Twitter is on fire right now.

“I am basking in the glories of the risen Christ. You are shopping for shiny little idols. Congratz (lol!)”

“My sister got up at 4am just to buy shirts at Old Navy. I wanted to slap her!”

“It’s the 1 day ppl of all religions join 2 celebrate the god of consumerism. Then they will discuss how much he “saved” them.”

Welcome to Black Friday. I’m always fascinated by how much this day divides us. Yesterday people were Facebooking, Tweeting, and even telling loved ones in person (shock!) how thankful they were for them. Today, brother wants to slap sister for buying clothes at 4am and Christians are fixin’ up a good ol’ shopper witch hunt with pitchforks fashioned out of melted credit cards. Personally, I’ve never done Black Friday. I could wear that like a badge of honor, but really, it comes down to the fact that I don’t like waking up early for anything. The early bird may get the worm, but for me, I’ll sleep in and eat that bird’s eggs with a side of toast.

Every year [AC] gets a lot of messages from folks during this week telling us how they’re not going shopping on Black Friday. Many post messages on our site and Facebook page like the ones I pasted in this blog. And while most are written with very good intentions, I feel like some are trying to get approval from us. It’s as if they’re saying “See, I’m with you guys. Down with shopping! Down with big business! Down with the man!”

First off, I get the backlash. Black Friday’s poor reputation is deserved. It’s sad that people have actually been trampled to death just to save a buck or two. On this day people will enslave themselves into an insane amount of credit card debt that they may never get out of. Today, many will lose sight of what the season is really about and will choose to worship “stuff” over Jesus. And many will avoid today because they don’t like crowds and feel it’s too much of a hassle. But does that mean you should throw a chastity belt around your wallet until this “evil” day has come and gone, only to take it off on a later date to catch a good deal?

Last week a woman emailed me in a panic because she was so convicted over the fact that her son really wants a bicycle for Christmas. I asked her what the problem was. She told me her church is doing [AC] this year and that she’s not supposed to buy gifts. I asked her if she had the money to buy her son a bike. She said she had been saving up for one for the past few months, and that she really wanted to buy it on Black Friday because she’d save a lot of money. She really didn’t know what to do, and asked for my “official” opinion. I told her, “As an official spokesperson for AC, I want you to buy your son that bike!” She cried with relief.

And I felt sick to my stomach. Was [AC] doing a good thing, or did we create a new Frankenstein made of Fair Trade fabric and glitter glue?

I’m worried that people are being guilted into Advent Conspiracy. The last thing we want is for people to feel like they can’t shop because their church or family member or friend told them it’s not the [AC] way. Because that’s not true. So what is the [AC] way? Simply this: We want to encourage people to do Christmas differently by worshiping Jesus first before anything else. We want to push back on hyper-consumerism. Notice the word “hyper”. We’re not saying you shouldn’t buy a gift, we’re merely suggesting you don’t gorge yourself on gifts or buy stuff out of obligation. That kid I mentioned earlier is going to wake up Christmas morning and he’s going to remember it forever because that’s the day he got a brand new bike. And the mom won’t regret it because she didn’t go into debt to show her son how much she loves him. That’s a beautiful thing. Some will opt out of buying gifts and make something for their loved ones, and that’s a beautiful thing. Others will buy things from organizations like Trade as One, and that’s a beautiful thing. Some will shop on Black Friday because they really want to honor their finances by saving money on gifts, and that’s a smart thing. Here’s what’s not a beautiful thing: Getting all bent out of shape and stressed out because someone said “we” don’t want you to buy gifts. Kind of a silly thing, especially since one of [AC]’s intentions is to help people relax and enjoy the season. The point is, make it personal by making it about Jesus first. The rest is just details.

I know some think it’s hip to push against “the man”, but when it’s taken to extremes we sound like a man ourselves--an old man who’s gone all Scroogy on everyone, sitting on a hill of righteousness using scripture like rounds of ammunition. Who wants to be around someone like that at Christmas? Plus, we happen to know a few folks who could be considered “the man”, and they’re doing some amazing things for the kingdom through [AC]. You know what that means? That means this movement is for everyone, because Jesus is for everyone. Christ told us in the book of Matthew to love even “the least of these”. And guess what gang, we ARE the “least of these”. We’ve all fallen short, and we all need Jesus.

The advent season has begun. Let’s use this season to love one another well instead of making us-vs-them statements. Let’s put Jesus in front of us and let Him lead us into a life of joy and exhilaration to the point where we can barely catch our breath. And if you know someone who wants a bike, then by all means go shopping today and get them a bike.