Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley
Week 3: Chapter 2 — Mealtimes
Read Chapter 2 of Habits of the Household. Key passages: Luke 24:13–35; Acts 2:42–47; Luke 15:11–32.
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Of all the household habits Earley explores, the family meal may be the most countercultural — and the most theologically rich. This chapter invites us to see the table not as a logistical challenge but as a sacramental opportunity.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Earley notes that the average American family eats together surprisingly rarely, and when they do, screens often dominate. Before reading this chapter, how did you think about family mealtimes? Has that changed at all?
2.The chapter draws heavily on the biblical theme of the meal as a place of encounter, community, and even revelation — from the Emmaus road to the early church's table fellowship. Why do you think the meal is such a recurring image in Scripture? What does it tell us about how God relates to us?
3.Earley argues that eating together is not just a nice family tradition but a formative practice — it teaches children (and parents) what it means to be a community, to wait, to share, to listen, and to be present. Which of these "lessons" do you find hardest to practice at your own table, and why?
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