Table Talk: Dinner’s On Me Week Five
DINNER’S ON ME: Our Place at Jesus’s Table
Here’s a short description of our current sermon series.
We will journey through the Gospel of Luke, exploring the profound significance of meals in Jesus' ministry. More than just moments of sustenance, these shared tables became powerful settings for divine encounters, transformative teachings, and radical grace. From dining with outcasts to revealing his resurrected presence, Jesus consistently used meals to break down barriers, challenge societal norms, and demonstrate the heart of God. Through these stories, we'll discover how Jesus' invitations to the table reveal his heart for the marginalized, his commitment to meeting both physical and spiritual needs, and his desire for intimate fellowship. This series invites us to reconsider our own tables, prompting us to ask: How can we extend radical hospitality, engage in meaningful conversations, recognize the presence of Jesus in our midst, and bear his presence to others? We’ll discover together how these ancient meals can transform our understanding of grace, service, and the very nature of God's kingdom.
Spiritual Practice: Meaningful Meals
We believe that Jesus’ teaching is more than just knowledge for our minds (though it is certainly that). It should transform our actions. By living out - or practicing - the ways of Jesus, we are being shaped into a people who look more and more like Him.
Gathering around the table is a consistent and significant practice from some of the first pages of Scripture to some of the last. But in our hurried, busy lives, meals can become something we squeeze in between activities or quickly check off our list. How would it change our family relationships, friendships, communities, and inner lives if we saw meals through the eyes of God? What if we took time to recognize God’s gift to us in both the provision of food and the provision of community? This summer, we want to grow in the practice of Meaningful Meals. Here are some ways to start, or deepen, this practice:
Gather: Increase the amount of time you spend gathered around the table. If you rarely eat with your family, friends, or small group, begin by scheduling one meal per week when you will intentionally sit down to eat with others. If you are already doing this, try increasing the number of times you gather with others to eat.
Set aside distractions: Put away phones. Turn off the tv. Remove whatever distractions you can. Take this time to be present with one another and open to God’s goodness and blessing.
Thank God together: Take a few moments at the beginning of your meal to thank God for his provision, and ask Him to help you see the time together through His eyes. You could allow each person to share a way God blessed them that day.
Listen to one another: Cultivate meaningful conversations. Take your time to really listen without rushing to the next activity. If you need some conversation starters, you could use those listed in this guide for each week, or there are a multitude of mealtime conversation starters available online.
BONUS PRACTICE: Invite others: Ask a friend, relative, co-worker, or acquaintance to join your family/group for a meal.
Prayer
You can pray this prayer daily during the sermon series, or use it as a closing for table conversations each week.
Jesus, You came to show us how to live a full and abundant life. We are created with bodies that need to be fed and with souls that need to connect with You and with others. Jesus, You took time to gather around the table with friends, outcasts, and seekers, to connect deeply with them and to show them your love. Help us to see one another through Your eyes and to pour out on one another the same love that You have freely given to us. Transform our understanding of grace, service, and Your Kingdom through the experience of gathering around the table together. In Your name, we pray. Amen.
SERMON SUMMARY When Jesus dined with a Pharisee, he was criticized for neglecting their elaborate washing rituals. Jesus' response shifted the focus from external hygiene to internal purity: "You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and wickedness! Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside?" (Luke 11:39-40, NLT). He urged them to cleanse their hearts with love and acceptance, allowing God to purify them through the Word (Ephesians 5:26). How does this challenge our self-perception and our interactions with others
Conversation Starters
KIDS Pretend that you ate a delicious bowl of macaroni and cheese for dinner (or another favorite food). When you finished eating, your mom or dad cleaned the outside of the bowl, but not the inside. The next day, your mom or dad gave you cereal in the same bowl. Would you want to eat the cereal out of that bowl? Why or why not? God says that we can be like that dirty bowl. Just like the outside of the bowl looks clean, we can put clean clothes on, brush our teeth, and comb our hair. But just like the inside of the bowl is dirty, our hearts can be filled with unkindness, impatience, and hurtful words. While it is very important to brush our teeth and wash our bodies, God is more concerned with cleaning up our insides and turning us into people who love Him and love others.
STUDENTS Have you ever met someone who looked put together on the outside, but turned out to be unkind, impatient, rude, or standoff-ish? Have you ever met someone who didn’t seem put together, but they turned out to be really kind? What does this show us about appearances vs. reality? How can we avoid being people who focus more on our outward appearance than our inward character? Do you see ways that God has made you more kind, joyful, loving, peace-filled, patient, etc. over time?
ADULTS Our culture has several phrases to communicate the idea of appearances vs. reality. One popular phrase is, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” In a world desperate for authenticity, what impact could we have if our church communities were marked by cleansed hearts and genuine love. What can happen if the world sees Christians as two-faced, or put together on the outside but lacking on the inside? Has authenticity ever drawn you toward Christ and His church? Has a lack of authenticity ever pushed you away?
