Shepherd of Souls

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Many people struggle with taking what you hear on Sunday in the sermon and connecting it to the rest of your daily lives. This is one of those things that pastors spend time and effort trying to do, to give you something that will stay with you through the week. Of course, the hope is that the Gospel – that Christ has borne your sin to the Cross, suffered and died taking on the punishment and paying the price for your sins there upon the cross, and is raised for your justification that you may be his own and have eternal life – that this Gospel is the thing that stays with you throughout the week.

But if we were to be honest, it is quite easy to forget just what the sermon was about. How often have you sat here, listened to some preacher hold forth for ten, fifteen, twenty minutes, sometimes eloquently and persuasively, sometimes not, and then forgotten what he said by the first distribution hymn? How many of you, if quizzed on Wednesday, would remember today's sermon?

Pure Milk

Christ is risen! Alleluia!

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Next to water, milk is perhaps the second-most important liquid in the lives of the human race. From cradle to grave, we are predisposed and predetermined to spend our lives drinking milk, and eating all its wonderful derivatives. Just imagine a life without cheese, butter, or ice cream – how terrible that would be, at least for me!

Needless to say, milk is important, and the purity of that milk is of the utmost concern to those who produce, distribute, sell, and consume it in all its forms. Consider the amount of laws and codes and guidelines related to the dairy industry.