This Sunday, August 7

"Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds."  ~ Matthew 14:19

In the Gospels, food is a means of grace, and eating becomes a religious experience.  Eating can be a religious experience for us, too.  I always find that when people break bread together, the relationship deepens.  Gathering for a shared meal is a universal expression of friendship, love and welcome, and the act of eating together changes things, for it can nurture relationships, heal families, and repair broken bonds.  It should come as no surprise, then, that the Latin word for “bread” --- pan (think Panera Bread), and the word for “with” – com (think commune), form the root of the word companion.  Com-pan-ion – to break bread with. 

I hope you will join us for worship at 10 am.   My sermon will be "Companions in Christ," based on Matthew 14:13-21, and we will celebrate Holy Communion.  

First Congregational Church of Stoughton, United Church of Christ
An Open and Affirming Congregation
76 Pierce Street, Stoughton, MA 02072
revjeanlenk@uccstoughton.org