One of the most moving scenes in all four Gospels is in the home of someone in Emmaus. The two walkers implored Jesus, whom they had not yet recognized, to stay with them. So Jesus did. At the table that night Jesus, with the bread in his hands, thanked God and then broke it. In the act of breaking bread, in the home, the eyes of the two disciples were opened and they perceived the truth of who Jesus was—their crucified and resurrected Lord. In a home, over bread—nothing could be more common and more revelatory. Homes matter, for in them God breaks through. The Hunger for Home, scene after scene, reveals how home slakes our thirsts and satisfies our deepest longings.
~Scot McKnight, Professor of New Testament, Northern Seminary
This book will help you to find deeper meaning in something you do every single day. Croasmun and Volf explore how the seemingly ordinary act of eating is an extraordinary occasion for mutual care and encounter with the living God. By bringing the meals of Luke’s Gospel to life, Croasmun and Volf explain why being at home with one another and with God is possible every day and closer at hand than we thought.
~Angela W. Gorrell, author of The Gravity of Joy: A Story of Being Lost and Found
If you’re looking for a retreat or small group book on eating practices and Christian discipleship, this is it. Plenty has been written on ancient meal practices in the Gospels, not all of it accessible to broad audiences. The Hunger for Home offers a provocative, historically informed meditation on meals in Luke that can be enjoyed by novice and expert alike—alone or with others, in a day, a week, or a month.
~Sonja Anderson, Assistant Professor of Religion, Carleton College
I have been reading and studying the Scriptures for almost fifty years on a near-daily basis. The Hunger for Home offered the rare experience in which, on numerous occasions, I thought ‘I’ve never considered that intertextual connection before’ and ‘I’ve never had this biblical text explained in such a fresh way!’ I highly recommend The Hunger for Home for small groups and for personal devotional study. It is a spiritual feast.
~Rich Nathan, Founding Pastor, Vineyard Columbus
By walking us through the Gospel of Luke, Croasmun and Volf help us see why the meals we eat, and who we share them with, should be a foretaste of our eternal home. The result is a very practical, and very moving, book—indeed, I would say that reading the book is itself a spiritual exercise. I warmly recommend it, therefore, to pastors, church groups, theologians, or anyone else who is trying to live a faithful life.
~Kevin W. Hector, Professor of Theology and of the Philosophy of Religions, University of Chicago
At once theologically constructive and historically inflected, this text is versatile: it would serve well both as the centerpiece of an adult education series and as devotional literature for individual readers.
~The Christian Century
Of special and particular interest to readers focused on the subjects of Christian Eschatology, Christian Meditation, Christian Worship/Devotion, and New Testament Studies, The Hunger for Home: Food and Meals in the Gospel of Luke is an informative, thought-provoking, and ultimately inspiring study that is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, clergy, seminary student, and academic library Christian Studies collections.
~Wisconsin Bookwatch, The Midwest Book Review
This book holds particular value for those operating within practical settings, such as small groups and spiritual formation classes, but it is also of interest to individuals looking to deepen their understanding of the subject. It serves as an effective point of discussion, made particularly digestible due to its brevity and clarity. Additionally, students who are seeking to write on topics of community, hospitality, embodiment, and, most straightforwardly, meals would be wise to utilize this resource in their research.
~Jacob L. Bishop, Reading Religion
