Start:Stop-Friendship

Icon of Christ and Abba Mena

Thank you for joining us for Start:Stop. This reflection will last around ten minutes and you are welcome to come and go as your schedule dictates. Today we are reflecting on the theme of friendship. We begin with a short bible reading which can be found on page 85 of the Old Testament.

BOOK REVIEW : The Table : Knowing Jesus : Prayer, Friendship, Justice by Paul Bayes

The title of this book comes from the image central to the inaugural sermon preached by Paul Bayes in Liverpool Cathedral when he became Bishop of the city and the Diocese, which is repeated in full as the first chapter. In the preface, Bishop Paul explains that the purpose of the book, published earlier this year, is to see how our lives, prayers and actions as Christians can be changed if we begin to see the church as an open table of friends, sitting beside Jesus.

“It’s a table for meeting. It’s a table for talking around. It’s a table for laughing. Most of all it’s a table for eating.”