Description
The Gospels are full of stories of Jesus sharing meals with disciples, friends, even tax collectors and Pharisees. Whether multiplying bread to feed a whole crowd, relaxing with his inner circle, or telling curious elites stories about even greater banquets, Jesus imparts wisdom as he shares the wine and grants forgiveness as he distributes the fish. This eight-chapter resource provides biblical insights along with thought-provoking queries regarding our own time, such as whom should we invite to Sunday dinner and who is left out and left behind in our culture today.
Illustrations by artist Kevin Burns complement each chapter and invite further meditation on the Gospel story and its meaning for our lives.
Each chapter includes questions for small group discussion or personal reflection. A guide for church leaders offers suggestions for preaching this book as a sermon series and incorporating food-related outreach and hospitality efforts.
Product Excerpts and Related Resources
Reviews
"Like a great meal, Meeting Jesus at the Table is deep nourishment. Weaving art, scripture, reflections, questions for discussion and a guide for leaders, this Lenten study is a gift to individuals, devotional groups, and congregations alike. We all hunger. We all eat. Campbell, Fohr, and Burns beautifully remind us that Jesus meets us in the sacred ordinary acts of breaking bread together. In a world of power struggle and food insecurity, we remember and celebrate that at God's table all are welcome and there is always enough." –Ellie Roscher, author of The Embodied Path and 12 Tiny Things
“Reading Meeting Jesus at the Table is like going on a glorious progressive dinner. At each stop, we gather at a different table with Jesus, learning how to love, serve, and expand the hospitality of God’s grace to others. Each chapter is like the perfect bite: delicious and satiating, insightful and nourishing. Add this study to your Lenten menu and enjoy the feast!” Magrey R. deVega, author of Songs for the Waiting and The Bible Year: A Journey through Scripture in 365 Days
“For what are you hungry this Lenten season? With passionate words and evocative illustrations, Meeting Jesus at the Table invites you to move through this Lenten season by engaging familiar table stories from the Gospels. Whether you read this alone or with others, you are invited to reflect on the ways Jesus still meets us at table.” – Elizabeth Caldwell, McCormick Theological Seminary, Professor Emerita
“Meeting Jesus at the Table offers the complete package — it lends itself to a sermon series accompanied by weekly small groups. It invites congregations to experience the transformative power of shared meals and I imagine churches running with this theme, whether through weekly communion, potlucks, dinner church and hopefully with food outreach. And for those reading alone, there’s enough sustenance in the words and drawings to nourish the body and soul.” – The Presbyterian Outlook
"This book invites the reader to ponder the many gospel stories where Jesus is at the table, sometimes with his friends, sometimes with detractors. While the authors, both Presbyterian pastors, designed the book to be used as a Lenten Study it provides an opportunity for individuals or groups to reflect on the importance of meals, fellowship, and faith at any time of the year. Reflection questions invite the reader to bring their own experience to 'the table.' This is not an exegetical study of the passages but rather a thematic collection of authors' sermons accompanied by illustrations." – The Bible Today