Chocolate Sunday

Unwrapping the Endorphins It’s good to see that “Chocolate Sunday” made at least a column or two in one of the Scottish daily newspapers. Have a look at Ron Ferguson’s Article on Chocolate Sunday. Do you think this might catch on as a regular spot on the liturgical calendar? What is it about chocolate that makes most of us smile? I enjoyed reading Kirsten Coveleskie’s article entitled “Chocolate on the Brain’ in it she seeks to justify why chocolate makes us all feel better. I was certainly impressed with the congregation last Sunday everyone seemed to be in a happy mood as they received their cup of hot chocolate and their square of “Fair Trade” chocolate. Got me thinking so why is it that people give up something that makes them happy in order to feel depressed and sad? Is this really what lent is all about? Am I missing something here? Chocolate Sunday is a theme that is helping us begin to explore what we mean when we say we’re observing Lent. We’ve split it down into four themes to reflect upon over the weeks leading up to Easter. Week 1 - Counting the Cost - Conversations on Discipleship Week 2 - Crossed Out - So what’s your Alternative? Week 3 - Give up or pick Up - Obedience Vs Sacrifice Week 4 - Follow Me - Beyond the Cross to Resurrection Perhaps we need to ask ourselves what is the real cost of Christian discipleship. It’s more than a bar of chocolate. There is no doubt that there is a cost involved when we decide to follow Jesus. So what is the cost? I think the cost is centered around the temptation narratives mentioned in Luke chapter four. Here you find the universal temptations which are common to all of us spelt out under the broad themes of money, power and fame. At the heart of the gospel is a call to service. It is a call that invites us to take up the cause of the poor, to work and live in such a way that we don’t look for personal adulation and fame, instead we even explore what it means to become powerless in order to identify with the oppressed and the weak. I guess this is the stuff Jesus was talking about when he engaged with his disciples in conversations which included, children, rich people, needles and camels, house building, boats and nets and even a cross. So what would Christianity be like without a cross? Indeed is the cross an essential part of our faith? Where does the cross lead? To failure or glory? These are the themes that Chocolate Sunday is attempting to unwrap ? So I hope you enjoy exploring the theme of Chocolate and maybe even the odd bar of Chocolate as you engage with our material this month.