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What Truly Sustains Us for Transformation?

As we continue our journey toward Lent, we gather around simple, familiar signs—bread and wine—and listen again for what truly sustains us along the way.

Before the wilderness stretches out before God’s people, before faith is tested, and before certainty gives way to hunger and complaint, God provides. In the story of manna in the wilderness, God meets fear and uncertainty not with judgment, but with daily bread—enough for each day. Bread is given before understanding, before trust is complete, and before the people fully know how to rely on God.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus reminds the crowd that the manna was never the destination. It was a sign along the way. When Jesus declares, “I am the bread of life,” the meaning of bread begins to shift—from simple sustenance to a life shaped by trust, relationship, and abiding presence. At this point in the journey, bread is not yet about covenant fully revealed; it is about dependence.

This message reflects on why bread and wine belong here in this season—not at the beginning, when excitement still carries us, and not at the end, when sacrifice stands fully revealed, but here, before the wilderness deepens. What begins as sustenance will become covenant. What becomes covenant will lead to redemption. And beyond redemption lies transformation and new life.

Bread and wine quietly tell us that life is received, not earned. That faith grows as we are fed. That God does not send us into places of change empty-handed. They remind us that what God provides is enough for today—and that God will remain faithful along the way.

Wherever you find yourself on the journey—hungry, uncertain, weary, or hopeful—this service offers reassurance that God meets us where we are, feeds us for the road ahead, and walks with us toward new life.

🕊 Worship includes:

• Scripture, prayer, and proclamation

• Congregational hymnody

• Holy Communion as sustenance for the journey

🙏 To learn more about our congregation, request prayer, or connect with us, find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobertsUCC

Grace and peace to you.