LENT to EASTER 2026

Lent is a season that invites honesty about what we carry and what we seek. This year, we explore the many forms of longing that shape our lives—longing for wholeness, mystery, relationship, community, courage, and new life. Rather than rushing to easy answers, this series invites us to listen for how Jesus meets our deepest longings with presence, compassion, and grace. Our Lenten journey unfolds through Ash Wednesday, Sunday worship, alongside our Dinner Church gatherings, and Holy Week.

Lent & Holy Week Schedule — 2026​

Ash Wednesday — February 18
Soup Supper (Community Room): 5:30 PM
Worship (Sanctuary): 6:30 PM
Sunday Worship During Lent - 8:30AM & 10:30AM
February 22 — Longing for Wholeness
March 1 — Longing for Mystery
March 8 — Longing for Relationship
March 15 — Longing for Community
March 22 — Longing for Authenticity
Dinner Church (Meal & Worship Together)
Wednesdays, February 25 – March 25
  6:00 PM in the Community Room
Palm Sunday — March 29
8:30AM & 10:30AM
​W/ Special Kids Program
Special Holy Week Service — Friday, April 3
6:30 PM in the Sanctuary
 A service combining elements of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday
Easter Sunday Worship — April 5
8:00 AM • 9:30 AM • 11:00 AM

Contemplative Practices for Lent

Contemplative prayer is an ancient and simple discipline. At its heart, it is an
opportunity to slow down, to create space, and to notice the presence of God. When we slow down, we can hear the inner stirrings a little clearer and we start to notice the ways God is already at work in our lives and in the world. Contemplative prayer practices help us be in the world with solid footing, clarifying our understanding of how God is calling us to serve our neighbor.

Throughout these weeks in Lent, we will use Thomas Merton’s famous prayer from Thoughts on Solitude as a guide. (You can easily find this prayer online if you’d like to reflect on its entirety.) Merton (1915-1968) was an American Trappist monk who lived at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, KY. Merton wrote prolifically about faith and spirituality and is credited as one of the people who reintroduced contemplative prayer into Christian practice. Merton’s prayer offers an honest look at the ways we might wrestle with our faith towards God and the ways we delicately step into a future that can appear so uncertain, making it an ideal companion in this season.

Each week you will be offered three practices:
 - Thomas Merton's Prayer
 - Question to Consider
 - Contemplative Practices

If you don’t do every part of these offerings, or if you end up skipping a week, don’t
worry! You’re not messing anything up and you’re not going to have an incomplete
experience because you didn’t do every part. Instead, understand all of this as an
invitation to find space for your spirit to settle, space to hold this Lenten season in a new way.

EVENT AND SERVICE INFORMATION

Time for Dinner Church! Sign up here to help make the return of this all-time favorite Elk River Lutheran event and worship experience a success!

If you're new to Dinner Church, here's how it works: On Wednesday nights during Lent, we combine a meal, fellowship, and worship into one meaningful experience. 

New This Year:
We're trying something a little different with setup, serving, and clean up. Instead of individual sign-ups for those roles, different ministry teams will be scheduled to serve on specific weeks, along with the whole-group clean up where we all pitch in at the end of the meal. Stay tuned for more information about when your ministry team may be scheduled to serve.

Set Up - Serve - Clean Up Crews:
  • Feb 18 - Church Council (Arrive at 4:45pm)
  • Feb 25 - Middle School Students and Families (Arrive at 5:15pm)
  • March 4 - High School Students and Families (Arrive at 5:15pm)
  • March 11 - Music Group tbd (Arrive at 5:15pm)
  • March 18 - Music Group tbd (Arrive at 5:15pm)
  • March 25 -  Social Justice Action Team and Endowment Team  (Arrive at 5:15pm)

Schedule:
- Wednesday, February 18 (Ash Wednesday) – Soup Dinner at 5:30 PM, followed by the 6:30 PM Ash Wednesday Worship Service.
- Wednesdays, February 25 - March 25 – Dinner Church at 6:00 PM

​Dinner Church Menus:
​o February 25 – Hotdish, Veggies, and Desserts
o March 4 – Chili, Cornbread, and Desserts
o March 11 – Salads and Desserts
o March 18 – Taco Bar (provided by Elk River Lutheran) – Volunteers provide desserts
o March 25 – Meat & Cheese Sandwiches, Chips, and Veggies (provided by Elk River Lutheran) – Volunteers provide desserts
O Sign up to bring a dish and help make Dinner Church a success
Easter Flowers Locally Grown
Spring Easter Garden of Bulb Flowers $15 each      (hyacinth, tulips, muscari, daffodils, narcissus)
Lily $13 each

​Give in Memory or in Honor of - noting how you want it printed in the Easter Bulletin.
 
Orders due Sunday March 22
*Flowers will be available to take home after the 11am Easter Service or Tuesday – Thursday April 7-9 during office hours*