February 2026 | Lent

There are moments in life when we find ourselves standing at a threshold. A doorway between what has been and what is coming next. A pause before we step forward. A moment where we sense that something new is      beginning- but we’re not quite sure how to enter it. 

Lent is one of those moments. Before we rush toward Easter’s celebration, Lent invites us to stop, to breathe, to take an honest look at our lives and our relationship with God. It is not a season meant to weigh us down, but to help us make room- room for grace, truth, and transformation.

Ash Wednesday stands right at the threshold.

It reminds us of our humanity as we hear the words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” But it also invites us into grace through repentance as we hear the words, “Repent, and believe the gospel.” To repent, to turn around, is to reorient our lives toward God again. Not in shame, but in hope. Not in fear, but in trust. For many of us, the hardest part of faith is not believing- it’s slowing down enough to  listen. Life moves quickly. Our days are full. Our minds are busy. And even our prayers can begin to feel rushed or routine. That is why this year, we are offering something a little different as we begin Lent.

On Wednesday, February 18th, from 4-6:30pm, our Prayer Team has created an Ash Wednesday Prayer Vigil in Darrah Hall. Rather than a single, scheduled service, the space will be arranged with eight prayer stations, each designed to offer an opportunity to pause, reflect, and pray. A place to breathe, encounter and connect with God, and experience the threshold into Lent. We anticipate and open ourselves to how God will move in our lives throughout the 40 days of Lent and beyond. 

You are welcome to come at any point during those two and a half hours. You may stay briefly, or linger. Among the stations will be an opportunity for the imposition of ashes, reminding us of our shared humanity, and to receive Holy Communion, reminding us that grace always meets us at the threshold.

If your life feels full… or noisy… or heavy…
If you’re not sure what direction God is calling you…
If you desire a deeper experience of Lent…
If you simply need a quiet moment to catch your breath…
Come, and prayerfully participate on Ash Wednesday. 

Lent doesn’t ask us to have everything figured out, but invites us to pause long enough to breathe deeply, trust that God will meet us there, and to step forward into wherever and however God is leading. My hope is that this prayer vigil will be for all of us a sacred threshold where we can breathe, pray, and move forward on a transformative journey together.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Sherry