Shrove Tuesday & Lent
17th February 2026 is Shrove Tuesday. Yearly, Christian cultures include pancakes as part of their evening meal to celebrate the fact. But why do we do that?
Shrove Tuesday is traditionally the day before the start of Lent (Ash Wednesday), this meant it was the last opportunity to use up eggs and fats before the Lenten feast.
Lent, of course, is a 40-day Christian season of spiritual preparation, prayer, and penitence leading up to Easter, commemorating Jesus’s 40 days of fasting and temptation in the wilderness. It begins on Ash Wednesday, marked by solemnity, self-reflection, and often giving up certain luxuries (like food or social media) to focus on God and remember Christ’s sacrifice. The word “Lent” comes from an Old English word meaning “lengthen,” referring to the lengthening days of spring when it occurs.
This period of six weeks (not counting Sundays), was established so that people could prepare for Easter by reflecting on Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection, practicing self-discipline, and drawing closer to God.
So what practices have traditionally been included in this period?
Fasting/Abstinence: Giving up something enjoyable (food, drink, habits) or abstaining from meat, especially on Fridays.
Prayer & Penance: Increased prayer, Bible study, and focus on confession and turning from sin.
Charity: Giving to the needy.
Our Response 2026
This requires an individual response from each person. When I was growing up, the churches of which I was a member, did not really practice Lent. However, the notion of a period of seeking God is one that I have come to appreciate as I have grown older. If you have never, thought about Lent in this way, can I encourage you to do so this year.
Also, as a body, I want us to begin our first Season of Prayer on 15th February so that, as we enter the period of Lent, we are also preparing ourselves to pray for our church, our town, and our nation, for God to move by His Holy Spirit in these days. If you are available, it would be great to see as many as possible gathering on a Sunday evening at the Memorial Hall for this purpose.
God bless,
Richard