I heard of a minister in England who gave out a bar of chocolate to
every person in the congregation on the first Sunday in Lent. Unconventional, eh? Isn't Lent when ministers tell you to give up things like chocolate? Of course there was a twist: the chocolate was FairTrade, and his sermon was about the ethics of trade, and giving up injustice. This Lent, he said, find out where your chocolate, your coffee, your trainers, and your jeans come from. Find out what kind of shopping habits depend on poverty wages, sweat shops, and ecological nightmares. And then support traders who are trading ethically. It was a punchy message, but it also involved eating chocolate. Not quite what you expect in Lent.
Many Churches have, in recent years, turned to taking something up rather than giving something up for Lent. And there are plenty of critics of this trend. They feel that Christians have gone
soft. But look back in history and you'll find that Lent was traditionally a time of
“taking up” charitable giving and service, as well as giving up.
Is that really licence to eat chocolate in Lent, though, even if it is fairly traded? I guess that's a matter of personal judgement - but perhaps we should remember that the same Jesus who endured
temptations in the wilderness led his disciples to a good bit of Sabbath
breaking. Sabbaths were made for our benefit; Lent was too. Anything worth doing has an element of toughness about it. But Lent
should ultimately be a positive, beneficial discipline for mind, body
and soul, not a pointlessly bleak endurance test. If your winter, like ours, has
been somewhat stretching, perhaps it's worth reminding yourself
that even Lent is supposed, in the end, to lead to joy.
Here are 40 ethical, joyful and social ways to keep Lent.