

A challenge to the modern day Christian church to model the real hospitality of Jesus – where everyone has a seat at the table. A Bigger Table: Building Messy, Authentic, and Hopeful Spiritual Community by John Pavlovitz.It “reminds readers of the joy found in a life around the table”. This book is a compilation of essays and recipes centered around food, community and connection. Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes by Shauna Niequist.This is another must read for anyone who wants to move beyond church as a place to go to church as community and a place of hospitality and belonging. Slow Church: Cultivating Community in the Patient Way of Jesusby Christopher Smith and John Pattison.Stone Soupwas put together by Unilever and the United Nations World Food Programme to mark World Food Day in 2008.Living together in peace, kindness and hospitality is the radical way of life for the L’Arche communities, which Jean Vanier talks about here. Befriending the Stranger by Jean Vanier.

Another thought provoking book about God’s purposes in the ordinary act of sharing a meal as an opportunity for grace, community and mission.

