Gospel of Chocolat


Last evening I watched again the movie Chocolat (2000). If you've seen the movie you know the story of the mysterious chocoloatier who arrives in a small conservative French village in the middle of Lent and sets up shop just as the people of the village are supposed to be fasting from such things. It becomes a battle of wills between Vianne the outsider and the mayor, the ascetic and puritanical Comte de Raynaud.

In the end it is the voice of inclusion from outside who wins the battle (a nonviolent one) as Easter is celebrated as it should be, as a day of joy and inclusion.

One of the figures in the film is the young priest who has succeeded a man who had served five decades. He's only in his 5th week of service when Vianne comes to town. The mayor tries to use him to re-enforce his puritanical views of the world. But in the end, after the mayor himself succumbs to the "temptations" of chocolate, the young priest Pere Henri, offers a most life affirming sermon. I thought these words from the young priest, influenced as he was by the gracious invitation to live life fully by the chocolatier:


Do I want to speak of the miracle of our Lord's divine transformation? Not really, no. I don't want to talk about his divinity. I'd rather talk about his humanity. I mean, you know, how he lived his life, here on Earth. His *kindness*, his *tolerance*... Listen, here's what I think. I think that we can't go around... measuring our goodness by what we don't do. By what we deny ourselves, what we resist, and who we exclude. I think... we've got to measure goodness by what we *embrace*, what we create... and who we include.


Advent, like Lent is a time of penitential self-assessment, but we must not lose sight of the calling to embrace life as God gives it to us. If you've yet to see the movie, by all means do so and if it's been awhile, then rent it soon! For our goodness isn't determined by what we don't do or by whom we exclude, but by what we embrace, create, and include. Indeed! Ah, in a most interesting way the gospel is presented! And why not, during this season, share in the sacrament of hot chocolate?

Comments

Dennis said…
My friend, Dr. Mike Simpson, uses Chocolat as an illustration in some of his presentations on Family Systems (Bowen) theory in congregations. One of the many ways the movie works in that context is how the main character listens to her internal compass rather than succumbing to the pressures of those around her; her own self-differentiation actually transforms the lives of those around her without any conscious effort on her part to transform anyone. She remains true to herself in the face of tremendous pressure to conform to the expectations of those who have power, and as a result, lives are changed. I've often thought about showing this film to my congregation just before Lent as a way to re-vision our observance of the lenten season, but it could work for this other "purple" season in which we find ourselves, too: what if, during Advent, as we within Christianity prepare ourselves for the coming of the Messiah, we resist the temptation to think we already know what the presence of Christ in the world will mean or look like? What if we put aside our expectations and instead, embrace the presence of Christ as something radically new?

Hmmm...that gives me an idea for a sermon! Thanks, Bob.

Popular Posts