In The Sacred Meal, Nora Gallagher attempts to make Communion accessible to everyone. By using real stories from her life she shows how this practice is available to all; those who’ve never taken it before, those who have but may feel it’s lost it’s signifigance for them, and to those who’ve always taken it, maybe for granted.
For me, this book came at a perfect time. That’s just a God thing, I hope you understand. I was reading it just after the terrible earthquake hit Haiti, and we were all trying to decide how to respond. Many times the author talks about “the healing powers of extravagance, of extravagant generosity, of extravagant love.” There is nothing more extravagant than God’s love for us, and that’s what I think we all wanted to give to the people of Haiti as we were working to form a response.
Above all, Nora Gallagher presents a picture of the Lord’s Table as a place where everyone is welcome. Everyone. Yes, everyone. Yes, even you. No matter where you have been or what you have done. No matter what you have lived through. His grace is extravagant and covers over everything. She shows how taking the Lord’s Supper is just one small step into a great big Kingdom. By entering into the mystery of Communion and recognizing the intersection between our everyday lives and the Kingdom that exists in that ritual, we can begin to see and recognize that connection so much more in our everyday lives.
The Sacred Meal is a very quick read and I certainly have been encouraged by this book to read more in The Ancient Practices Series as well as reading more by this author. This book was provided to me for free by Thomas Nelson publishers.
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