Table Talk: Rethinking Communion and Community

by Mike Graves

Overview

For nearly two thousand years followers of Jesus have gathered in churches to eat a meal called Communion in his memory. In Table Talk, Mike Graves claims if we could travel back to those earliest Christian gatherings, we would realize we are not just two thousand years removed; we are light-years removed from how they ate when gathered because eating was why they gathered in the first place, a kind of first-century dinner party.   Four characteristics of their Communion practices would leap out at us, traits that are scattered throughout the New Testament, but that often go unnoticed: how the meal was part of a full evening together, promoting intimacy; how it was a mostly inclusive affair, everyone welcome at the table; how it was typically festive, more like a dinner party; and how afterwards they enjoyed a lively conversation on a host of topics.     But Table Talk explores more than just Communion practices, because a new way of doing church is happening around the world, gatherings more horizontal than vertical. For two thousand years Christians have oriented themselves toward God in the presence of others; now a growing number of congregations, part of the dinner church movement, are orienting themselves toward each other in the presence of God. This book tells their story and helps us rethink our own.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498244572
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	10/24/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	172
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Mike Graves is the Wm. K. McElvaney Professor of Preaching and Worship at Saint Paul School of Theology and Scholar-in-Residence at Country Club Christian Church, both in the greater Kansas City area. He is the author of The Sermon as Symphony (1997), The Fully Alive Preacher (2006), and The Story of Narrative Preaching (2015). www.drmikegraves.com

Table of Contents

Food for Thought ix

Introduction: An Invitation 1

Chapter 1 The Meal 13

Chapter 2 The Guest List 40

Chapter 3 The Ambiance 68

Chapter 4 The Conversation 93

Conclusion: RSVP 115

Appendix: Different Words of Institution 139

Recommended Reading 145

Acknowledgments 149

Notes 151

Bibliography 159

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“At a time when eat-on-the-run church attendees living in a throw-away culture increasingly use prefilled communion cups, Mike Graves argues compellingly and winsomely that in the Early Church the Lord’s Supper was – well, a real supper, an extended communal meal! Table Talk is an urgent and much needed call to transform the way we both do church and eat our meals.”

—Miroslav Volf, Founder and Director of Yale Center for Faith and Culture; and author of Flourishing: Why We Need Religion in a Globalized World





“Table Talk is a very important book, one every pastor, priest, and lay person would do well to read. Professor Graves invites the reader to rediscover the Jesus meal and, in the process, to reconsider what Christians do when they gather for worship. An excellent, helpful, and inspiring book!”

—Adam Hamilton, Senior Pastor, Church of the Resurrection, author of Creed: What Christians Believe and Why



“Graves’s voice is wonderful—appealing to lay persons of a diversity in age, but also one that will be appreciated by clergy and students. The historical and theological information is woven in a palatable way (to use a dining metaphor) that keeps us engaged and fascinated. It is—as it should be—conversational in a way that makes us want to chat with each other around a table (Eucharist and otherwise), break bread, look into each other’s eyes, and know we are better because we did.”

—Marcia McFee, Creator and Visionary of The Worship Design Studio



“In Table Talk, Mike Graves brings together a scholar’s mind with a pastor’s heart, and reintroduces us to the table at the center of Christian spiritual formation and worship. The appendix alone is worth the whole price of the book, offering us fresh ways to frame the meaning we find in a meal of bread and wine, thanksgiving and fellowship, remembering and joy.”

—Brian D. McLaren, author of The Great Spiritual Migration



“Mike Graves’s inviting and conversational tone sets the stage for his exploration of the dinner church movement that is springing up around the country. He knows the power of sharing a meal and the possibilities that emerge from talking about Scripture around a table instead of listening to a traditional sermon. In this compelling book, he urges the church toward gatherings that are intimate, festive, and inclusive, where people come together to share bread, insights, and stories. In a time of great ecclesial change, Mike Graves offers a joyful, egalitarian, and missional vision of worship—one that could transform the church.

—Kimberly Bracken Long, Editor of Call to Worship: Liturgy, Music, Preaching, and the Arts



“Biblically rich, filled with stories, and accessibly written, this fine book offers a wealth of material on the Eucharist for those who preach and lead worship every Sunday and provides for laity an informing conversation that will enrich the practice of this central sacrament. Even more, Graves offers an introduction to the ‘new’ dinner church movement, replete with examples from across the United States along with his own reflections on this innovative movement. Do yourself a favor and read this book.”

—Tex Sample, Saint Paul School of Theology

Editorial Reviews

At a time when eat-on-the-run church attendees living in a throw-away culture increasingly use prefilled communion cups, Mike Graves argues compellingly and winsomely that in the Early Church the Lord’s Supper was – well, a real supper, an extended communal meal! Table Talk is an urgent and much needed call to transform the way we both do church and eat our meals.”

—Miroslav Volf, Founder and Director of Yale Center for Faith and Culture; and author of Flourishing: Why We Need Religion in a Globalized World





“Table Talk is a very important book, one every pastor, priest, and lay person would do well to read. Professor Graves invites the reader to rediscover the Jesus meal and, in the process, to reconsider what Christians do when they gather for worship. An excellent, helpful, and inspiring book!”

—Adam Hamilton, Senior Pastor, Church of the Resurrection, author of Creed: What Christians Believe and Why



“Graves’s voice is wonderful—appealing to lay persons of a diversity in age, but also one that will be appreciated by clergy and students. The historical and theological information is woven in a palatable way (to use a dining metaphor) that keeps us engaged and fascinated. It is—as it should be—conversational in a way that makes us want to chat with each other around a table (Eucharist and otherwise), break bread, look into each other’s eyes, and know we are better because we did.”

—Marcia McFee, Creator and Visionary of The Worship Design Studio



“In Table Talk, Mike Graves brings together a scholar’s mind with a pastor’s heart, and reintroduces us to the table at the center of Christian spiritual formation and worship. The appendix alone is worth the whole price of the book, offering us fresh ways to frame the meaning we find in a meal of bread and wine, thanksgiving and fellowship, remembering and joy.”

—Brian D. McLaren, author of The Great Spiritual Migration



“Mike Graves’s inviting and conversational tone sets the stage for his exploration of the dinner church movement that is springing up around the country. He knows the power of sharing a meal and the possibilities that emerge from talking about Scripture around a table instead of listening to a traditional sermon. In this compelling book, he urges the church toward gatherings that are intimate, festive, and inclusive, where people come together to share bread, insights, and stories. In a time of great ecclesial change, Mike Graves offers a joyful, egalitarian, and missional vision of worship—one that could transform the church.

—Kimberly Bracken Long, Editor of Call to Worship: Liturgy, Music, Preaching, and the Arts



“Biblically rich, filled with stories, and accessibly written, this fine book offers a wealth of material on the Eucharist for those who preach and lead worship every Sunday and provides for laity an informing conversation that will enrich the practice of this central sacrament. Even more, Graves offers an introduction to the ‘new’ dinner church movement, replete with examples from across the United States along with his own reflections on this innovative movement. Do yourself a favor and read this book.”

—Tex Sample, Saint Paul School of Theology

From the Publisher