Biography:
Talbot was born into a Methodist family with a musical background in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and started learning to play the guitar at an early age. At age 15 he dropped out of school and was performing as a guitarist for Mason Proffit, a country folk-rock band formed with his older brother Terry.
Talbot embarked on a spiritual journey that led him through Native American religion and Buddhism to Christianity. At this point he and his brother, Terry, joined the Jesus Movement, recording the album Reborn which was re-released by Sparrow Records (originally released as The Talbot Brothers on the Warner Brothers label).
Two solo albums followed for Talbot: John Michael Talbot (1976) and The New Earth (1977). Both of these were produced by Billy Ray Hearn.
Reading the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, he was inspired to begin studying at a Franciscan center in Indianapolis. He became a Roman Catholic and joined the Secular Franciscan Order in 1978. He started a house of prayer, The Little Portion.
Talbot moved The Little Portion to Eureka Springs, Arkansas on land he had purchased during his Mason Proffit days. He founded his own community, the Brothers and Sisters of Charity, at Little Portion Hermitage as an "integrated monastic community" with celibate brothers and sisters, singles, and families. By 1989, Talbot had married Viola Pratka (with the permission of the Catholic Church). Pratka was a former Incarnate Word Sister who had come to the community in 1986.
Per the community's General Constitutions, Talbot's title is "General Minister and Spiritual Father". For many years, he has promoted the work of Mercy Corps.
The hermitage suffered a fire in April 2008 in which the chapel, library and many common areas were destroyed.
On April 10, 2010 the Bishop of Little Rock, Anthony Taylor, dedicated the new buildings. On October 2, 2010 the Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage celebrated the opening of the new monastery church and common center.
Come to the Table
John Michael Talbot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The wine and the bread that was broken
And all have been welcomed to come if they might
Accept as their own these two tokens
The bread is His body, the wine is the blood
And the one who provides them is true
He freely offers, we freely receive
Come to the table and taste of the glory
And savor the sorrow, He's dying tomorrow
The hand that is breaking the bread
Soon will be broken
And here at the table, sit those who have loved you
One is a traitor and one will deny
But He's lived his life for them all
And for all be crucified
Come to the table He's prepared for you
The bread of forgiveness, the wine of release
Come to the table and sit down beside Him
The Savior wants you to join in the feast
Come to the table and see in His eyes
The love that the Father has spoken
And know you are welcome, whatever your crime
For every commandment you've broken
For He's come to love you and not to condemn
And He offers a pardon of peace
If you'll come to the table, you'll feel in your heart
The greatest forgiveness, the greatest release
Come to the table and taste of the glory
And savor the sorrow, He's dying tomorrow
The hand that is breaking the bread
Soon will be broken
And here at the table, sit those who have loved You
One is a traitor and one will deny
But He's lived his life for them all
And for all be crucified
Come to the table He's prepared for you
The bread of forgiveness, the wine of release
Come to the table and sit down beside Him
The Savior wants you to join in the feast
Come to the table He's prepared for you
The bread of forgiveness, the wine of release
Come to the table and sit down beside Him
The Savior wants you to join in the feast
In the song “Come to the Table,” John Michael Talbot invites listeners to partake in the sacrament of communion, where bread and wine represent the body and blood of Christ. He encourages everyone to accept these offerings with open hearts and minds, knowing that they symbolize love, forgiveness, and peace. The table is a place of welcome, where people of all walks of life can come together and share the experience of grace.
The lyrics also remind us that the communion meal is bittersweet, as it foreshadows the impending death of Jesus. The hand breaking the bread will soon be broken, alluding to the crucifixion of Christ. Nevertheless, the presence of those who have loved us and of the savior himself makes the experience transformative, as we are invited to join in the feast and feel the greatest forgiveness and release.
Line by Line Meaning
Come to the table and savor the sight
Come join us at the table where you can look with admiration at the wine and bread that were broken.
The wine and the bread that was broken
The bread symbolizes the body of Christ and the wine symbolizes His blood, which were both broken for us.
And all have been welcomed to come if they might
Everyone is welcome to come join the feast if they so choose.
Accept as their own these two tokens
We are encouraged to accept and embrace these symbols of Christ's sacrifice as our own.
The bread is His body, the wine is the blood
The bread refers to the body of Christ while the wine represents His blood.
And the one who provides them is true
Christ, who provides the bread and the wine, is genuine and trustworthy.
He freely offers, we freely receive
Christ offers us His sacrifice freely, and we can choose to accept or reject it.
To accept and believe Him is all we must do
All we need to do is accept and believe in Christ to participate in His sacrifice.
Come to the table and taste of the glory
Join us at the table and experience the glory of Christ's sacrifice firsthand.
And savor the sorrow, He's dying tomorrow
We should also acknowledge the sorrow and pain of Christ's impending death the following day.
The hand that is breaking the bread
The same hand that breaks the bread symbolically will soon be literally broken when Christ is crucified.
Soon will be broken
Christ's hands will be broken soon, fulfilling the symbolism of the broken bread.
And here at the table, sit those who have loved you
Those seated at the table are people who love and care about you.
One is a traitor and one will deny
Despite the love of those around Him, Christ knew that one of His disciples would betray Him and another would deny Him.
But He's lived his life for them all
Christ lived His life for everyone, even the ones who would betray Him and deny Him.
And for all be crucified
Christ would be crucified for the sins of everyone, including those who would hurt Him.
Come to the table He's prepared for you
Christ has prepared a table for us to join Him in communion with each other and with God.
The bread of forgiveness, the wine of release
At this table, we can find forgiveness through Christ's sacrifice and release from our sins.
Come to the table and sit down beside Him
We are invited to sit beside Christ at the table and partake in His sacrifice.
The Savior wants you to join in the feast
Christ desires for us to participate in His sacrifice and share in the feast of redemption.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: MICHAEL J. CARD, NILES ILES BOROP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind