The Hunger for Home: Food and Meals in the Gospel of Luke

by Matthew Croasmun

What do the fields, rivers, and streams that provide food have to do with the God who created them? How do we become at home in this world where so many hunger for food, for companionship, or for the presence of God? "Scripture is also a feast." As an invitation to feast at the table of God’s word, The Hunger for Home explores the deepest human longings for home through the simple ingredients of bread, water, wine, and stories. Matthew Croasmun and Miroslav Volf read the meals of the Gospel of Luke as stories of God eating with God’s people. By making a common home with us in this way, God turns all our meals into invitations to eat in God’s home―a home with a seat open for all who are willing. No longer is bread simply fuel for getting through the day, but also a call to be present to the agricultural workers, grocers, chefs, friends, and strangers with whom food connects everyone God is calling to the banquet. As Croasmun and Volf show, Luke gives us an image of creation at home by bringing God into the home, as it was always meant to be.

114 pages, Hardcover

Published August 1, 2022

Reviews

[Judith Kimsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The nature of the home [Jesus] is declaring--the Jubilee home to which we are invited--is revealed in a seemingly unceasing series of meals and teachings about food throughout the Gospel" of Luke (7).

Generously written and easy to read, Croasmun and Volf demonstrate deep scholarship while maintaining an approachable style that anyone in the church can access. Across six chapters, they consider the meaning of bread, feasts, and meal tables in the Gospel of Luke. At only 100 pages, this study is not comprehensive, but even the most veteran Bible study teacher will find something new and encouraging here.

Discussion questions and a prayer at the end of each chapter make this book ideally suited for a group study.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok it might not make sense to give a 100 page book 4 stars after taking EIGHT months to read it but that’s really on me lol. I just kept forgetting about it.

Great book. Deep, thorough biblical examination in a small book. It reads quickly and devotionally without being surface level or vague. I love the content: examining food and home and hospitality in the gospel of Luke. Pushing people to about bringing Jesus’ kingdom to earth in the here and now in joyful anticipation of the kingdom yet to come. Uplifting, thought provoking, snd (although you would not guess it from my reading dates) a quick read.

[Riley McCarthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the most fun book but it was well laid out and fairly easy to get through. I was honestly interested in the main points