This week we gathered together to observe Ash Wednesday.
If I’m honest, I don’t always love the words that come with it:
“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
That sounds heavy. Final. Sobering.
But over time, I’ve come to see something beautiful in it.
Because before dust was a reminder of death… it was the material God used to create you.
He formed you from it.
He breathed into it.
He called it good.
Ash Wednesday isn’t meant to shame you.
It’s meant to wake you up.
You Are Dust — and Deeply Loved
When I hear “you are dust,” I’m reminded that I am not self-made. I am not invincible. I am not in control of everything the way I sometimes pretend to be.
And if you’re anything like me, you don’t love admitting that either.
But here’s the gift hidden in those ashes:
You don’t have to hold your life together by yourself.
You are fragile.
You are dependent.
You are finite.
And God already knows that.
Lent begins with humility — not humiliation. There’s a difference.
Humility says: I need God.
Humiliation says: I am worthless.
Ash Wednesday calls you to the first — never the second.
Repent, and Believe the Gospel
Jesus’ first recorded message in Mark’s Gospel is simple:
“Repent, and believe the gospel.”
Repentance is not groveling. It’s turning.
It’s when you finally stop pretending that the way you’ve been going is working.
It’s when you admit:
- That habit isn’t harmless.
- That resentment is shaping your heart.
- That comparison is stealing your joy.
- That self-reliance is exhausting you.
And you turn.
Not into shame.
Not into self-hatred.
You turn toward Him.
You turn toward mercy.
Psalm 51 has become my Ash Wednesday prayer:
“Create in me a clean heart, O God.”
That prayer assumes something important:
You can’t create a clean heart on your own.
But God can.
Lent Is Not About Giving Something Up
Let me gently say this to you: Lent is not spiritual dieting.
It’s not about proving how disciplined you are.
It’s not about impressing God.
It’s not about earning Easter.
It’s about making space.
Space to notice where your heart has drifted.
Space to sit with Scripture.
Space to feel your need instead of numbing it.
Maybe you fast from something this season — sugar, social media, noise.
But the goal isn’t deprivation.
The goal is awareness.
When you feel the absence, you remember your need.
And when you remember your need, you remember your Savior.
Let Me Ask You Something
If you slowed down for 40 days…
What might God surface in you?
Where are you spiritually coasting?
Where are you spiritually dry?
Where are you spiritually distracted?
Lent is an invitation — not a demand.
An invitation to examine.
An invitation to confess.
An invitation to return.
You don’t have to wait until you feel holy enough.
You just have to be honest enough.
Let’s Walk Towards the Cross
Church family,
This Lent, we’re not just turning a page on the calendar. We’re stepping into something together.
Beginning Sunday, February 22 — the First Sunday of Lent — and continuing through May 23, 2026 (Eastertide), we are walking through a shared daily devotional called Awaken to Grace.
And I want you to be part of it.
This is not about spiritual performance.
It’s not about checking a box or doing it perfectly.
It’s about creating intentional space.
Space to slow down.
Space to listen.
Space for God to shape us.
Here are three ways to follow along:
- Books are available for purchase in the lobby
- Download the PDF version for free
- Get the Awaken to Grace App for iPhone or Android