Easter 2C Sermon: Baby Food

Preached on 1 Peter 2:2-3
The Second Sunday of Easter — Quasimodogeniti
3 April AD 2016

Title: Baby Food (MP3 Audio)

Summary: The sermon is based on the antiphon from today’s introit.* The opening words from the ancient Latin text give the 2nd Sunday of Easter its traditional name, Quasimodogeniti, “Like newborn babes.”

But it’s not only addressed to believers new to the faith or new to life itself. This verse also benefits mature Christians who’ve been in the Church for many years.

Both Paul (1 Corinthians 3:2) and the author of Hebrews (5:12, 14) encourage Christians to be ready for the “solid food” of in-depth Scripture study and theology. Yet regardless of how much knowledge and wisdom we achieve in matters religious, we never outgrow our need for “pure spiritual milk.”

What is this “milk” that Peter encourages us to crave? Nothing other than the Gospel — God forgiving sins for the sake of Jesus Christ. Truly, we can say that Christ Himself is this nourishment as we receive Him in Word and Sacrament.

The fulness of true theology can be weighty and sometimes confusing. But God still moves us to nibble, chew on, or dig in to the meat of His Word. However, the most complex doctrines cannot be swallowed unless we wash them down with the pure milk of the Gospel. And in times of trial, doubt, and worry, sometimes the milk is all we can take in — yet it remains ever enough for our needs.

So even as you sink your teeth into the solid food of God’s Word, remember that a childlike faith still needs the same nourishment that sustained it in spiritual infancy. And whether chewing on the meat or sipping on the milk, you will continue tasting “that the Lord is good.”

Text: 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

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Audio: Click to hear the MP3 of Baby Food.

NB: A few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio with Windows Media Player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.

Other Readings: Psalm 148; Acts 5:12-20 (21-32); Revelation 1:4-18; John 20:19-31

Illustration: Detail of Maternity by Pablo Picasso (1905).

*The introit is a set of verses sung responsively at the beginning of the service. Normally, it is composed of portions of selected Psalms. The antiphon is sung at the beginning and end of the introit and — as happens today — may be from a Psalm or can be drawn from other parts of Scripture or from ancient liturgical texts.