Turning Our Hearts Toward Lent

Dear Siblings in Christ,

Ash Wednesday arrives on February 18th, marking the beginning of our Lenten journey. This year, we are invited into a season of intentional awareness with our theme: Living in God’s Presence: Learning to Pay Attention.

Too often, we approach Lent as a time to do more—to add spiritual disciplines, to strive harder, to prove our devotion. But this year, we’re being called to something different: to slow down and notice. Our core theological conviction this Lenten season is simple yet profound: God is already present. Prayer is learning to pay attention.

Throughout these forty days, we will discover that God is not distant or absent, waiting for us to find the right formula to reach Him. Instead, God is already near—meeting us in our prayers, speaking through Scripture, showing up in ordinary moments, and even accompanying us through wilderness places. Our work this Lent is not to manufacture God’s presence, but to open our eyes to recognize it.

Each week will guide us deeper into this practice of attentiveness. On Ash Wednesday, we’ll turn from outward appearances to focus our hearts on God. In the weeks that follow, we’ll learn to hear God’s Word amid competing voices, trust what God is doing even before we understand it, notice God in unexpected encounters, and see more clearly as God opens our eyes.

This theme beautifully supports our 2026 Prayer Challenge. As we learn to “pray without ceasing,” we’re discovering that prayer isn’t merely about the words we speak or the time we carve out. Prayer is a posture—a way of living each day awake to God’s gracious presence all around us.

Join us on February 18th as we begin this journey together. May this Lent teach us not to work harder, but to pay closer attention to the God who is already at work in our midst.

May you experience the peace of God’s closeness,

Pastor Amy