From Pancakes to Ashes: Entering a Holy Lent – February 10, 2026

Full St. Nick’s News for February 10, 2026

Dear friends,

This coming Sunday we reach one of those beautiful turning points in the Church year. We will celebrate the last Sunday after the Epiphany. We have been living in the season after Epiphany—watching Jesus be revealed in story after story. We have listened as he called disciples, healed people, preached good news, and showed us who God is. And now the Church, in her deep and ancient wisdom, takes our hand and turns us toward the church season of Lent.

If you are new to the Episcopal way of marking time, here are some important things to know: the Church year shapes and forms us. It is not just a calendar. The Church year is a path for growing in love with God. Every season teaches us something new about the life of Jesus and, therefore, about our own lives.

Lent is the part of the path where we slow down, make time for prayer and listen deeply to God. The Church season of Lent is forty days long, echoing Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness. Christians have been keeping this season since the early centuries of the Church. From the beginning, it has been a time for people preparing for baptism and for the whole community to return again to the basics of faith: repentance, mercy, prayer, generosity, and trust in God.

Our friends at the Little Way Chapel (A ministry for children and families) describe Lent as a journey with Jesus into the wilderness and toward the cross. Before we can celebrate resurrection, we walk with Jesus through the hard and honest places. We remember that we are mortal. We notice our need for grace. We practice letting go of the things that keep us from loving God and our neighbors.

On Ash Wednesday, we will hear Jesus give us three sturdy practices from Matthew’s Gospel: pray, fast, and give.

• We pray so we can remember who and whose we are.
• We fast so we can discover what truly fills us.
• We give so our hearts stretch toward people who need to know they are not alone.

And in good and Godly Episcopal fashion, we remember that none of this earns love. Grace always comes first. God has already chosen us. Lent simply helps us pay attention to the gifts of God’s Grace and Love.

You may notice some changes in worship in the weeks ahead. We quiet things down. We spend a moment reflecting before confession and we even tuck away the Alleluia for a time. It is a kind of holy fasting, so that when Easter arrives, the joy can ring out fresh and new.

What do we hope to receive from a season like this?

We are hoping for awareness of God’s presence. We are hoping for earnest and honest reflection on our spiritual lives. We are hoping for deeper communion with Jesus and with one another. We spend time praying and hoping that by walking with Jesus toward the cross, we will be ready to recognize Him when He comes to us again on Easter morning.

Whether you have observed Lent your whole life or are stepping into it for the first time, on Ash Wednesday you are invited into a Holy Lent. Try a new practice of prayer, fasting, or giving charity. Keep it simple. If you forget, begin again the next day. God is far more interested in your openness than your success.

Right before our invitation into a Holy Lent, we are invited into a moment of joy together around our tables at St. Nick’s. On Tuesday, February 17 at 6:00 PM, our youth will host the annual Shrove Tuesday pancake supper. It is a gift they offer to the whole parish, and any donations will go toward an outreach ministry they choose themselves. There will be pancakes in all the favorite varieties, good conversation, a little karaoke, and the glad reminder that we never walk into a new Church season alone.

All middle school and high school youth are invited to come help with preparations on Monday after school from 5:30-6:30pm. And all youth can come at 4:30PM or on Tuesday as we get everything ready, cook pancakes, and set out the food. We can’t wait for the festivities and fun time togehter!

After all ages join in on Pancake Supper fun, we will enter into a Holy Lent on Wednesday, February 18. You may join us at 7:30 in the morning for a quiet service, stop by between 9:00 AM and 4:30 PM for Ashes to Go, or come to the 4:45 PM family service designed for all ages. In receiving ashes, we remember our life, our mortality, and the mercy of the God who never lets us go.

From pancakes to ashes.

From celebration to contemplation.

From wilderness to resurrection.

I am so grateful we get to walk this road together as we travel through the Church year.

 

God’s Peace, Love, and Blessings,

Beth+