The Real Easter Egg

I know you're just recovering from Christmas and for weeks you've been bemoaning the fact that the shops are already full of Easter eggs but...

...Easter will be here sooner than you expect. Tomorrow I will be writing about Lent - Pancake Day is only two weeks away today.

I know that Easter has nothing to do with eggs - particularly eggs of the chocolate variety - and I know that so many of our annual festivals are driven by big retailers wanting to make money (think Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Halloween as well as Easter and Christmas) but...

...if you're the sort of person who buys chocolate Easter eggs then have you considered The Real Easter Egg?

The Real Easter Egg is a FairTrade chocolate egg, which actually tells the Easter story through the printing on the box and the booklet enclosed. These eggs can be bought in certain supermarkets and independent shops, or online, or if you're quick you can place an order at CBC on Sunday.

To see their full range, get more information, read about their charity work, or place an online order visit their website.

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What will you swap?

On Sunday, as we continued our series looking at the period of OT history from 930-586BC, we looked at Amos 5. This is one of those chapters in the Bible where it is very hard to miss the obvious message that God is passionate about issues of poverty and justice in this world.

There are over 2000 verses in the Bible where these issues are addressed, and they are all highlighted in the Poverty and Justice Bible. The issue in Amos' day was that the people were religious but they did not care for the poor and the oppressed. In fact they were the ones responsible for many of the injustices these people experienced. They went to 'church' and sung the hymns on one day, and then cheated the poor and bribed their way out of trouble the next. And God's judgement was coming.

How much do we identify with those on the margins? What difference do we make? What difference could we make? Are we a part of the problem, or part of the answer?

Whether it's running, Bible reading or social action it is always better to start small and build up. Why not commit to changing just one item in your weekly shop to a Fair Trade option? In the UK there are now over 3000 products that carry the Fair Trade logo. These include tea, coffee, chocolate, honey, sugar, bananas and beans to mention just a few. What will you swap?

Does God mind where I shop?

Does God mind where I shop? With so many shops and supermarkets to choose from does it make a difference which one I choose? Does the Bible have anything to say on the matter? If you're looking for a verse that says 'Thou shalt not shop at ?????' you're going to be disappointed. (And I would recommend a version that says 'You shall not ...' rather than 'Thou shalt not...' but that's a whole different topic. If interested visit www.usingthebible.blogspot.com).

But our faith should impact every area of our lives and that includes where we shop and what we buy when we're there.

This week is the second week of Fairtrade Fortnight (25 Feb - 9 Mar). Two weeks in which we are encouraged, if we haven't already done so, to make the switch to buying Fairtrade goods, where possible. Buying goods which carry the Fairtrade Mark guarantees a better and fairer deal for farmers and producers in the developing world. God is passionate about the poor and the needy - if you don't believe that then go and read your Bible again. Start with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and see what Jesus has to say. Then move into Acts and see how for the early Christians care for the poor and needy was a natural expression of their faith. Then if you still need convincing have a go at some of the Old Testament prophets (e.g. Amos 8).

God is also passionate about justice (e.g. Micah 6:8) and therefore we should be too. One of the things that the Fairtrade Foundation highlights for us, whether we like it or not, is that not all dealings in the commercial world are fair. That means that there are small scale producers who are being exploited in order to keep costs down and profits high - and there is nothing they can do about it. But it means that they can't send their children to school, they have to make choices between things like food OR medicine, they can't invest in their communities... But when we buy goods which carry the Fairtrade Mark we are making a difference. It might not seem like a big difference on a global scale. But for a family who are now sending their children to school; for a community that has been able to sink a well to access clean and safe drinking water...it makes the world of difference.

To find out more visit www.fairtrade.org.uk

Does God mind where I shop? What do you think?