“The Nurture Of Mother Church”
Text: Isaiah 66:10-14
7-6-2025
Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. Can I tell you a little secret? After 27 years in the ministry, I’ve discovered there are certain Scripture lessons that I’ve avoided preaching on because, quite frankly, I didn’t know what to do with them or how to apply them to our lives. This is where I believe the secret to real growth as a preacher comes in. If I force myself to preach on difficult Bible passages like this, I always end up finding a rich truth of God’s Word waiting there for us. Such is the case today.
I’d like to believe that, aside from the children, we’re all mature enough to discuss the content of the Old Testament lesson without getting squeamish or uncomfortable. I’d also like to believe that we could do so without thinking irreverent thoughts. However, in our modern era which is saturated with sexual innuendoes and jokes, that may be very difficult. So, I’m going to ask you to let the Holy Spirit cleanse your mind and push out any thoughts that might hinder you from hearing the truth that is contained in this passage. It’s a beautiful illustration that God is using to convey a profound truth of how He provides our souls with the spiritual nourishment we need.
Okay, so what is it that makes this text so difficult to discuss? Well, in it the Lord makes His point by using the picture of a mother breastfeeding her baby. This natural function of mothers has been going on ever since the first child was born into this world. In fact, a woman’s body is uniquely designed by God with the ability to produce this life-giving, nourishing breast milk; something that a man simply cannot do. But unfortunately, breastfeeding has become controversial in the last 50 years or so. Longer ago, every mother did it discreetly and nobody paid much attention. Now there are debates about the advantages of breastfeeding versus bottle feeding. And there are radicals on both sides of the argument. There are also debates on whether a mother is justified to breast feed her child in a public setting even if she exercises modesty. It makes some people uncomfortable, especially men. And that’s because in our sex-saturated culture some folks can’t think of it as a normal function of motherhood.
So, let’s put all this recent, muddled confusion out of your minds so that we can get the point of God’s beautiful imagery here. First, recall the setting that Isaiah is writing within. He was prophesying to the southern kingdom of Judah about the time, in the not-too-distant future, when they would be in foreign captivity. This disaster would come upon them due to their sin. And they would feel like abandoned orphans whose mothers refused to care for and nurture them. But do you remember what God said in chapter 65 that you heard two weeks ago? The Lord assured Israel that He had not forgotten the faithful remnant that existed. They were loved by Him and would be restored. Our text for today picks up on that promise.
What you need to see is that when it refers to Jerusalem it is symbolic for the Church of God which is the mother in this imagery. It says that the faithful will “nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breasts.” Pause for just a second and consider that illustration. When a baby is breastfeeding there’s more going on than just eating. Yes, life sustaining sustenance is being conveyed in the milk. But pressed against its mother’s body the baby also receives warmth and security. Quite often the mother sings or hums lovingly to her child. The baby looks up into the mother’s face and sees love in her eyes and expressions. Pressed against her Mommy’s body she can hear the beat of her mother’s heart where all this love originates from. That child is contented and peaceful. Is it any wonder that God says “peace like a river” will flow to her? The Hebrew word there for peace is one that you’re probably familiar with. It’s Shalom. Shalom for a Jew means much more than just a lack of war or fighting. Rather, it’s an overall sense of complete security, well-being, and a happy contentedness with life. And that’s precisely the peace that flows from a mother to her baby who’s nursing at her breast.
But that’s not the end of the imagery. A loving mother doesn’t just feed her child. She also nurtures it. In love she carries the baby on her hip, close beside her wherever she goes. She bounces the child on her knee as she laughs and sings to her baby. To a vulnerable infant, it doesn’t get any better than this! The child feels safe and comforted, even when it hears or sees things that might frighten it. And the child flourishes as a result. God says this is how it will be for His faithful children. The true Church is their mother which God created to provide them with all this spiritual nurturing. How so? Well, through the Church the faithful people of Judah would receive nourishment for their souls. Their fears of abandonment would be dispelled as they drank in God’s sustaining words of love and forgiveness. That’s what kept them spiritually alive and growing. They could also hear the loving heartbeat of the Church as they met together to receive God’s grace and mercy. Looking into the “eyes” of the Church they could see God’s unconditional love. The Church sings to her children the songs of God’s deep affection. Mother Church carries the child of God close and protects it. The end result is that the children of God feel cherished and cared for. Through Mother Church they feel the intimate, loving relationship of their Creator and Redeemer. And they will have peace flowing into their hearts.
That imagery wasn’t just for the nation of Judah. The Christian Church is the nursing mother who nurtures faithful believers yet today. God created Mother Church to give birth to you in Holy Baptism. And like a loving mother, the Church cares for her children. We nurse on the sustaining breastmilk of Mother Church in God’s Word and Sacraments. Through Mother Church our souls are fed to keep them alive and growing. The Church doesn’t just smile at the children of God. She also feeds them with God’s love and forgiveness. Mother Church sings songs or hymns of God’s love into the ears of her children which provides comfort to us. Mother Church also protects her children from harmful enemies. The devil, the world, and our sinful flesh seek to destroy us but as long as we are close, being nurtured by Mother Church, we’re safe. In the breastmilk of Word and Sacrament we receive peace like a river in our hearts knowing that God loves us and has redeemed us.
It’s a beautiful and consoling picture for us believers. What could possibly go wrong? Lots! When Gayleen’s brother, Larry, was a newborn he had a life-threatening condition. He would nurse but then promptly throw up. Needless to say, he wasn’t contented or gaining weight. The problem was that the tube leading out of his stomach was blocked by the sphincter muscle which had grown shut. Immediate surgery was needed to remove the blockage. And that’s what his loving mother and father did. Spiritually speaking, it is sin that causes this blockage of nourishment to our souls. And Mother Church is rightfully alarmed when one of her children is threatened in this way. Radical surgery is needed and that’s why we are urged to come before God regularly to confess our sins. For in His words of absolution the Great Physician removes the blockage that threatens our souls so that we can receive the nourishment of His grace and our faith may grow.
But what would you think of a mother who didn’t show concern and take action when her baby stopped eating or couldn’t hold down the milk? You’d be indignant and call it child neglect. Well, why then do people get upset when Mother Church is concerned that one of her children has stopped drinking in the milk of God’s Word and Sacrament by neglecting to worship? Imagine if my mother-in-law was about to take Larry to the doctor but her family and friends told her to mind her own business, or that the baby could survive just fine on its own without that precious milk. Outrageous! And yet that is what Mother Church is told when she seeks to save the spiritual life of one of her missing children by going to them with loving concern. It doesn’t matter if it’s been a few weeks or years upon years. It’s only right for our serious concern to be expressed. Shame on any Church that doesn’t!
On the other side of the coin, we have the problem of some churches and denominations acting like negligent mothers. We all know that it’s not good for a nursing mother to drink alcohol heavily, smoke, or do drugs. Why? Because those chemicals are passed on to the baby through the breastmilk. This is equally true when it comes to Mother Church. When a church or denomination willingly embraces false doctrines, what do you suppose is being passed on to the children of God sitting in the pews? To one extent or another the mother’s milk that they’ve been nursing on is going to be tainted with toxic, spiritual poison. Here again, if this happens with a human mother we’re righteously upset. Why then do we sit passively by, while our fellow Christians are sucking down this harmful milk? Out of loving concern, ought we not to speak up and encourage them to seek out the “pure spiritual milk” that St. Peter tells us to crave? (1 Peter 2:2-3)
The good news is that God is still Lord over Mother Church. He calls her to feed His children and feed them well with His pure Word and Sacraments. We can take comfort in knowing that this is true of our Church. So come to Mother Church regularly and be nurtured by her loving care. Come to Mother Church and drink deeply of God’s glorious, abundant grace. Let your soul nurse on it and be satisfied. Through Mother Church, receive God’s assurance of His protection from all your enemies so that you may have His divine peace like a river flowing into your hearts. Through Mother Church, listen to the heartbeat of God’s unconditional love for you and rejoice in your salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!