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Invitations to Abundance: How the Feasts of the Bible Nourish Us Today
What do the feasts of the Bible have to say about our place in the tired world in which we live?
In short, everything.
From Genesis through Revelation, redemptive history is captured through feasts. Through them, God calls his people to remember mercy, delight in grace, and commune with him—and proves he doesn’t ration his rich, soul-satisfying love, but instead lavishes it upon us.
Come, Feast brings alive the feasts of scripture and illuminates how relevant they are in our modern world that’s so defined by worry, isolation, and disillusionment. When your heart needs encouragement, these wondrous celebrations give you a reason to find security, unity, and hope.
Each chapter presents a unique feast from Scripture—from the well-known to the less familiar—and considers how you can respond worshipfully as a partaker of these celebrations. Come, Feast shows you how to reciprocate God’s initiating kindness, and what it means to live knowing God’s table is spread before you.
In short, everything.
From Genesis through Revelation, redemptive history is captured through feasts. Through them, God calls his people to remember mercy, delight in grace, and commune with him—and proves he doesn’t ration his rich, soul-satisfying love, but instead lavishes it upon us.
Come, Feast brings alive the feasts of scripture and illuminates how relevant they are in our modern world that’s so defined by worry, isolation, and disillusionment. When your heart needs encouragement, these wondrous celebrations give you a reason to find security, unity, and hope.
Each chapter presents a unique feast from Scripture—from the well-known to the less familiar—and considers how you can respond worshipfully as a partaker of these celebrations. Come, Feast shows you how to reciprocate God’s initiating kindness, and what it means to live knowing God’s table is spread before you.
224 pages, Paperback
Published March 1, 2022
21 people are currently reading
2438 people want to read
About the author
Alicia J. Akins
3 books16 followersAlicia Akins is a writer and recovering expat based in DC. After living and working in Asia for five years, she considers it a second home. She is a Masters of Arts in Biblical Studies student at RTS, Washington and serves as a deaconess in her church, Grace DC Downtown. You can find more of her writing at FeetCryMercy.com and follow her on twitter @feetcrymercy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
March 1, 2022
Comprehensive and accessible. Akins has outlined the feasts of Scripture and connected them to life today. I realize now how much I've merely skimmed over in the past without understanding the significance.
March 6, 2022
Invitations to Abundance by Alicia J. Akins is a deep dive into the redemptive history of the Bible commemorated and understood through feasts. Feasts to remember, to mark the beginning and end of harvest season, to gain wisdom, and to celebrate understanding. Feasts of victory, hope, mercy, pardon, and restoration. Feasts for the hungry and excluded in dry, barren, wilderness spaces.
From the Jewish feasts such as Passover and Yom Kippur, to the parables of the New Testament, to the times Jesus sat and feasted with tax collectors and sinners, to the last supper and the institution of what we hunger and thirst for in our weekly eucharist—they all point to the final marriage supper of the lamb.
While Akins clearly brings rich seminary training to the topic, what I most appreciated was her vulnerable storytelling and sincere desire for us to step into richness, comforting presence, and God’s initiating kindness as he spread a feast before us.
She ends her book asserting that those invited to the table become the inviters: “When we are secure in our acceptance of God, rather than slaving away after it, and can lay to rest all other such strivings, it invites others to do the same.” This is indeed the posture of her writing. As one who has tasted and seen the goodness of the Lord in her own wilderness spaces, she writes as one eager to share the grace she has found and generously gather the rest of us on that narrow path to abundant life.
As Akins says, “The feasts of the Gospels are brought to fruition here as well: the repentant are welcomed home and cloaked in robes of grace they could never have earned. The last, at last, are first, and the humble, exalted. Jesus once more eats the Passover meal, because its meaning is fulfilled in this kingdom: his union with his people is complete.”
In addition to her rich exposition, I highly value the kinds of questions Akins asks. After walking us through the deliverance of the Israelites from slavery, she asks, “Am I content to live as though the only power I have available to me is my own? If the chaos of the sea could be subdued to allow them safe passage, what couldn’t God do? Does the intimacy of God make less bleak the inhospitable barren wilderness?” And in her chapter on Wisdom’s feast—a favorite for both me and the author!—she asks, “Does wisdom captivate you? Are you enthralled by her beauty? Among all that can be gained, is she your prize? Would you forsake all else—pride, priorities, counterfeits—to make her yours?”
Each chapter ends with a written liturgy: for remembrance, provision, God’s presence, victory, refreshment, wisdom, restoration, understanding, inclusion, prdon, the Lord’s Supper, and for unity. I intend to go back and read these during the feast days of Lent.
This book follows the grand redemptive narrative of Scripture from Old to New Testament offering us ways to “keep the feast” as we say each week in our Anglican liturgy after partaking of the bread and wine. We find ourselves in the already, but not yet. We taste scarcity and ruin, and yet we find repair, renewal, and the fattened calf. Or as Akins put it, “Ahead we see replenishment and satisfaction, and behind we see its purchase.”
Also highlighted throughout the book is the theme of God’s particular care for the vulnerable, the poor, the hungry, and the excluded. When we talk about feasts and consider who is invited to the table, we must remember kingdom reversals and counter-cultural generosity.
Consider this instruction in the Old Testament: “Festivities flowed from the recognition that what we have isn’t ours. Margin was to share, not to indulge.” And the example of Jesus at the great banquet in Luke 14: “Our Lord welcomed the uninvited and outcast as honored guests at his table. To truly understand his heart and ministry, we must go and do likewise.”
As I turned the last page of Akins' book, I heard myself humming one of my favorite hymns. One that I look forward to singing in six weeks on Easter Sunday as we remember again what it cost to extend an invitation to the marriage supper of the lamb.
“I am the bread of life.
He who comes to me shall not hunger;
he who believes in me shall not thirst.
No one can come to me
unless the Father draw him.
And I will raise him up,
and I will raise him up,
and I will raise him up on the last day.”
From the Jewish feasts such as Passover and Yom Kippur, to the parables of the New Testament, to the times Jesus sat and feasted with tax collectors and sinners, to the last supper and the institution of what we hunger and thirst for in our weekly eucharist—they all point to the final marriage supper of the lamb.
While Akins clearly brings rich seminary training to the topic, what I most appreciated was her vulnerable storytelling and sincere desire for us to step into richness, comforting presence, and God’s initiating kindness as he spread a feast before us.
She ends her book asserting that those invited to the table become the inviters: “When we are secure in our acceptance of God, rather than slaving away after it, and can lay to rest all other such strivings, it invites others to do the same.” This is indeed the posture of her writing. As one who has tasted and seen the goodness of the Lord in her own wilderness spaces, she writes as one eager to share the grace she has found and generously gather the rest of us on that narrow path to abundant life.
As Akins says, “The feasts of the Gospels are brought to fruition here as well: the repentant are welcomed home and cloaked in robes of grace they could never have earned. The last, at last, are first, and the humble, exalted. Jesus once more eats the Passover meal, because its meaning is fulfilled in this kingdom: his union with his people is complete.”
In addition to her rich exposition, I highly value the kinds of questions Akins asks. After walking us through the deliverance of the Israelites from slavery, she asks, “Am I content to live as though the only power I have available to me is my own? If the chaos of the sea could be subdued to allow them safe passage, what couldn’t God do? Does the intimacy of God make less bleak the inhospitable barren wilderness?” And in her chapter on Wisdom’s feast—a favorite for both me and the author!—she asks, “Does wisdom captivate you? Are you enthralled by her beauty? Among all that can be gained, is she your prize? Would you forsake all else—pride, priorities, counterfeits—to make her yours?”
Each chapter ends with a written liturgy: for remembrance, provision, God’s presence, victory, refreshment, wisdom, restoration, understanding, inclusion, prdon, the Lord’s Supper, and for unity. I intend to go back and read these during the feast days of Lent.
This book follows the grand redemptive narrative of Scripture from Old to New Testament offering us ways to “keep the feast” as we say each week in our Anglican liturgy after partaking of the bread and wine. We find ourselves in the already, but not yet. We taste scarcity and ruin, and yet we find repair, renewal, and the fattened calf. Or as Akins put it, “Ahead we see replenishment and satisfaction, and behind we see its purchase.”
Also highlighted throughout the book is the theme of God’s particular care for the vulnerable, the poor, the hungry, and the excluded. When we talk about feasts and consider who is invited to the table, we must remember kingdom reversals and counter-cultural generosity.
Consider this instruction in the Old Testament: “Festivities flowed from the recognition that what we have isn’t ours. Margin was to share, not to indulge.” And the example of Jesus at the great banquet in Luke 14: “Our Lord welcomed the uninvited and outcast as honored guests at his table. To truly understand his heart and ministry, we must go and do likewise.”
As I turned the last page of Akins' book, I heard myself humming one of my favorite hymns. One that I look forward to singing in six weeks on Easter Sunday as we remember again what it cost to extend an invitation to the marriage supper of the lamb.
“I am the bread of life.
He who comes to me shall not hunger;
he who believes in me shall not thirst.
No one can come to me
unless the Father draw him.
And I will raise him up,
and I will raise him up,
and I will raise him up on the last day.”
March 1, 2022
This book made the feasts of the Bible spring to life. I loved witnessing Akins' deep love for and scholarship in scripture. The chapter on Nehemiah and Ezra was my favorite! Truly an invitation to feast with God at the table of scripture.
March 1, 2022
Invitations to Abundance is a call to feast, to meditate on and enjoy the richness of God. Akins brings her readers to the table and lays before them a delightful spread of wisdom, welcoming them to dine alongside her as she illuminates the various feasts of the Bible.
Akins's descriptive, often-poetic writing in Invitations to Abundance isn’t just beautiful—her words are often convicting as well. I was challenged to remember that “this threadbare world we now inhabit is our sukkah” (p. 51) and that our true home is yet to come, to acknowledge that “only God’s presence can provide what we truly need” (p. 72), and to obediently “give out of the reality that God is in control of our harvest” (p. 33). Akins's lovely prose describes the feasts of the Bible while also showing why they matter and how we can learn from them still.
Akins also highlights images of how God cares for the vulnerable, making provisions for them so that they are provided for in times of feasting—and I was convicted by the reminder that we are to do the same: “Our Lord welcomed the uninvited and outcast as honored guests at his table. To truly understand his heart and ministry, we must go and do likewise” (p. 152). His table is open to all who will come, and we are called to welcome them.
Akins’s chapter on Psalm 23 was a powerful message of God’s care for His own and His promise that He will defend His sheep. I especially appreciate this powerful passage: “We may ask now, ‘Why do the wicked prosper?’ But is prosperity sitting unbothered in sin, being lulled deeper into its grasp? The Lord has spread before us everything we need,” (p. 64). My heart needs the reminder that His goodness is its own reward, and that prosperity and providence are indeed measured differently in God’s kingdom.
Pull up a chair and enjoy the feasts of scripture through Akins's delightful book. You will leave the table full of His wisdom and joy.
Akins's descriptive, often-poetic writing in Invitations to Abundance isn’t just beautiful—her words are often convicting as well. I was challenged to remember that “this threadbare world we now inhabit is our sukkah” (p. 51) and that our true home is yet to come, to acknowledge that “only God’s presence can provide what we truly need” (p. 72), and to obediently “give out of the reality that God is in control of our harvest” (p. 33). Akins's lovely prose describes the feasts of the Bible while also showing why they matter and how we can learn from them still.
Akins also highlights images of how God cares for the vulnerable, making provisions for them so that they are provided for in times of feasting—and I was convicted by the reminder that we are to do the same: “Our Lord welcomed the uninvited and outcast as honored guests at his table. To truly understand his heart and ministry, we must go and do likewise” (p. 152). His table is open to all who will come, and we are called to welcome them.
Akins’s chapter on Psalm 23 was a powerful message of God’s care for His own and His promise that He will defend His sheep. I especially appreciate this powerful passage: “We may ask now, ‘Why do the wicked prosper?’ But is prosperity sitting unbothered in sin, being lulled deeper into its grasp? The Lord has spread before us everything we need,” (p. 64). My heart needs the reminder that His goodness is its own reward, and that prosperity and providence are indeed measured differently in God’s kingdom.
Pull up a chair and enjoy the feasts of scripture through Akins's delightful book. You will leave the table full of His wisdom and joy.
February 26, 2022
Some books are meant to be read once and then tucked onto a shelf somewhere for safe keeping. Invitations to Abundance is not most books. Alicia Akins uses a deep understanding of scripture to invite readers to feast on God’s abundance, giving you a hunger for seconds, thirds, and fourths. Usually, a book that is this deep in scripture and theological insight quickly loses me, but Akins beautifully weaves personal stories throughout her work in a way that not only kept me engaged, but also prompted me to continue reading far too late into the night. The Old Testament chapters were even my favorites!
The story that has stayed with me the most comes from Chapter 3: Fall Feasts of Atonement and Joy. There I learned about Sukkot when the people of Israel reenact their wandering, their desert wilderness, and the joy of God’s provision and promise in that time. Akins reminds us that we live in our own temporary wildernesses and invites us to reframe them. She challenges us to put our trust in God and in his faithfulness, even in the struggles and fears we face. I loved learning about how the Israelites remembered and reenacted their temporary wandering as an act of joy and trust, and walked away encouraged and committed to doing the same in my life.
Like a good meal that you long to repeat, Invitations to Abundance leaves you both satisfied and craving more. It is a book that cries out to be reread, to be shared, to be discussed with friends over a delectable meal or cozy cup of tea.
The story that has stayed with me the most comes from Chapter 3: Fall Feasts of Atonement and Joy. There I learned about Sukkot when the people of Israel reenact their wandering, their desert wilderness, and the joy of God’s provision and promise in that time. Akins reminds us that we live in our own temporary wildernesses and invites us to reframe them. She challenges us to put our trust in God and in his faithfulness, even in the struggles and fears we face. I loved learning about how the Israelites remembered and reenacted their temporary wandering as an act of joy and trust, and walked away encouraged and committed to doing the same in my life.
Like a good meal that you long to repeat, Invitations to Abundance leaves you both satisfied and craving more. It is a book that cries out to be reread, to be shared, to be discussed with friends over a delectable meal or cozy cup of tea.
March 1, 2022
Invitations to Abundance distilled a profound and difficult truth: although we experience lack in this life and hardships pummel us, the triune God wants to overwhelm us with good, pile on heaps of gifts, and provide pure bounty in our fellowship with him. The author says, “We will reach the end of insufficiency,” and her work points us to this promise.
Akins vividly recounts the narratives surrounding biblical feasts, and from them, she pulls messages of immediate hope. She reminds us of the best and strangest parts of the kingdom of God: it reverses our expectations, is repaired by God’s book, thrives in repentance, and redeems unlikely moments in beauty.
Her chapter on wisdom especially struck me. Proverb’s Wisdom personified and her open meal are perhaps hidden in comparison with other food-related examples in scripture, like Passover or the sacrament of communion. Akins pinpoints how being near to Jesus relates to being wise. Because this virtue is costly and requires discipline, it’s an intimidating thing. But she assures us wisdom’s available. It “sprouts and grows from our relationship with Christ.”
From the poetic liturgies closing each chapter to the careful examination of past and present culture, Invitations to Abundance captivated. It was an unmatched encouragement to press forward and shed impulses toward cynicism. It’s nourishing, but more than that, it stirs your appetite for goodness.
Akins vividly recounts the narratives surrounding biblical feasts, and from them, she pulls messages of immediate hope. She reminds us of the best and strangest parts of the kingdom of God: it reverses our expectations, is repaired by God’s book, thrives in repentance, and redeems unlikely moments in beauty.
Her chapter on wisdom especially struck me. Proverb’s Wisdom personified and her open meal are perhaps hidden in comparison with other food-related examples in scripture, like Passover or the sacrament of communion. Akins pinpoints how being near to Jesus relates to being wise. Because this virtue is costly and requires discipline, it’s an intimidating thing. But she assures us wisdom’s available. It “sprouts and grows from our relationship with Christ.”
From the poetic liturgies closing each chapter to the careful examination of past and present culture, Invitations to Abundance captivated. It was an unmatched encouragement to press forward and shed impulses toward cynicism. It’s nourishing, but more than that, it stirs your appetite for goodness.
March 1, 2022
Akins provides the reader with beautiful imagery and language that captures the exquisiteness of the feasts she selects from the Bible. Evident in this book is that Akins cares about equipping the reader with understanding of the feasts in their context, but it is not done in a pedantic manner. Her hermeneutical method is quite wonderfully an invitation to more concentrated study at the table of the Word of God that mirrors the invitations to be nourished by the love and hospitality of God in Christ.
Mentioned in “Invitations to Abundance” are prominent feasts like Passover that invited Israel (and invite us) to remembrance of God’s faithfulness in bringing about their deliverance, but more subtle feasts such as the one mentioned in the Parable of the Prodigal Son and in Proverbs regarding the “warm bread of Wisdom” with which “no menu compares,” make their way into her goal of showing us God’s incomparable kindness to his people.
A favorite section of mine was the author’s explication of the Festival of Sukkot. It was meant to remind Israel of God’s sustenance of them in the wilderness. The imagery of wandering has always been significant to me. As one who sees all of life as a pilgrimage, Israel’s literal wanderings in the desert, and the sustenance they received from God (which was re-enacted through this feast), point me to the hidden joy in the one whose “strength is above our strength.”
Akins’ brilliant prose and evocative stories make theological themes like soteriology and eschatology accessible and less intimidating. Not once will the reader question the author’s love for the truths she postulates nor will they doubt her passion for the readers to take up the invitation into the hospitable heart of God that affects our aversions to hospitable lives ourselves.
Lastly, Akins offers liturgies that reinforce the ideas proposed in the chapter and they lead us to the person of Christ with our dissatisfaction with life and a keen awareness of what we are without. In these liturgies, we are encouraged to believe that Christ is our bounty. In him we have plenty.
Mentioned in “Invitations to Abundance” are prominent feasts like Passover that invited Israel (and invite us) to remembrance of God’s faithfulness in bringing about their deliverance, but more subtle feasts such as the one mentioned in the Parable of the Prodigal Son and in Proverbs regarding the “warm bread of Wisdom” with which “no menu compares,” make their way into her goal of showing us God’s incomparable kindness to his people.
A favorite section of mine was the author’s explication of the Festival of Sukkot. It was meant to remind Israel of God’s sustenance of them in the wilderness. The imagery of wandering has always been significant to me. As one who sees all of life as a pilgrimage, Israel’s literal wanderings in the desert, and the sustenance they received from God (which was re-enacted through this feast), point me to the hidden joy in the one whose “strength is above our strength.”
Akins’ brilliant prose and evocative stories make theological themes like soteriology and eschatology accessible and less intimidating. Not once will the reader question the author’s love for the truths she postulates nor will they doubt her passion for the readers to take up the invitation into the hospitable heart of God that affects our aversions to hospitable lives ourselves.
Lastly, Akins offers liturgies that reinforce the ideas proposed in the chapter and they lead us to the person of Christ with our dissatisfaction with life and a keen awareness of what we are without. In these liturgies, we are encouraged to believe that Christ is our bounty. In him we have plenty.
Currently reading
March 1, 2022A balm for your soul is how I would describe Invitations to Abundance, especially after two years of living through the pandemic, where we have been navigating through shifting definitions of loss on many levels: loss of freedom, friendships, family, understanding, stability…life itself. Invitations to Abundance is exactly what my soul needs as I find myself weary and worn from life. Akins sounds a clarion call to help us remember and reclaim the feasts that God has in store for each of us and for our communities. Through close Scripture reading, sound Biblical exegesis, mixed with contemplative imagination, Invitations to Abundance is in itself a feast for your soul. I found myself desiring to slow down to savor each word, phrase, concept, and prayer, for nearly every other sentence gave me something to taste, relish, and ponder. This is a book worth sitting with and enjoying over time, just like a good meal, where course after course yields new delight and satisfaction.
February 13, 2024
I don't remember how I came across this book, but I'm glad I did. This book discusses feasts of the Bible and what we can learn from them. What I loved about it was that it wasn't only the literal feasts, but figurative ones, too. For example, God preparing a table in the presence of our enemies, or Wisdom setting a feast. She also had some powerful thoughts on communion...like how as you pass the body of Christ to your brothers and sisters, it's hard to harbor any resentment when you know they've got the same need for grace and forgiveness that you have. I read this mostly through audiobook, and I thought the narrator did a fantastic job. She sounded like a real person, not like an AI generated recording, like so many audiobooks. She even had a little bit of an accent, which I found endearing. It felt like I was at a Bible study, which I appreciated.
March 1, 2022
What is there to find in the feasts from the Bible? In Invitations to Abundance, Alicia J. Akins shows us how the feasts of the Bible nourish us today.
Culinary Time Travel
In 12 chapters and just over 200 pages, Akins has written a wonderful and worshipful tour of the feasts in God’s Word. It is a fascinating read, and I found my heart full and filled with delight.
The book opens with a look at Passover, and Akins provides the setting of the plagues. By using the concept of “culinary time travel,” we taste and smell the passover lamb, the unleavened bread, and the bitter herbs. We are shown that this feast of remembrance is for all generations.
The Feast of Booths
Well known feasts, such as the “Feasts of Mercy” in Luke 14:21-22 are explained. More obscure feasts, such as those in Isaiah 25:6 and Jeremiah 31:14 are also discussed. The Lord’s Supper deservingly gets its own section. Each chapter ends with a liturgical prayer to lift your gaze towards God.
In God’s sovereign timing, I read the chapter on Sukkot as I prepared to preach on John 7:1-24 and the story of Jesus at the Feast of Booths. Akins gave me the background I needed to understand and appreciate the feast in more detail. It led me to worship.
Come and Invite Others
I was most happy to see Akins include Psalm 23 in her book. Specifically, the passage on how God prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies. She connected the Psalm to the story of the cross. Seeing it as a scene of victory brought comfort and assurance to my soul.
The book ends with a look at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19. We learn about Jewish weddings and the unique significance found in the bride and bridegroom -- as well as the wedding venue. There is still room at the table. We are beckoned to come. And we are called to invite others.
Never Go Hungry Again
This book would be perfect for pastors who want to see deeper spiritual significances in the feasts of the Bible. Small groups can work their way through this book to trace the theme of food throughout God’s Word. You will find enrichment and enjoyment as you read this during your personal devotions.
This book is a banquet. It is brilliantly theological and beautifully devotional. You will see how God provides for his people. You will celebrate and sing. You will see Jesus, the bread of life. Come, eat for free, taste and see, and never go hungry again.
I received a media copy of Invitations to Abundance and this is my honest review.
Culinary Time Travel
In 12 chapters and just over 200 pages, Akins has written a wonderful and worshipful tour of the feasts in God’s Word. It is a fascinating read, and I found my heart full and filled with delight.
The book opens with a look at Passover, and Akins provides the setting of the plagues. By using the concept of “culinary time travel,” we taste and smell the passover lamb, the unleavened bread, and the bitter herbs. We are shown that this feast of remembrance is for all generations.
The Feast of Booths
Well known feasts, such as the “Feasts of Mercy” in Luke 14:21-22 are explained. More obscure feasts, such as those in Isaiah 25:6 and Jeremiah 31:14 are also discussed. The Lord’s Supper deservingly gets its own section. Each chapter ends with a liturgical prayer to lift your gaze towards God.
In God’s sovereign timing, I read the chapter on Sukkot as I prepared to preach on John 7:1-24 and the story of Jesus at the Feast of Booths. Akins gave me the background I needed to understand and appreciate the feast in more detail. It led me to worship.
Come and Invite Others
I was most happy to see Akins include Psalm 23 in her book. Specifically, the passage on how God prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies. She connected the Psalm to the story of the cross. Seeing it as a scene of victory brought comfort and assurance to my soul.
The book ends with a look at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19. We learn about Jewish weddings and the unique significance found in the bride and bridegroom -- as well as the wedding venue. There is still room at the table. We are beckoned to come. And we are called to invite others.
Never Go Hungry Again
This book would be perfect for pastors who want to see deeper spiritual significances in the feasts of the Bible. Small groups can work their way through this book to trace the theme of food throughout God’s Word. You will find enrichment and enjoyment as you read this during your personal devotions.
This book is a banquet. It is brilliantly theological and beautifully devotional. You will see how God provides for his people. You will celebrate and sing. You will see Jesus, the bread of life. Come, eat for free, taste and see, and never go hungry again.
I received a media copy of Invitations to Abundance and this is my honest review.
March 2, 2022
I love a book that sticks with me when I’m not reading it because the author has drawn parallels and connections that can be mulled over when I’m cooking dinner, taking a shower, or lying in bed at night. This is one of those books. I am only halfway through the book and part of the reason for that is the multitude of beautiful thoughts and challenging concepts that each require my attention and consideration.
Some of my favorite thoughts and quotes so far include:
• “For the people of God, sharing with the poor is not about giving your resources to those in need. Tying the gleaning rule to the celebration of God’s provision for the people makes clear that sharing with the poor is about giving God’s resources to those in need.”
• “God does not primarily want to be used, especially for mere survival. Instead, he wants to be supremely enjoyed. The psalmist doesn’t say here that he enjoys God as bread, a staple food, but as fat, a delicacy… He wants to be experienced as the choicest and most fulfilling of all we consume. When he is experienced this way, the worries and cares surrounding us recede and a feast comes to the fore.”
• “The same contentment our bodies feel after finishing an incredible meal, our souls can feel after beholding and remembering God.”
• “Contrary to what we may think, those wilderness seasons are not meant to starve us. In our reaching and grasping after God, they are meant to feed us in ways we’ve never been fed. In them, we can feast on the fat and rich food that the psalmist does.”
One of my favorite parts of the book is the liturgical response beautifully written at the end of each chapter, offering a prayerful reflection on the chapter. What a gift to be led through a poetic, meaning-imbued prayer that puts words to the response of my own heart when my mind is slow to form the words itself!
“What if God gave us feasts so we could understand him better?” The author records this question as one that helped birth this book, and what a beautiful book she writes as she guides the reader through an exploration of feasting in the Bible and what God is teaching us in each one. The author’s personal examples that illustrate the truths throughout the book show that the wisdom she writes has been hard earned and deeply studied in mind, heart, and soul.
This book itself is a feast, and I know I will need to return to it again and again in order to fully sample, savor, and digest the richness of truth and biblical study it offers.
Some of my favorite thoughts and quotes so far include:
• “For the people of God, sharing with the poor is not about giving your resources to those in need. Tying the gleaning rule to the celebration of God’s provision for the people makes clear that sharing with the poor is about giving God’s resources to those in need.”
• “God does not primarily want to be used, especially for mere survival. Instead, he wants to be supremely enjoyed. The psalmist doesn’t say here that he enjoys God as bread, a staple food, but as fat, a delicacy… He wants to be experienced as the choicest and most fulfilling of all we consume. When he is experienced this way, the worries and cares surrounding us recede and a feast comes to the fore.”
• “The same contentment our bodies feel after finishing an incredible meal, our souls can feel after beholding and remembering God.”
• “Contrary to what we may think, those wilderness seasons are not meant to starve us. In our reaching and grasping after God, they are meant to feed us in ways we’ve never been fed. In them, we can feast on the fat and rich food that the psalmist does.”
One of my favorite parts of the book is the liturgical response beautifully written at the end of each chapter, offering a prayerful reflection on the chapter. What a gift to be led through a poetic, meaning-imbued prayer that puts words to the response of my own heart when my mind is slow to form the words itself!
“What if God gave us feasts so we could understand him better?” The author records this question as one that helped birth this book, and what a beautiful book she writes as she guides the reader through an exploration of feasting in the Bible and what God is teaching us in each one. The author’s personal examples that illustrate the truths throughout the book show that the wisdom she writes has been hard earned and deeply studied in mind, heart, and soul.
This book itself is a feast, and I know I will need to return to it again and again in order to fully sample, savor, and digest the richness of truth and biblical study it offers.
May 15, 2022
Have you ever picked up a book and, as you read it, realized it was such a timely message for your life right at this moment? “Invitations to Abundance: How the Feasts of the Bible Nourish Us Today” by Alicia J. Akins was just such a book for me, because the concept of biblical feasting has been a recurring theme in my life for the last several months. None of the other resources I’ve read on the topic have been as deep and all-inclusive as this title though, and I am so thankful I was able to dive into this new release from Harvest House Publishers.
“Invitation to Abundance” takes us on a deep and thought-provoking journey that stimulates our senses and whets our appetites as we discover the meanings and messages God has for us, embedded within the feasts that occurred throughout the Bible. Beginning with the Passover and ending with the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, Alicia gifts us with great insight and understanding as we are enlightened about the customs of the past, the relevant cross-references, and the takeaways for us today as each of these feasts come to life.
I was surprised to discover not only all of the well-known feasts included in this volume, such as Passover and Firstfruits, but also numerous lesser known examples such as the feast thrown by Lady Wisdom in Proverbs 9. My personal favourite was the chapter describing the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, because the imagery and excitement that you can feel about the coming wedding day of us, the church and Bride, to Jesus, our Saviour and Bridegroom, is nothing short of breathtaking. I personally cannot wait for that day to come!
If you have ever wondered about the Feasts of the Bible and asked yourself how (or even if) they are still relevant to us today, I highly recommend reading “Invitations to Abundance” at your first opportunity. It was a meaningful read on so many levels, and the theology and wisdom included in the little volume is staggering - and if you let it, life-changing as well.
I received a copy of this book courtesy of Harvest House Publishers. I extend my thanks for the opportunity to review this title, and wish to note that all thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.
“Invitation to Abundance” takes us on a deep and thought-provoking journey that stimulates our senses and whets our appetites as we discover the meanings and messages God has for us, embedded within the feasts that occurred throughout the Bible. Beginning with the Passover and ending with the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, Alicia gifts us with great insight and understanding as we are enlightened about the customs of the past, the relevant cross-references, and the takeaways for us today as each of these feasts come to life.
I was surprised to discover not only all of the well-known feasts included in this volume, such as Passover and Firstfruits, but also numerous lesser known examples such as the feast thrown by Lady Wisdom in Proverbs 9. My personal favourite was the chapter describing the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, because the imagery and excitement that you can feel about the coming wedding day of us, the church and Bride, to Jesus, our Saviour and Bridegroom, is nothing short of breathtaking. I personally cannot wait for that day to come!
If you have ever wondered about the Feasts of the Bible and asked yourself how (or even if) they are still relevant to us today, I highly recommend reading “Invitations to Abundance” at your first opportunity. It was a meaningful read on so many levels, and the theology and wisdom included in the little volume is staggering - and if you let it, life-changing as well.
I received a copy of this book courtesy of Harvest House Publishers. I extend my thanks for the opportunity to review this title, and wish to note that all thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.
March 4, 2022
Reading through Invitations to Abundance surprised me! I had expected a book (based on the sub-title How the Feasts of the Bible Nourish Us Today) that would focus on the background and meaning of the special feasts of the Jewish calendar.
While those feasts are definitely part of Alicia Akins's book, it contains so much more. Each chapter surprised me with its insights and applications of the book's theme of feasts/feasting in the Bible. Interwoven throughout the twelve chapters are invitations to share ordinary and special meals with others while also offering insights and truths of how God longs to provide spiritual food to nourish and sustain us no matter our circumstances/challenges.
I was especially touched by the lyrical liturgies which Akins composed as endings for the chapters. To me, each liturgy was an invitation to pause, ponder, meditate, reflect and pray. Refreshing and challenging, they summarized the chapter contents within the longings of our individual and communal life journeys.
The contents of Invitations to Abundance reflect the author's deep dig into the topic of feasts/feasting throughout the Bible. This was confirmed when I (quickly) read through the extensive bibliography at the end of the book. There are many sources listed which would provide a stepping stone for further study of a specific aspect of the book.
This is definitely a book I will re-read and share with others. It's also a book that I'd recommend for a small group study or book club setting, whether meeting in person or online.
While those feasts are definitely part of Alicia Akins's book, it contains so much more. Each chapter surprised me with its insights and applications of the book's theme of feasts/feasting in the Bible. Interwoven throughout the twelve chapters are invitations to share ordinary and special meals with others while also offering insights and truths of how God longs to provide spiritual food to nourish and sustain us no matter our circumstances/challenges.
I was especially touched by the lyrical liturgies which Akins composed as endings for the chapters. To me, each liturgy was an invitation to pause, ponder, meditate, reflect and pray. Refreshing and challenging, they summarized the chapter contents within the longings of our individual and communal life journeys.
The contents of Invitations to Abundance reflect the author's deep dig into the topic of feasts/feasting throughout the Bible. This was confirmed when I (quickly) read through the extensive bibliography at the end of the book. There are many sources listed which would provide a stepping stone for further study of a specific aspect of the book.
This is definitely a book I will re-read and share with others. It's also a book that I'd recommend for a small group study or book club setting, whether meeting in person or online.
March 1, 2022
There are so many quotes from this book that remain in my mind and heart, that I'm determined to re-read it and delve into Scripture through Akins's reflections again and again. This is definitely a precious book more than suitable to accompany our journey throughout the year and throughout our study of Scripture, even more so when observing these feasts that remind us of our identity as part of God's family and Christ's Bride.
Invitations to Abundance is a true delight for those of us who crave for a deeper understanding of God's steadfast love for His children-maybe because some of us might have forgotten that we're loved more than we could possibly imagine, and that we are invited to draw near to this incredible and abundant table of feast by a Royal host. For those of us who might have lost the delight and expectation of God's abundant love and grace, Akins's book might be just the reminder we need to get us draw near once again.
Invitations to Abundance has lead me to praise and rejoice as I (re-)grasped in awe the riches of God's provision and good will for His people. One of the most eye-opening chapters for me was chapter 4 about Psalm 23. Alicia Akins reminds us through her lively descriptions, poetic language and sound biblical foundation that we are redeemed and that our hope is secure.
Please don't miss this book!
Invitations to Abundance is a true delight for those of us who crave for a deeper understanding of God's steadfast love for His children-maybe because some of us might have forgotten that we're loved more than we could possibly imagine, and that we are invited to draw near to this incredible and abundant table of feast by a Royal host. For those of us who might have lost the delight and expectation of God's abundant love and grace, Akins's book might be just the reminder we need to get us draw near once again.
Invitations to Abundance has lead me to praise and rejoice as I (re-)grasped in awe the riches of God's provision and good will for His people. One of the most eye-opening chapters for me was chapter 4 about Psalm 23. Alicia Akins reminds us through her lively descriptions, poetic language and sound biblical foundation that we are redeemed and that our hope is secure.
Please don't miss this book!
March 1, 2022
What can I say about this book? It is theologically rich, practical and is a wonderful and easy read. Alicia takes you through the various feasts and their meaning and their place today. Alicia is such a gifted writer that each chapter feels like a sermon yet is informative, carefully crafted to take you deeper into the meaning of feasting. this book has given me a deeper appreciation for the feast in Scripture but also has challenged me. I found myself highlighting so many great lines that hit my heart. She takes you through the Old Testament and the many feasts and celebrations, then into the wisdom books and prophets and how feasting is about hope, about God’s presence and promises. She does all this to make all the material readable. Alicia also closes each chapter with liturgy or prayer to help you take in the specific chapter subject.
If you’re a lay person, you will learn so much from this book. If you’re a pastor, this book will be of great value to you as an individual and preacher/teacher. Easily 5 stars.
If you’re a lay person, you will learn so much from this book. If you’re a pastor, this book will be of great value to you as an individual and preacher/teacher. Easily 5 stars.
March 1, 2022
Excellent read! Each chapter felt like I was pulling up a chair at a table to enjoy another course in a grand banquet hall. This book takes you through the Bible to look at different feasts, their significance, and how it applies today. As I was reading this book I encountered the hunger pains and thirsts in my own life and how I am am invited to “taste and see that the Lord is good” and “be satisfied as with rich foods”. Akins’ profound insights of the feasts helped me to delight in the word of God and really savor its sweetness. What resonated most to me was the chapter about the 23rd psalm and how God feeds us in abundance in the presence of our enemies. That imagery stuck with me for awhile after reading it. I also loved the liturgies written at the end of each chapter, drawing me into moments of worship, those liturgies allowed me to really take in more deeply what I was learning. I recommend this book to anyone hungering for more depth in their walk with God and a deeper understanding of the feasts of the bible!
March 1, 2022
I really felt reading was an invitation to feast my heart and mind by thinking on God’s faithfulness. I was surprised by how real it felt stepping into the taste language, I have been meditating on the idea of Israel eating their autobiography. The book is a journey through different feasts and surprised me by the variety of Scriptures we read through, each one unique and pointing to a great truth. I was challenged by the liturgies throughout the book. My favourite quote is from Liturgy for Remembrance, ‘spared from death and seafared to freedom’, the words are beautiful and lyrical, and convey that I have the power to keep myself in the bondage mindset if I do not take every thought captive and actively practice remembering that I have been set free. I loved the description of Lady Wisdom’s feast. How this chapter unfolds to reveal Jesus made me feel like wisdom isn’t far off and unattainable, but a lifestyle I can participate in.
March 1, 2022
If you like food, if you find meaning in celebratory meals, if you are hungry to be reminded of God’s goodness through those things, you’ll find a lexical as well as spiritual feast here. Alicia Akins draws on the luminous interconnectedness of Scripture and the richness of thousands of years of history to show how God communicates His love and His Gospel to us through meals and the occasions that surround them. One of my favorite of her observations comes in Chapter 2: “You just live different when you know there’s more on the way. That’s what the Holy Spirit says to our hearts, what he says to our time, what he says to our resources, what he says to all we possess: ‘There’s more on the way.’” The feasts of the Bible and our commemorations should remind us that God's grace is sufficient for all we need, and there's more on the way.
March 7, 2022
I'm so taken with what I've read in "Invitations to Abundance," and I truly feel it would be a nourishing read for everyone: the contemplative, non-religious, history buffs, poets, Christian or not.
It's beautifully written with detailed descriptions as if you are there—partaking in the first Passover, for example. It dives deeply into historical and Biblical traditions and rituals that I have always overlooked or glossed over. And I'm walking away with a newfound appreciation of the beauty of celebrations, togetherness and moments in which we can express God's grace to each other.
The book is solid proof there's something rich in scripture that everyone can appreciate. I am planning to share copies with my friends during an upcoming retreat of sorts we're having. The book will help us take a deep breath and give thanks to God for his abundance.
It's beautifully written with detailed descriptions as if you are there—partaking in the first Passover, for example. It dives deeply into historical and Biblical traditions and rituals that I have always overlooked or glossed over. And I'm walking away with a newfound appreciation of the beauty of celebrations, togetherness and moments in which we can express God's grace to each other.
The book is solid proof there's something rich in scripture that everyone can appreciate. I am planning to share copies with my friends during an upcoming retreat of sorts we're having. The book will help us take a deep breath and give thanks to God for his abundance.
February 26, 2022
Until I read Invitations to Abundance, I didn’t see the richness of considering all the feasts of the Bible. But as this book walks us through many feasts in the Bible—including Passover, Lady Wisdom’s feast, the prodigal son’s homecoming, the Last Supper, and the wedding banquet of the Lamb—author Alicia Akins portrays some of the breadth of God’s lavish hospitality.
Combining her seminary training, personal study, and international experiences of meals and hospitality, she encourages readers to explore the hope offered in the Scripture. Her style is never dry or academic, but sometimes poetic, sometimes down-to-earth, and always clear and honest. I’ve already bought copies for friends because I appreciate this encouraging book.
Combining her seminary training, personal study, and international experiences of meals and hospitality, she encourages readers to explore the hope offered in the Scripture. Her style is never dry or academic, but sometimes poetic, sometimes down-to-earth, and always clear and honest. I’ve already bought copies for friends because I appreciate this encouraging book.
March 1, 2022
I’m so grateful to have read Invitations to Abundance!
While guiding the reader through the literal and figurative feasts God sets before His people in the Bible, the book flows through each chapter with a perfect balance of historical context, theology, liturgy, analogy, and personal experience. The author invites you into each feast throughout the Old and New Testaments, bringing you into communion with Jesus and others in the past and today, while solidifying your hopes for the final Wedding Supper of the Lamb.
In the past, I have skimmed over or missed most of these feasts, but now I will forever cherish each one’s unique way of feeding us on God’s grace.
While guiding the reader through the literal and figurative feasts God sets before His people in the Bible, the book flows through each chapter with a perfect balance of historical context, theology, liturgy, analogy, and personal experience. The author invites you into each feast throughout the Old and New Testaments, bringing you into communion with Jesus and others in the past and today, while solidifying your hopes for the final Wedding Supper of the Lamb.
In the past, I have skimmed over or missed most of these feasts, but now I will forever cherish each one’s unique way of feeding us on God’s grace.
March 1, 2022
This book is a rich read, both in content and in prose. Akins takes her reader chronologically through the Bible and shows us how the Gospel is woven into the narrative of feasting all throughout the canon. This book will make you hunger for food, feasting, community, and more Jesus. Particularly poignant are the chapters on Lady Wisdom’s feast, and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Akins' gift for a turn of phrase especially shines when exploring the allegorical, which is rife in this theme. Feast, worship, and be sustained through her gifted ability to marry good theology with excellent craft.
March 2, 2022
What a gift this book is. I am already looking forward to reading it again. Alicia Akins has written a lyrical invite to all of us to truly taste and see the goodness of the Lord. As she takes us on a journey throughout the story of the entire Scripture, we learn how God is not a God of scarcity but rather a gracious benefactor who call us to feast in many different and powerful ways. What a beautiful reflection that is so deeply needed for our starving souls.
I have to note the liturgies that follow each chapter. Those alone are worth the price of the book. Rich and deep, soul-satisfying morsels of truth. I have never read a book quite like this. Highly recommend.
I have to note the liturgies that follow each chapter. Those alone are worth the price of the book. Rich and deep, soul-satisfying morsels of truth. I have never read a book quite like this. Highly recommend.
March 5, 2022
Invitations to Abundance is truly that — an invitation. With a blend of personal stories, exploration of Scripture, and exhortation, the author invites us to consider often neglected stories to learn more of God’s character. In each feast, she adds context and understanding to one of the feasts in Scripture and considers practical application for everyday life.
I was struck by how many familiar things had angles I hadn’t considered. I was moved by the applications and parallels drawn for our lives today. This book is a wonderful addition to your library, and would be an excellent read in the upcoming season of Easter!
I was struck by how many familiar things had angles I hadn’t considered. I was moved by the applications and parallels drawn for our lives today. This book is a wonderful addition to your library, and would be an excellent read in the upcoming season of Easter!
March 2, 2022
I love this book and would highly recommend. This book has been a conduit to see God in a deeper way and to connect with Him in ways that I hadn’t thought about before. Between her beautiful prose, research into the history, understanding of original language and easily accessible writing, Akins has prepared a view into scrumptious feast after a scrumptious feast, showing how feasts in the Bible contually point to a God that wants to be in relationship with His people and wants to teach His people about Himself. Do yourself a favor and read this book!
April 16, 2022
A theologically rich and warmly personal walk through the feasts of the Bible, with beautifully written original liturgies. Alicia Akins has an intimate yet knowledgeable style that takes us through a readable and well-researched survey of Biblical feasts. The personal stories just enhance the text.
I had honestly never thought of eating TO REMEMBER and so when this concept is introduced and then revisited throughout the chapters my mind was blown. Eating not to enjoy, eating not to survive, but eating to recall. I had never thought of that.
I had honestly never thought of eating TO REMEMBER and so when this concept is introduced and then revisited throughout the chapters my mind was blown. Eating not to enjoy, eating not to survive, but eating to recall. I had never thought of that.
December 31, 2024
I got distracted halfway through this book, so I abandoned it for awhile and wish I wouldn’t have. 😅 It’s such a good book! I originally picked this up thinking it was just about the feasts in the Old Testament. While those are included, this book is more than that! The author uses the theme of feasts throughout the ENTIRE Bible to point out rich themes and applications for us today. Such a beautiful, well-researched (the endnotes gave so many good reading ideas!), and accessible! I wish she wrote more books!
March 5, 2022
Akins writes honestly and beautifully about how the feasts in Scripture invite us to remember who we are in Christ and to whom we belong to. It is a well-paced, thoughtful, and gentle book for the believer who is hungry for Christ-centred refreshment of the spirit, mind, and body. I especially appreciate the liturgies at the end of each chapter—they would serve as wonderful prayers with friends or in church services. 💛🙏🏼
March 3, 2022
This is such an incredibly beautiful book! Walking through the various feasts in the Bible, Alicia brings you to the table to taste and see what each one is about. And then she masterfully illustrates what each feast can *still* teach us in 2022 and how we can carry these lessons with us to draw closer to God. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!
November 11, 2022
God outlawed being un generous by re gleaning their fields a 2nd time.
Sharing with the poor is not about giving your resources to the poor and those in need...Sharing with the poor is about giving God's resources to those in need. This is a quite from chapter 3. So many things like this challenge you to look at your self and realign your priorities with God's.
Sharing with the poor is not about giving your resources to the poor and those in need...Sharing with the poor is about giving God's resources to those in need. This is a quite from chapter 3. So many things like this challenge you to look at your self and realign your priorities with God's.
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