Ash Wednesday – February 18, 2026

Holy Ground and Honest Fasting

Scripture Reading

Isaiah 58:1–9a (CEB)
“Isn’t this the fast I choose: releasing wicked restraints, untying the ropes of a yoke, setting free the mistreated, and breaking every yoke? Isn’t it sharing your bread with the hungry and bringing the homeless poor into your house… Then your light will break out like the dawn…”

Ash Wednesday begins with ashes and questions. Through the prophet Isaiah, God asks, “Is this the fast I choose?” It is not a question about diet. It is a question about direction. Are we turning toward justice, mercy, and love—or merely performing religion?

In our Ash Wednesday liturgy, we prayed, “Will I peel back the cage around my frame to let you in… or will I roll back the stone and wade in?”

Lent is not about self-punishment; it is about holy honesty. In the Wesleyan tradition, repentance is not groveling—it is grace-filled turning. God’s prevenient grace has already been at work in us before we ever thought to turn around.

Isaiah makes it plain: God is not impressed by outward performance detached from inward transformation. The fast God chooses sets people free. It feeds the hungry. It loosens what binds. Holiness of heart always becomes holiness of life. Social holiness is not optional; it is evidence that grace is alive in us.

Today we kneel in ashes. But we rise in hope. God’s question is not condemnation—it is invitation. This season beckons something of us. We are standing on holy ground.

Reflection Question

Where might God be inviting you to move from religious habit to transforming love?

Concrete Action Step

Identify one person or group in your community experiencing hardship. Take one visible step today—send a message of encouragement, make a donation, or schedule a time to serve.

Prayer

Holy One, you seek more than performance—you seek our hearts. Turn us toward justice and mercy. Help us begin this season on holy ground. Amen.