Ash Wednesday

Learning to Stay

February 18, 2026

Preparing Yourself For Worship

This Lent, our worship will feel different on purpose.

We are practicing learning to stay—staying present with God and with one another, without rushing toward answers or resolution.

You may notice more silence, slower pacing, and fewer explanations. That is intentional. Silence is part of our prayer. Waiting is part of our faith.

You are not expected to feel a certain way or to have everything figured out. Listening counts. Waiting counts. Simply being here counts.

We trust that Christ is at work, even when things feel unfinished.

Let us worship together.

Quiet Gathering

Before worship begins, the space is held quietly.

Soft music may be played, or the room may remain in silence.

There is no rush to begin.

You are invited to settle into your seat, notice your breath, and allow yourself to arrive as you are. As you slow down, invite Jesus to speak to you or hold you in any discomfort that you may have today.

Silence is not emptiness here.

It is how we make room for God.

Welcome

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent—a season that invites honesty, not performance.

On Ash Wednesday, we are not here to fix ourselves, explain suffering, or rush toward hope.

We are here to tell the truth before God.

Some of us come tired.

Some come carrying grief, regret, or questions we don’t know how to answer.

Some come unsure why they are here at all.

All of that belongs.

This service will move slowly.

There will be silence.

You may not be asked to do very much.

That is intentional.

This is a day for staying—

staying present,

staying honest,

staying with the Spirit,

staying open to God’s mercy in Christ Jesus.

Call to Worship

Friends in Christ,

We gather not because we are ready,

but because God is faithful in Christ.

We come with unfinished lives,

uncertain faith,

and bodies marked by time and loss.

God meets us here—

not after we have cleaned ourselves up,

but as we are.

So come.

Bring what is real.

Bring what is heavy.

Bring what you cannot fix.

Let us worship God together.

Opening Prayer

Let us pray.

God of dust and breath,

we come before you with open hands.

We carry more than we can hold—

worries we name,

and fears we keep quiet.

Slow us down.

Settle us into this moment.

Help us tell the truth—

about our limits,

about our longing,

about our need for grace.

We do not ask for easy answers.

We ask only for your presence; that we might feel the hand of Christ; that we might feel your gentle Spirit.

Stay with us as we begin this season.

Teach us how to stay with you.

In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Hearing Scripture Together

As we turn to Scripture,

we are not looking for answers yet.

On Ash Wednesday, the Bible does not rush us toward hope or resolution.

It tells the truth about who we are—

our fragility,

our limits,

our need for mercy.

These words were spoken to people who were struggling,

who had failed,

who knew that something was broken and could not be fixed by effort alone.

Scripture today invites us to stay with that truth,

not to be ashamed,

but to be honest.

Listen not for instructions,

but for invitation.

Listen not to judge yourself,

but to be seen.

Let us hear the Word of God.

Hebrew Prayer

Psalm 51 To be read slowly. Many readers are encouraged.

Staying with the Truth

We will now take a few moments for quiet reflection.

You may remain seated.

You may close your eyes or keep them open.

You may read the questions below, or simply sit in silence.

There is nothing you need to solve or fix.

Today, we are practicing staying.

Staying with who we are,

not who we wish we were.

Staying with the truth of our lives,

without rushing toward excuses or explanations.

Psalm 51 does not hide from brokenness.

It does not minimize failure or pretend strength.

It stays.

As you sit quietly, you may reflect on one or two of these questions. The goal isn’t to answer them all. The goal is to rest and sit with Christ:

• Where am I tempted to move quickly past honesty—about myself, my life, or my limits?

• What truth about myself have I been avoiding or softening?

• What would it mean to stay with that truth before God, without self-defense?

• Psalm 51 speaks of a “broken and contrite heart.”What feels fragile or unfinished in me right now?

• Where do I need mercy more than improvement?

You do not need to answer these questions.

Simply let them rest with you.

We will remain in silence for a few moments.

(Silence is kept.)

Breath and Paper

You are invited into a simple act of prayer.

If you were given a small piece of paper,

hold it in your hands now.

If you do not have one, you may still participate quietly.

This paper is not for performance.

It will not be shared.

No one will see what you write.

As you hold the paper, take a slow breath in.

Then slowly breathe out.

Psalm 51 speaks of truth spoken from the heart,

not explained away,

not cleaned up.

In it, the psalmist writes, let the bones that [God has] crushed rejoice. Right now, we do not need to rejoice. We are simply taking notice of the ways that we are crushed.

If you wish, write a word or short phrase—only one.

You might write:

• something you have been carrying,
• a truth you have been avoiding,
• a place where you feel fragile or unfinished,
• or simply the word mercy.

Do not explain it.

Do not justify it.

When you are finished, fold the paper once.

As you do, take another slow breath.

This act is about staying—

staying with the truth,

staying with God,

staying present to who we are.

You will be invited to bring this paper with you later,

as we mark our lives with ashes—

a sign not of shame,

but of honesty and mercy.

For now, remain seated.

Hold the paper.

Breathe.

We will sit in silence together.

(Silence is kept.)

A Word of Mercy

You have stayed with what is true.

God does not turn away from that truth.

Christ does not leave us abandoned.

The Spirit is with us.

Scripture tells us that a broken and honest heart is not despised by God.

What we carry today is held in mercy,

not in judgment.

We are not asked to fix what we have named.

We are asked to remain with God, who remains with us.

(Silence is kept.)

Beloved, remember the words of the psalmist:

For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is God’s steadfast love

toward those who fear the Lord.

As far as the east is from the west,
so far God removes our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion for his children,
so the Lord has compassion

for those who fear the Lord.

For God knows how we were made;

The Lord remembers that we are dust

We remember that we are dust

as we receive the mercy of God.

The Memory of Our Ashes

Today/Tonight we come to remember.

We come to remember who we are.

We remember that our lives are fragile and unfinished.

We remember that we are dust.

These ashes do not accuse us.

They tell the truth.

They remind us that we do not last forever.

And that we are not alone.

We are not asked to fix what is broken.

We are invited to stay.

To stay with what is true.

To stay with God.

God stays with us.

(Silence)

When you are ready, you are invited to come and receive the ashes.

When placing ashes in the form of a cross, the pastor or elder says, “Remember: you are dust, and God stays with you.”

A Prayer of the Community

God of mercy,
we come as we are—
tired, unfinished,
carrying more than we can explain.

Stay with us.

We bring what we have named
and what we could not yet name.
We bring truth without defense
and longing without answers.

Stay with us.

When honesty feels heavy,
when silence feels uncertain,
when we are tempted to rush past this moment—

Stay with us.

Teach us to remain—
with our limits,
with our breath,
with one another,
and with you.

Stay with us.

Hold us in mercy,
not judgment.
Hold us in patience,
not fear.


We stay here now,
because you stay with us.

Stay with us.

In the name of Christ Jesus. Amen.

A Time of Still Staying

The community is encourage to reflect on God’s mercy and sit in the knowledge of our sinfulness and brokenness while music is played.

Possible Hymns

• “Just as I Am, Without One Plea” (GTG 442)

• “Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days” (GTG 166)

• “O Lord, Hear My Prayer” (GTG 471)

• “Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy” (GTG 415)

• “Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God” (GTG 422)