Lent: Why all the fuss?

I've discovered the website of the Church of England this week. I was wondering what I would discover in the news section - in particular I was curious as to whether recent media reports describing proposed reunificaion of the Church of England and the Roman Catholic church were quite as I'd made out. However, when I got to the news section, my eye was drawn to the story entitled "Your first action for Lent: Make someone laugh." I'd heard about this also (for I am an avid Radio 4 Today programme junky) so I thought I'd give it a glance.

I know I'm old-skool. I don't really go in for the whole "let's wave our hands in the air thing" (I kind of object to the sentiment, but am reminded of the question posed in Adrian Plass' An Alien at St Wilfred's "why are those christians surrendering to God?"). But I have to confess: an eyebrow was raised when I read about "a range of other initiatives designed to raise a smile [including] a training course for vicars in stand-up-style performance skills." Will, I ask myself, we see our dear Vaughan sitting on a bar stool at the front of Ebbes, pint (of something non-alcoholic, no doubt) in hand, givin' it large? "There was this vicar, right, and..."

I feel it's unlikely. But does this, in fact, have anything to do with Lent? A trip to livelent.net suggests not. By all means, let's be nice to each other - and if you feel like leaving money in a shopping trolley, letting a car out in the queue in front of you, or whatever, then do so. Maybe this comes under "love your neighbour as yourself." But, surely, Lent is so much more than this - it's a chance to consider Jesus as he faced and overcame the greatest and most human temptations over a course of 40 days; evidence of His divinity in His humanity. Let's not reduce it to a time of giving up chocolate and being nice.