Meeting Jesus: Encountering God During Lent

by Madison Ailinger on February 19, 2026

What is Lent? Many people think Lent is a time of giving something up. No more chocolate or no more TV. It can be confusing, because yes, we give things up during Lent but only if they are pulling us away from God. We don’t give up things just to give them up.

Lent is not a second New Year’s Eve resolution but is an intentional time where we focus on our relationship with God.

Lent is a time where the church slows down for 40 days as we examine our hearts. We may pray more intentionally or confess where we have failed. We may fast or spend time in silence. Lent is an invitation to encounter Jesus.

When we look at scripture, the season of Lent begins in the wilderness. I don’t know about you, but I am not a fan of the wilderness. I read the book Hatchet as a kid, where a child gets stranded in the wilderness and it was terrifying. At some point, he gets chased by a moose and has to eat raw turtle eggs to survive. Then we have game shows like Survivor, where people win money by surviving the wilderness. It seems, no one likes the wilderness, then why are we going there? Why are we making ourselves uncomfortable? What is the point?

Well, we go to the wilderness because that is where Jesus went, and that is where Jesus continues to be. Jesus shows up in the darkness because when everything is dark, we can’t fix it ourselves. When everything is dark, we pay more attention to God's goodness because it is all we have.

I remember the first time I officiated a funeral. There were over 400 people there and I was so scared I thought I was going to pass out. I wanted to run away but as it started, I felt God’s presence in a new way. Here I was so overwhelmed with fear and God showed up. God works in the wilderness and sometimes it takes us feeling uncomfortable to realize God is with us.

Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert where he was tempted and hungry. However, he was not alone. God was with him, even as he struggled. Many of us enter Lent carrying our own wilderness. Grief over what could have been. Disappointment with our country or world. Questions that never get answered. A constant need to do more until we are exhausted. Fear that we try to avoid but may come up at the worst time.

We all have wildernesses we try to avoid all year, but Lent pushes us to go into them. It pushes us to rely on God and feel what we have been avoiding. Maybe this means we stop watching TV because it is distracting us from feeling. Maybe it means we sit in silence instead of running around with many tasks. Maybe it means fasting, to remind ourselves how fragile we really are. Whatever we do, we do it with strength because we know we are not alone.

Even in the wilderness, God is there. Amen

About the Author

Madison Ailinger

Madison Ailinger serves as Associate Pastor at Williamsburg United Methodist Church. Her journey into ministry began at age 19 while studying at Virginia Tech, when she experienced a profound call from God that has grounded her ever since. After responding to that call, Madison pursued theological training at Duke Divinity School and, at just 24 years old, became the lead pastor of a church in Staunton, Virginia—earning the distinction of being the youngest pastor their congregation had ever welcomed. In Staunton, she witnessed firsthand God’s mercy and presence through moments of celebration and grief alike, having led worship, preached the Good News, and even officiated 14 funerals in three years. Those experiences reinforced her conviction that, even in the shadow of death, God’s love never abandons us.

Madison’s heart for ministry centers on outreach—especially connecting with young people and those who feel lost or disillusioned. She believes that sharing real stories of transformation—stories of encountering God’s voice, of finding hope beyond hardship, and of discovering that “death has lost its sting”—can invite others into a life-altering relationship with Christ. At WUMC, Madison collaborates with staff and lay leaders to create spaces where individuals of all ages can experience that powerful moment of grace. Whether organizing a youth gathering, leading a community service project, or simply listening to someone’s story over a cup of coffee, she emphasizes that it only takes one God-moment to change everything.

Madison lives in Williamsburg with her husband, Ben, whom she met shortly after answering God’s call and who now serves as both a faithful partner and a fellow believer in outreach. Together, they are keeping a close ear to the stories around them—eager to learn what “breathes life into your soul,” what challenges you’ve overcome, and how God has shown up in unexpected ways.