February 18, 2026 | Ash Wednesday @ Holy Trinity Lutheran Church – Buffalo, NY

What Is Lent All About?

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

It’s Ash Wednesday, y’all. But what’s it all about?

We just read: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could cast a mulberry tree into the sea (Luke 17:5-6).

I don’t know about you, but that’s not the first thing I would do with this faith. I’m not going to hurl a mulberry tree anywhere. I happen to like mulberries very much.

So what is Lent about?

Is Lent about exercising superhuman powers?
Is Lent all about fish fries? (Actually… yes, in Buffalo, NY, it probably is.)
Is it about not eating meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays in Lent?
Is it about giving up chocolate, alcohol, smoking, or whatever else you choose to give up?
Is it about taking on certain practices — running, walking, exercise?

What is Lent about?

Is it really about being “good” and avoiding “bad”?
Is it about reflecting on all of your behaviors, your thoughts, your words — and oversimplifying them into being either “good” and “bad”?

And if you’re going to say something is good or bad — how good is good enough and how bad is bad enough to be able to categorize them as “good” or “bad”?

Is Lent about feeling really, really bad? Is Lent all about guilt and how many ways we fall short? Is it about not feeling good enough?

Is Lent about giving up fun, smiling, and joy for the forty days of Lent?

And why would Lent actually be about these things? Are these consistent with anything we read in Scripture? Is it consistent with anything we know about Jesus — who says:

“I am not like the thief who comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I have come that you may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10 paraphrased).

So what is this time of Lent actually supposed to be about?

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Preparation — But Not Perfection

We know that Lent and having faith isn’t about throwing mulberry bushes into the sea (thankfully).

Lent is a forty-day season. It is known as a penitential season. It’s a season of preparation.

Historically, it led up to the Easter Vigil, when people would be baptized. It was a time of preparation for baptism.

I was once talking with the congregation about evangelism — about going out into the world, talking with family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and sharing faith.

And someone said, “Pastor, I think we need to work on ourselves first. We need more preparation. More learning. We need to be more confident in Scripture. We need a plan. A process.”

But is that what Jesus says?

When Jesus sent out the seventy, he sent them two by two (John 10-11). “Y’all go.” (And yes, I think to think of Jesus using the word “y’all.”)

There’s this pull in us to want more preparation.
We might think, “We can’t go to Easter yet — we haven’t prepared enough.
We can’t share our faith yet — we’re not ready enough.”

Consider this … can you become a professional airplane pilot by only reading books and preparing in a classroom? Would your preparation be complete? Could you call yourself a pilot?

Can you become a boiler repair person only by reading books and preparing in a classroom? Would your preparation be complete? Could you call yourself an expert?

No.

In these — and so many other areas — learning requires action. You take action to do the thing you’re preparing for even when you’re not completely prepared … maybe especially when you’re not completely prepared.

In the medical world, there are phrases like:
“See one, do one.”
Or even, “See one, do one, teach one.”

Faith works like that, too.

Jesus called twelve disciples — which means they were learners, students, followers — and said, “You will do the works that I do, and greater works than these.”

After encountering the risen Christ, they were called apostles — which means those who are sent, those who are messengers or envoys.

Were they fully prepared? Fully ready?
Or did they figure it out along the way?

Isn’t that what faith is?

Faith is trust in action.

Righteousness Is About Relationships

So during Lent, we are not going to cast mulberry bushes into the sea. And I pray we continue to laugh, to smile, and to enjoy this beautiful life we’ve been given.

It doesn’t mean we don’t reflect, though.

Lent is not about hyper-focusing on where we fall short in some good-versus-bad tally sheet. Jesus is not Santa Claus. He’s not handing out coal. He’s not checking who’s naughty or nice.

You heard the word righteousness in 2 Corinthians. Righteousness isn’t about “You’re good” versus “You’re bad. Righteousness is about relationships. You are righteous insofar as you maintain, encourage, and build your relationships — with God and with your neighbor.

So what would it look like this Lent if we focused there?

What if we didn’t focus so much on ourselves and our own goodness or badness, but instead focused on the beauty of the relationships God has given us?

What if we didn’t worry so much about casting a mulberry tree with our mustard-seed faith — but instead acted for justice on behalf of our neighbor?

What if we didn’t just have faith in Jesus — but lived with the faith of Jesus? What if we walked in his footsteps?

What if we became the light of Jesus in the darkness we face in our world? What if we became the light — the light no darkness can overcome (John 1).

Hearts, Not Just Practices

God wants our hearts, not just our practices.

If you desire to give something up this Lent — God bless you.
If you desire to take something on — God bless you.

But let it be something that ties you more deeply to your relationships.
Let it build you up as God’s child in this world.
Let it be a blessing — not just something you do because it’s Lent.

This, my friends, is the beginning of Lent.

We are invited into its disciplines and practices. And as we engage them deeply, it’s okay to smile. It’s okay to laugh.

Let’s begin this season of Lent with joy and reflection as we grow closer to Jesus who we love and serve by loving and serving our neighbor.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.