Shrove Tuesday

The Season of Lent is something we are very familiar with at Brick Church. It’s a period of forty-days (Sundays excluded) that begins with Ash Wednesday and culminates with the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday morning. During the Season of Lent we focus our attention on Jesus’ journey to the cross and remember how much he suffered for us in order to offer us salvation. Many people fast or give up something during this time as a way to help them remember.  

Something we are less familiar with is Shrove Tuesday. In churches that observe the Season of Lent, this is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. The word “shrove” comes from the word “shrive,” which refers to the forgiveness that follows confession. For many Christians, confession is something they do on Shrove Tuesday to prepare themselves for Lent. Something else they will do on Shrove Tuesday is gorge themselves on sweets and fatty foods in preparation for the time of fasting that is coming. This is why Shrove Tuesday is also sometimes referred to as Mardi Gras, a French phrase that means “fat Tuesday” in English.  

For reasons we may never fully understand (but will forever appreciate), pancakes have become the main attraction for many fat Tuesday celebrations. In all seriousness, they were likely chosen because they were a convenient and delicious way for people to use up the eggs, butter and lard in their homes before Lent set in and they were tempted to eat things they shouldn’t. To honor this tradition, churches all over the world host events for their communities that revolve around pancakes. This year, Brick Church wanted to join the party. This will provide us with an amazing opportunity to invite members of our community to our church for a delicious free meal, and in-between bites of fluffy golden goodness drizzled in maple syrup, we can introduce them to Jesus, a man who loves them so much he died on a cross for their sins.