Comment - February 2010
Making Lent last longer
If we ever wanted a good time to think and do something about our environmental footprints then there is no better time than Lent. 40 days and nights is a fair chunk of time to see what might be a very small step multiply. This may not have always been the case for in doing a little research I have read that Lent originally began as just 40 hours of fasting symbolising the time between the crucifixion to the start of the day of the resurrection.
When the time scale was increased Sundays were excluded for fasting on Sunday was unlawful, a handy opt out for those wanting to give Mum a treat on Mothering Sunday. Both Christian Aid and Tearfund have produced guides this year which provide help for every day of Lent - including the Sundays - which help us to appreciate just how many ways we can make a difference to the way we live and to understand it's about a lot more than just giving up chocolate or alcohol, or even both.
Christian Aid's programme ‘Count your blessings' http://www.christianaid.org.uk.countyourblessings/ not only provides an issue each day to consider, but encourages us to put aside some money for their campaigns. It suggests collecting 5p for every plastic bag in that drawer in the kitchen for example.
Tearfund is putting the spotlight on simple ways to cut carbon emissions. Their Carbon Fast www.tearfund.org/carbonfast has a different daily task or suggestion - like reminding us that we need only boil the amount of water we are going to use or reducing the amount of food we waste.
In my book ‘Don't stop at the lights' http://www.chpublishing.co.uk/ which the publishers currently have on special offer, there are a number of ideas for Lent both for ourselves and for our churches. I know that we light our churches for security and safety, but could Lent be a time when we reduce the outside lighting so that the community shares a sense of Lent and sees that for the church community this is a time for positive action to take stock and reduce our use of resources?
If Lent began as a 40 hour fast and then became a forty day wonder maybe there is a chance that some things we discover we can do without or reduce - might even become a habit over an even longer time frame.
Positive environmental news was featured in nearly twenty issues of the Parish Pump News. Unfortunately lack of sponsorship to cover the publication and distribution means that copies have not been produced during 2009. However, many of the items which would have appeared are now featured on the website www.conservationfoundation.co.uk/news News, publications and events are added regularly.
