Introducing: monday milk & honey
The table has always been far more than just a piece of furniture. In the midst of our hurried world, where digital connections often replace face-to-face moments and drive-through meals overshadow slow, shared dinners, the table remains a sacred invitation—a tangible, physical space that speaks deeply even before a single word is spoken.
A few weeks ago, during a quiet evening walk in the coolness of twilight, the heart behind Monday Milk and Honey was revealed to me. My husband mows a path around the meadow winding around our homestead, and as I walked that familiar circuit, I found myself drawn into prayer. There is something truly sacred about this time of day…the same soft, cool glow of evening when God once walked with Adam and Eve in the garden, when heaven and earth felt intimately close and intertwined.
"Lord," I whispered aloud, "make Bread what you want it to be. What can I offer this new community of gatherers that they need in this season?" His answer came gently, yet with unmistakable clarity: milk and honey.
Milk and honey. These were not just random words, but God’s very own description of abundance, the essence of the Promised Land that He prepared for His people. Milk, the very first nourishment we receive, symbolizes God's tender care, nurturing provision, and the gentle sustenance that sustains life. Honey, nature’s sweet gift fashioned by the patient and faithful work of bees, speaks to the richness and sweetness that only time, care, and devoted tending can bring forth. Together, these gifts paint a vivid picture of a land where every need is not only met but overflowed with delight and grace.
In that quiet moment of reflection, I understood something profoundly lovely and deeply true. When we prepare our tables with intention, tender care, and an open, welcoming heart, we step into a sacred rhythm, a divine activity that transcends the everyday. To create and curate a home, to gather together mindful of connection and presence, is to offer a shimmering foretaste of heaven here on earth. Psalm 23 beautifully describes how David marvels that God “prepares a table” for him. The Hebrew word for "prepare" (arak) holds a richness in meaning: to arrange, to set in order—with loving care, thoughtful purpose, and a beautifully intentional grace that reflects the heart of the Creator. Every candle we light, every flower we delicately arrange, every plate we set with conscious care becomes more than decoration. It becomes a small, sacred act of worship, a tender preparation for the great feast that lies ahead. Our earthly tables, in their humble beauty, are practice for eternity; a glimpse of the wedding supper of the Lamb, where every detail reflects perfect love, welcome, and belonging. In these moments, we offer our own land flowing with milk and honey, crafting spaces where God’s goodness can be tasted, felt, and seen in deep and tangible ways.
How might your table speak before words are even exchanged? Here are three gentle ways to create intentional, soul-stirring gathering spaces this week:
1. Start with a single, heartfelt invitation: Choose one person who has been quietly resting on your heart—a neighbor, coworker, or friend you’ve been meaning to connect with but haven’t quite found the moment to reach out. Send a simple, sincere message: “I’m brewing some good coffee this Saturday morning. Would you like to join me?” or “Would you like to come over for lunch this week?” The menu matters far less than the heartfelt invitation itself, for it is the spirit behind the invite that makes all the difference.
2. Create warmth with what you have around you: Light a candle, even if it’s a humble one from your local supermarket. Place a few flowers in a glass jar or a vintage tea cup, even if they’re humble dandelions gathered from your yard. Set out cloth napkins, even if their patterns don’t quite match perfectly. These small, thoughtful touches whisper gently, “You are worthy of the effort,” even before your guest has settled in and before a word is spoken.
3. Prepare your heart, not just your home: Before your guest arrives, pause for a quiet, intentional moment to pray for them by name. Ask God to help you see them through His eyes, to open your heart to true, authentic connection and the deepened friendship that can bloom when two souls meet vulnerably across a table.
These simple practices weave together a tapestry of connection that turns ordinary moments into everlasting memories—a precious gift not only to our guests but to our own hearts as well. Sometimes, the most memorable gatherings happen not when the table is perfectly set, but when we are truly present with people, fully engaged and open.
As Hebrews 13:2 beautifully reminds us: "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." This week, I warmly invite you to prepare a table—whether it’s elaborate or simple, grand or modest—with prayerful intention. Set a place where heaven gently touches the earth, where ordinary moments become sacred through the language of love. Offer your guests a taste of the land flowing with milk and honey, and watch with wonder what unfolds when we gather to create foretastes of the feast to come.
Prayer: Lord, help me create spaces of welcome where hearts can connect with You and with each other. May my table become a sacred place where your presence is softly felt and your love generously shared—a glimpse of the heavenly banquet and the abundant, joyful land you have prepared for us.
Amen.
