LENT has just started in many churches and homes with something of a food festival – albeit just of pancakes. Shrove Tuesday is the time traditionally when butter and eggs were used up in pancakes to prepare for the restrictions in Lent.

The weeks of Lent, which lead up to Easter, are inspired by a story from the desert, when Jesus went hungry as he prepared for his mission. During Lent churches also remember Jesus’ life-giving work which includes several accounts of him feeding thousands of people. All of this can be a prompt to work to ensure that everyone has enough to eat.

Lots of people give up something for lent such as chocolate or meat. Lent can also be an opportunity to rethink our personal story and to make a change that can bring about a new chapter for us and others. Transformation for the greater good is core to Christian and other Faiths.

The current news about the climate crisis suggests that how we treat the planet is a priority for transformation. The production and consumption of food is one key area in which we can play a positive role, and recently I found inspiration about this from an old Bible story.

Many years before Jesus was in the desert, the ancient Hebrew people wandered there and were hungry until God provided them with something to eat. Their food was white flakes and called “manna” which means “what is it?”. (The story clearly has a comical aspect to it). The manna appeared six days a week with enough for the seventh rest day, the sabbath. They were also told to take a jar of manna and put it in their special holy place, the ark, to remind them of God’s provision for them. The key messages from the story seem to be that it is good to be purposefully thankful for the provision of food, and it is also good to take a rest.

Lent might be a good time to rest more if possible or at least create time to think. Reflecting, for example, on where our food comes from, the journey from origin to plate, might increase our motivation to look after the planet. Buying foods that are marked Fairtrade is one way we can be sure that the producers are getting a fair wage for their work and so show our gratitude.

Lent does not have to be about giving up food. It can be about choosing food carefully, sharing what we have, and being thankful. Simple, thoughtful changes can have a big impact for good.