February 18, 2026
Dear Friends,
The heart matters and the condition of our hearts matters to God. The Ash Wednesday liturgy invites us to repent, that is to turn or reverse direction, and we ask for God’s help—asking God to “Create and make in us new and contrite hearts…” In this way, the liturgy invites us to do what is most important, which is to intentionally attend to the preoccupations of our heart.
The heart, the physical and spiritual heart—these critical organs, without which we cannot live, play a role in the health of body and spirit. The heart mysteriously propels us toward love, or toward hate, and, at times, toward indifference. All manner of sins, sins ranging from envy to murder, starts in the heart before finding outward expression.
In 1 Samuel 16:7, God mentions to Samuel that “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (NIV) Moreover, the lessons chosen for Ash Wednesday show us how God cares deeply about the welfare of those who are oppressed, and how God values heart-motivated expressions of faith carried out without fanfare. Thus, hate and cruelty ae never compatible with a person’s profession of love for God, and faith is best lived out without becoming an approval-seeking exercise.
As we enter a new season of Lent, a season, which falls during strife and turmoil far and near, God’s everlasting way of love challenges us to reassess our hearts in all honesty. We best examine our hearts if we claim to love God yet believe that it is okay to mistreat others. We best examine our hearts if we claim to love God yet believe that it is okay to be cruel to others, especially to the many who are being portrayed as enemies— even so, God’s call remains for us to love our enemies: “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” (Matt 5:44 NIV). We best examine our hearts, also, with the goal of finding the courage to love as God loves and in sharp counterpoint to strife and cruelty.
The heart matters and the condition of our hearts matters to God. My invitation to you today is to undertake the examination of your heart in light of God’s ineffable grace—Grace shown to us through Jesus, and whose life and strength is now ours.
May God grant us the will and strength to discover more fully, and to be willing to always choose God’s way of love.
Faithfully,
