Shrove Tuesday Reflection

Reading – Joel 2:12–13 (NIV)

“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
Rend your heart and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love.

Reflection

Shrove Tuesday sits in that quiet space between ordinary time and the long, reflective road of Lent. Traditionally a day for using up rich ingredients before the fast, it has always carried a deeper meaning: a moment to pause, to take stock, and to be honest with ourselves before God.

The word shrove comes from “to shrive”—to confess, to be absolved, to be set right again. It’s not about guilt or gloom; it’s about clearing the clutter so grace has room to breathe.

Joel’s words speak straight into that moment. “Return to me with all your heart.” Not half-heartedly. Not out of duty. Not with outward show. God asks for something far more real: a heart that is willing to turn, to soften, to begin again.

At Bellshill Central, we know that faith is lived in the everyday—between school runs, work shifts, caring responsibilities, choir rehearsals, and community commitments. Shrove Tuesday invites us to bring all of that to God. The hurried bits. The weary bits. The hopeful bits. The bits we’d rather hide.

And the promise is simple and beautiful:
God meets us with compassion.
God welcomes us with patience.
God surrounds us with love that does not run out.

As we step into Lent, we don’t do so to prove ourselves. We do it to make space—space for prayer, for kindness, for reflection, for God’s quiet voice. Shrove Tuesday is the doorway. Lent is the journey. Easter is the destination.

May this be a season where our hearts are renewed, our burdens lightened, and our hope restored.

Prayer

Gracious and loving God,
as we stand on the threshold of Lent,
help us to pause and breathe in your presence.
Clear away the noise that distracts us
and the worries that weigh us down.

Turn our hearts toward you—
not in fear, but in trust;
not in duty, but in love.

Where we need healing, bring your gentleness.
Where we need courage, bring your strength.
Where we need forgiveness, bring your mercy.

Bless our church family here in Bellshill Central.
Guide us through this season with honesty, humility,
and a renewed sense of your grace at work among us.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.