A Meal with Jesus

"We all know fasting can be a spiritual exercise, but eating is really more like Jesus. In this book, Chester points out that Christianity was meant to be conducted at a table with the intimacy of a shared meal. Church was never meant to be holy services held in sacred buildings conducted by saintly men in long robes passing thin wafers and a thimble of juice-removed from real life. Chester rightly puts us back where we belong...at the table in front of a meal-a feast actually. This is an outstanding treatise on an important subject that was long ago lost in the mire of sacred rituals. It is time we come back to the table and enjoy the life given to us." -Neil Cole, founder and director, Church Multiplication Associates; author, Organic Church "I'm not sure I could name all the titles of the books Tim has now written. I've even written one or two with him. But this is the best so far, by far! It fed my soul and through it I enjoyed grace in a new way. In fact, the book is a sumptuous meal in its own right. Buy it, not just to read it, but to feast on it." -Steve Timmis, Executive Director, Acts 29 Church Planting Network "I have always told the congregations I've served that if you take the mountains and meals out of the Bible, it's a very short book. In a world of competing church models and strategies, Tim shows us that Jesus employed one practice over all others: Sharing a meal with people. This book serves as a poignant reminder that grace, mission, and community are never enacted best through programs and propaganda, but rather through the equality and acceptance experienced at the common table. May our lives never be too busy to live this out." -Mike Breen, Global Leader, 3DM; author, Building a Discipleship Culture "Tim Chester has a keen ability to reflect on gospel, community, and mission, making them accessible to the common person through the mess and movement of everyday life. Tim certainly accomplished this again in A Meal with Jesus. With each meal, my convictions about how the gospel informs all of life and relationships went deeper, and my affections for Jesus grew stronger. I want everyone in my church to read this book." -Jeff Vanderstelt, Visionary Leader, Soma; Pastor, Doxa Church, Bellevue, Washington; author, Saturate

Meals are an important part of hospitality and can be used to foster grace in our communities. Chester draws from six narratives in the Gospel of Luke to urge sacrificial giving and loving around the table.

Meals are an important part of hospitality—fostering grace in our communities. Chester draws from six narratives in the Gospel of Luke to urge sacrificial giving and loving around the table.