The Abiding Presence
Communion Meditations
William Powell Tuck

Communion is one of the few universal practices in every Christian church, yet even communion can be divisive as followers of Christ wrestle with how to properly obey the Lord's command: "This do in remembrance of me." The Abiding Presence: Communion Meditations is an invitation to all believers to come together around the central meaning of communion on which all Christians can agree.

The Abiding Presence will challenge the way your church thinks about communion, and will ask the heart of every member of your congregation to open in expectation for the Holy Spirit to arrive not merely in memory, but in the here and now.

"William Tuck, who has long proven himself a pastor to pastors in our era, now gives us this extremely thoughtful and informative little book about communion, the ageless center of all Christian worship.  His brief but poignant meditations on the Sacred Table will doubtless find their way into many preachers' sermons, thus touching the lives of countless thousands of grateful worshipers." - John Killinger, former professor of Vanderbilt Divinity School, pastor and author

"Dr. Tuck's book of Communion meditations, The Abiding Presence is filled with testimonies and treasures of this blessed Sacrament. It serves as a living reminder of Christ's call to us to do this to remember him. Filled with anecdotes and analogies, Bill is the consummate story teller and these stories are very much worth the sharing. I greatly enjoyed, deeply appreciated and heartily recommend it!" - David Moffett-Moore, Sr., Pastor, Portage United Church of Christ, Portage, MI

"This collection of meditations is filled with stories and personal anecdotes woven together with theologically and biblically rich reflections that invite us to dive deeply into this meal that stands at the center of Christ's church. As a minister in a tradition that is Table-Centered (Disciples of Christ), I appreciate greatly that these meditations, which offer an important entry point for lay persons into an important conversation that the church needs to have if we're to find our true center." - Robert Cornwall, Pastor, Central Woodward Christian Church, Troy, Michigan

"For too many of us the communion service has been an unrelated addendum to worship. This book argues convincingly that communion should be the central focus of a well-integrated worship program. More than that, these meditations provide the biblical background for the communion meal, a theological understanding of communion, and a historical view of its development in the life of the church. Upon reading this book you can never approach communion in a casual or shallow fashion again." - Tom Graves, President Emeritus of Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, Virginia

"The grace of Holy Communion has been taken for granted too long. Bill Tuck's book, The Abiding Presence: Communion Meditations, is a welcome word to those of us who view Communion as much more than merely "eating" and "drinking" together. Reading and reflecting on this volume provides one with the stuff for understanding that Communion is much more than going to church and eating my little cracker. It is an Abiding Presence that shouldn't be taken for granted." - Jimmy Gentry, Senior Pastor, Garden Lakes Baptist Church, Rome, GA

Meditations Include:
"In the Breaking of Bread" Exodus 12:30-34, John 6: 33-35, 1 Corinthians 13:23-24
"Learning to Eat at the Lord's Table" Exodus 16:14-21, Mark 14:22-25
"Are You in the Mood for Christmas?" Judges 13:8, Matthew 2:1-3

William Powell Tuck, a native of Virginia, has served as a pastor in Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Louisiana, and as a seminary professor, adjunct college professor, and as an intentional interim pastor. He is the author of over 30 books, including Star Thrower: A Pastor's Handbook, The Forgotten Beatitude: Worshipping through Stewardship, 200 articles, and he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the University of Richmond. In 1997 he received the "Pastor of the Year" award from the Academy of Parish Clergy. He received the 2016 Wayne Oates Award from the Oates Institute in Louisville, Kentucky. He and his wife, Emily Campbell, are the parents of 2 children and 5 grandchildren and live in Midlothian, Virginia.