Table Talk: Dinner’s On Me Week Six
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 Jesus, accepting another dinner invitation from a Pharisee, addressed contentious issues of the day: Sabbath observance, social hierarchy, and the qualifications for God's kingdom. Instead of delivering lengthy lectures, Jesus employed thought-provoking questions and compelling parables to make complex ideas accessible. His words were rooted in biblical truth and a desire to draw people into a right relationship with God, marked by grace and truth.
Conversation Starters
KIDS Would you rather listen to a long list of rules or a story? Jesus loved stories! He used them to teach people important truths about God and His world. What is your favorite story? It could be in a book or a movie, or a story someone told you. Are there any truths hidden inside?
STUDENTS Have you ever had a conversation with someone, and you disagreed about a big topic? This could be politics, religious views, justice issues, etc. How did the conversation go? Did you walk away feeling heard and understood? If not, why not? Do you think the other person walked away feeling heard and understood? If not, why not? How can you approach future conversations the “Jesus way”, with more grace, truth, and wisdom?
ADULTS Over the course of your life, have you changed your mind about any big issues? Politics, religious views, biblical interpretation, social justice issues, etc.? If so, how did that change come about? Chances are, it wasn’t by someone pummeling you with their views, or in an angry argument over social media. Do you tend to approach people with grace and truth when you disagree, or is that hard for you? (Do you avoid the conversations altogether?) How can you approach these harder conversations with people in a way that is saturated with the grace, truth, and wisdom of Christ?
