Tables | Week 2 | Travis Garner | 5/11/2025

Mother's Day 

Some of life's best memories happen around tables. Many of us have memories of chatting with family, sharing stories from the day, laughing together, having fun. We welcome guests at tables. We make important decisions at tables. For such a simple piece of furniture, tables have a prominent place in our lives.

Jesus did some of his best work at meals, around tables. In his book A Meal with Jesus, author Tim Chester says that most of Jesus' best ministry is either on the way to a meal, at a meal, or after a meal.

In fact, there are three ways the Gospels describe the mission and ministry of Jesus with the words "The Son of Man came..." One is to say "The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve." One is to say "The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." And the third is to say "The Son of Man has come eating and drinking."

Luke's Gospel is filled with stories of Jesus eating with people. Each table Jesus shares has a different level of significance. There are tables of joy, tables of grace, tables of restoration, tables of hope, community, mission, promise. At each one, Jesus invites us to take another step in following him to experience life to the fullest.