This weekend, we started a new series at our church called At the Table—where Jesus meets us and makes us new. Over the next twelve weeks, we’ll spend time with Jesus at various meals—around tables shared with his disciples and within the early church. I wanted to offer a pre-session for our Bible study groups—a chance to notice how often Scripture gathers people around tables before we move into interpretation or application. These are the questions we used together. You’re welcome to use or adapt them for your own small groups.
At The Table
Setting the Table: Why Meals Matter in Scripture
Bible Study Session-prior to sermon series
Icebreaker Questions
- Think about a meal you remember vividly—not because of the food, but because of who was there. What made it memorable?
- If you could invite anyone (biblical or not) to dinner, who would it be?
- When you think of “table fellowship,” what emotions come to mind—comfort, pressure, joy, awkwardness, obligation?
- Growing up, who usually ate together at your table? Who didn’t?
Read Genesis 18:1–8 — Abraham Welcomes the Visitors
(Read aloud slowly; assign different readers if helpful.)
The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
3 He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”
“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahsof the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.” 7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.
Discussion
- What stands out to you about Abraham’s response to the visitors? What seems to motivate his eagerness—fear, honor, generosity, faith, habit?
- If you picture this scene unfolding in real time, what feels hurried? What feels calm?
- What risks does Abraham take in offering hospitality?
- When have you hesitated to offer hospitality because of cost, timing, or uncertainty?
- Why do you think God so often appears in ordinary moments like this?
- What does this passage suggest about hospitality as a practice, not just a reaction?
Read Exodus 16:11–18 — God Feeds the People
The Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”
13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.
Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omerfor each person you have in your tent.’”
17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18 And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.
Discussion
- What rhythm does this passage introduce into the people’s daily lives?
- What surprises you about how the manna appears or disappears?
- Why do you think God chooses daily dependence instead of long-term security? What does it tell you about God’s care for his people?
- If you were living this story, what emotions do you imagine surfacing day after day?
- Where do you struggle most with trusting God for “enough”?
- How is shared provision different from individual hoarding?
- What habits could form around the way people receive food in this passage? (good and bad)
Read Isaiah 25:6–9 NIV (a hymn of praise and an apocalyptic vision)
On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare
a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines.
7 On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
8 he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.
9 In that day they will say,
“Surely this is our God;
we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”
Discussion:
- Why do you think God chooses a feast to describe salvation or hope?
- Who is invited to this table?
- What does it say about God that He prepares the feast?
- Why do you think Scripture so often connects feasting with hope and salvation?
- How is this table both present and future?
- How does shared hope shape a community differently than private hope?
- What might it look like for the church to reflect this kind of table now?
Wrap Up:
- Why do you think shared meals matter so much in Scripture?
- How do shared rhythms (meals, routines, worship) shape your sense of belonging?
- What makes table fellowship life-giving—and what makes it hard?
- What does hospitality look like for you beyond hosting a meal?
Personal Application
- Where do you resist table fellowship because it feels inconvenient, awkward, or costly?
- How might hospitality be an act of faith—not just kindness—in your life right now?
- Who might God be inviting you to make space for? Who might you intentionally share a meal, conversation, or moment with?
- What would it look like to open your “table” in a new way?
Closing Prayer
God, you are the One who prepares tables, not just food.
Teach us to notice where you are present in ordinary moments.
Help us to make space—at our tables and in our lives—for what you want to do.
Amen.
Preach it Sista 