All In – Lent at St. John’s
All In: Lent 2026
This Lent, God is all in for us.
In Matthew 4, Jesus fasts for forty days in the wilderness, then confronts the testing of the devil. Responding to each temptation, he demonstrates the kind of savior he will become: deeply connected to God’s people and God’s creation; committed to cosmic saving power, not flashy tricks; filled with love for God and everything God loves. Refusing easy food, power, and dominion, Jesus goes all in on salvation on our behalf. When his life ends on Good Friday, his commitment will be total, emptied out in love dying on the cross and rising from the grave.
Jesus shows what it is like to be all in for the reign of God. It means being fully invested, deeply committed. There are no backup options. Everything is on the line.
As Christians, God calls us to a life of commitment and caring for our neighbors and our world, even when the cultures around us view our caring as naive and our commitment as pointless. The endless news cycle can be grim, and optimism can be hard to find. It would be easier to detach from the need around us, to go numb and to care less as we try to guard our hearts and our expectations. But God calls us to deep engagement instead, to care more in a world trying to protect itself by caring less.
Before we can go all in, though, God shows us the way. God knows that going all in for this beautiful broken world is a challenge, so God goes all in on our behalf first, revealing what it is like to bet it all on love. God invests in human beings, even though we have a track record of sin that stretches from Adam and Eve in the garden to the present day. God invests in creation, even when we are bent on harming it. God commits to the unknown and to wonder when we want certainty and limits. God tends broken relationships. God goes all in on all the highs and lows that life brings, from moments of transcendent beauty to the deepest hopelessness. And in Jesus, God pours out every last drop of love, all of it for the sake of a world that may never fully understand.
This Lent, God is all in for us. Let’s go all in for God’s love, too.
Weekly Themes
February 18: Ash Wednesday – All In for Repentance
February 22: First Sunday in Lent – All In for Creation
March 1: Second Sunday in Lent – All In for the Unknown*
March 8: Third Sunday in Lent – All In for Wonder
March 15: Fourth Sunday in Lent – All In for Relationship
March 22: Fifth Sunday in Lent – All In for Letting Go
March 29: Palm Sunday / Sunday of the Passion – All In for the Highs and Lows
April 5: Easter Sunday – All In for Resurrection
*Note: There will be no liturgy at St. John’s on March 1, as we gather for our next ALT: Sundays Together at First Lutheran Church.
(Adapted from All In: Introduction © 2025 Barn Geese Worship. Used by permission.)
Worship & Liturgy
All in person liturgies are held at St. John’s (303 Sand Creek Road, Albany) unless otherwise specified.
Ash Wednesday
February 18
12:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist
A shortened, spoken liturgy (approx. 30 minutes) with the imposition of ashes. This service is designed especially for those who need a “lunch hour” option and may not otherwise be able to attend an evening service. A light lunch will be served after the service for those who are able to stay. Worship in person only.
7:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist
A full liturgy with music by Saint John’s Choir and the imposition of ashes. Worship in person or online.
Sundays in Lent
February 22 – March 22
9:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist
A full liturgy with Saint John’s Choir. Worship in person or online.
*Note: There will be no liturgy at St. John’s on March 1, as we gather for our next ALT: Sundays Together at First Lutheran Church.
Wednesdays in Lent
February 25 – March 25
12:00 p.m. Midweek Mass for Lent
A shortened, spoken liturgy (approx. 30 minutes) with centering prayer and Eucharist. Worship in person only.
Lent Wednesdays with ALT
Gather with the congregations of Albany Lutherans Together (ALT) this Lenten season for supper and worship. Each Wednesday in Lent, a simple soup supper will be served beginning at 6:00 p.m., followed by a time of scripture, conversation, and song beginning at 6:30 p.m. (in person and on Zoom*).
February 25
Hosted at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
510 Albany Shaker Road, Loudonville
March 4
Hosted at Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit
57 Hurlbut Street, Albany
March 11
Hosted at St. John’s Lutheran Church
303 Sand Creek Road, Albany
March 18
Hosted at First Lutheran Church
181 Western Avenue, Albany
March 25
Hosted at Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit
57 Hurlbut Street, Albany
*Connect to worship beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom at FirstLutheranAlbany.org/Zoom or by phone at 929-436-2866 (input meeting ID 518-463-1326 and passcode 1 when prompted).
ALT Lent Offering Appeal
This year, in lieu of a monetary offering, you are invited to bring in non-perishable food items to be donated to the host congregation’s food pantry of choice. (Canned goods with pop-top lids are encouraged. And double-check expiration dates, too!)
Faith Formation & Lenten Spirituality
Daily Devotions
All In: Lent 2026
Dive deeper into this year’s Lent theme All In with daily devotions from Barn Geese Worship (the creators behind All In). This devotional booklet follows the familiar pattern for those who read the Upper Room with daily entries including a short scripture verse(s), reflection, and prayer, beginning on Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday. Read more and download the devotional here. (Because this devotional is so large, printed copies are available by request.)
Love Outpoured
From Augsburg Fortress, and following the pattern of the Humble and Holy devotions from Advent, Love Outpoured focuses on portions of the apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans. In words that continue to speak to us today, Paul lays out foundational beliefs for a life of faith in Christian community. The daily devotions for each day, from Ash Wednesday to the Resurrection of Our Lord / Vigil of Easter, begin with evocative images and brief scripture texts. The writers then bring their diverse voices and pastoral wisdom to the texts with quotations to ponder, reflections, and prayers. Pick up a copy at church where you normally get your Upper Room. eBook editions are also available here.
Book Study
Spurred on by a recent Faith on Tap discussion, this Lent we’ll be reading and discussing Separation of Church and Hate by John Fugelsang. Learn more about the book and watch a brief video introduction by the author here. Copies of the book are also available on the book club shelf at the Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza; mention our book group for 20% off.
We’ll meet on Mondays during Lent – February 23, March 2, March 16, and March 23 – at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom (stjohnsalbany.org/zoom). For more info and to be added to weekly email reminders, contact Pr. Josh.
