April 6, 2024
Today’s Reading: Psalm 105:1-5, 8; antiphon: 1 Peter 2:2-3
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 19:1-25, Hebrews 13:1-21
Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:2-3, Antiphon for the Introit on the Second Sunday of Easter)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In tomorrow’s Introit, we are told to “long for the pure spiritual milk.” We need to be fed in our faith just as much as we need food for our bodies. That food comes from Christ. And usually, this is where we would talk about the Lord’s Supper. But our Introit does something different here. Instead of solid food, we are told to be like infants, and have milk.
This is often compared in the New Testament to the very basics of the Christian faith. “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food.” (Hebrews 5:12). As a result, you may hear fellow Christians say things like: “The death and resurrection of Jesus is the basics of the faith. We want to move on from that milk to more meaty topics.” But anything that leaves out the death and resurrection of Jesus loses the very center of what makes it Christian. Besides, spiritual milk is good for you, no matter how mature in the faith you think you are.
Remember, the promise made to the people of Israel. They were coming into a land flowing with milk and honey. And the Lord didn’t just mean a parcel of land in the Middle East. His Church is the place where we are fed that pure spiritual milk. We live in the death and resurrection of Jesus. We never graduate from that good news. It remains at the center of our entire Christian lives. Is there meat to dig into as well? You bet! But it always returns to Christ at the center.
After all, where else are you going to find the forgiveness of sins, given freely? Where else are you going to find life after death in the resurrection of the flesh? Where else are you going to find your salvation if not in Christ’s own work, done on your behalf? Therefore, long for the pure spiritual milk that Jesus has for you. Only with Jesus at the center can your faith grow. And He’s the one who gives the growth. By keeping you in His Word, and giving you His gifts in the sacraments. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Jerusalem the Golden, With milk and honey blessed The promise of salvation, The place of peace and rest We know not, oh, we know not What joys await us there:The radiancy of glory, The bliss beyond compare (LSB 672:1)
– Pastor Eli Davis is pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Grants Pass, Oregon.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.
