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Entering Lent: Making Space
to Be with Jesus
2026-2-17 | Meghan McClellan
Each year, Ash Wednesday invites us into the season of Lent—a season marked by prayer, reflection, and intentional slowing down. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and carries us through Good Friday, guiding us toward the cross and, ultimately, the hope of resurrection on Easter morning. Over forty days (excluding Sundays), we walk a path that mirrors Jesus’ own journey in the wilderness at the beginning of His ministry.
Lent is not about striving harder or proving our faithfulness. It is an invitation—an invitation to draw near. During this season, we are invited to pay closer attention to the life of Jesus, His suffering, His death, and the promise of new life found in His resurrection. At the same time, we are invited to be honest about ourselves: our limits, our brokenness, our sin, and our deep need for grace.
In Lent, we make space to bring our whole selves before God. We name what is true. We confess what weighs heavy. We sit with Jesus not to be fixed immediately, but to be formed—trusting that, in His presence, He is at work restoring and renewing us.
The psalmist gives words to this prayerful posture in Psalm 51:
“Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
Lent ultimately shapes us toward hope. Even as we sit with repentance and reflection, we do so with our eyes fixed on what is coming—the resurrection of Jesus, where sin and death are defeated and new life is made possible because of His sacrifice. This journey leads us toward joy, renewal, and celebration.
As we step into this season together, beginning on Ash Wednesday, I invite you to participate in ways that feel meaningful and life-giving for you. One way to begin is by joining us for our Ash Wednesday service on February 18th at 6:30pm in the sanctuary—a quiet and reflective space to mark the start of Lent together.
My prayer is that this Lent would be a time where you encounter Jesus in fresh and honest ways, creating space to be present with Him. I look forward to walking this season together and celebrating the hope of resurrection with you on Easter morning.