like the Gospel, except that it’s a true story! God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit conspire to defeat Satan by sending a baby into the world, in the little town of Bethlehem in Judea, over 2000 years ago. The baby Jesus grew up to lead a revolutionary movement that the Jewish people hoped would overthrow the evil Roman Empire.
When Jesus is killed, his small group of followers initially gave up hope and became disillusioned, only to be surprised by the resurrected Jesus who defeated more than just worldly empires; he defeated death entirely!! And the movement that Jesus started – the Church – has become a worldwide and world-changing phenomenon with over 2 billion believers. You can’t make up a story this good…
During Advent we’ll be exploring the impact of this conspiracy as we look at a few key passages in Romans. Under the captions; Clothed (Worship Fully), Complete (Spend Less), Charitable (Give More), and Chosen (Love Fully), we will unpack some of the mystery of the Good News that the Apostle Paul describes.
We’ll celebrate God’s love for us as we light Advent Candles, sing Christmas songs, put up Christmas decorations, and bask in God’s presence that is so much more tangible, it often seems, at this time of year. The children will lead us in a special service in the morning on December 15th through song, a drama, and prayer.
At the Service of Light in the evening on December 15th, we will also have the opportunity to share our experiences of pain and loss, and bring the light of scripture to personal stories of darkness, and God’s promises under the caption, Covenant (Have Faith in the Promises).
The best conspiracy stories, in my opinion, always have a good ending – and we know how our Advent Conspiracy ends: God is glorified, every knee bows to Jesus, and we are set free from suffering and sin to worship him forever.
On behalf of the Board and staff at Kingsview Church, Merry Christmas everyone!