February 13th, 2026

Every night before I go to bed, I do a crossword. Nothing too fancy—just challenging enough to quiet my mind before sleep.

I believe there is something holy about seeing a disjointed jumble of clues slowly transform into a unified whole.

Each word relies entirely on the support of another.

​Without the “down,” the “across” falls apart. No letter stands on its own.

As we enter the season of Lent, at a time when our country is more divided than ever, this image feels particularly poignant.

Lent is often framed as a solitary journey of giving something up or taking something on. But at its heart, Lent is communal. It’s a season meant to be walked together. Just like those interlocking letters, faith is something we solve side by side.

Next Wednesday, we kick off Lent by marking our foreheads with ashes. This ritual itself can seem archaic. But I find its message is still very relevant: "We are all human, we all make mistakes, and we are all in this together." No matter who you are, you start the season on the same foot as everyone else.

Ash Wednesday is the ultimate "starting square" of a forty-day journey toward Easter—a journey we take as a community knitted together in love.

​When someone among us gets stuck on a hard clue—be it grief, doubt, exhaustion, loss—the gift of church is that someone else may be holding the missing letters. We remind each other that no one is meant to solve the puzzle of life alone.

Lent invites us to slow down and ask how we might interlock more intentionally with our family, friends, and community. It's a time not only to fast and feast but a time to show up with your presence and love.

So, this Lent may we be a bridge for one another. May we walk toward the light of Easter not as scattered pieces, but as a people being lovingly fitted together—one beautiful, grace-filled picture.