February 18, 2026
Ash Wednesday invites us to take our first steps into the Lenten journey, turning our hearts toward Easter with honesty and hope. It is a day when the church speaks plainly about who we are: mortal people whose lives are finite, and faithful people who often struggle to live as fully and lovingly as we intend.
On this day, many Christians receive ashes in the shape of a cross on the forehead and hear the words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” The ashes come from last year’s Palm Sunday branches, once lifted in joy and now burned and mixed with oil. They hold together two truths we share: our mortality, and our experience of missing the mark in our love for God, one another, and ourselves.
Ash Wednesday gives us a place to begin without pretending. In naming both our limits and our failures, we are invited into a season shaped by repentance, repair, and trust in God’s mercy.
If you are able, we hope you will join us at Tabernacle and invite others to join you. If another Ash Wednesday service in the community fits your day more easily, we encourage you to take part there.
Ash Wednesday at Tabernacle
12:00 PM–5:00 PM | Open Sanctuary
The sanctuary will be open for quiet prayer, guided meditations, and the receiving of ashes. You are welcome to come briefly or to linger in silence and reflection, as your day allows.
6:00–7:00 PM | Ash Wednesday Service
We will gather for a communal Ash Wednesday service in the sanctuary, including music, scripture readings, a reflection, prayer, and the imposition of ashes.
Wherever and however you mark this day, may it be a faithful beginning to the Lenten journey.
