by Rev Douglas Brauner

The importance of getting back to what’s necessary.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“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 English Standard Version

Why would you take pictures in black and white when Colorado Springs is the greenest it’s ever been? (Okay, maybe not the greenest ever, but I don’t remember seeing such a vibrant shade of green.)

Color is distracting. I’ve walked through aspen groves saying, “I’m on visual overload!” as I was engulfed in a sea of color. It’s easy to miss detail, contrast and structure when color dominates.

I was surrounded by green when I took this picture, but I was looking for something different than color. I looked for contrast. I looked for what the light was doing in this mass of green vegetation.

You see the world differently when you get back to the basics. The basic element of photography is light.

I understand that the meat of the Christian faith is important, however, the meat doesn’t taste as good if we’ve forgotten the basics. In fact, Peter commands us to long for this pure spiritual milk that we might grow up into our salvation.

It is good and necessary that we return to the cross, that we understand why God sent his Son to be crucified for us. It is good and necessary for us to think about the power of his resurrection in our lives. It is good and necessary to read the story of Jesus’ life to gain a better foothold on our faith.

We also need to understand the light to grasp what the darkness is doing. When we stare in the face of Jesus we also come to realize that Satan has designs to rob us of the joy that this light brings.

I pray that you will get back to the basics today, to remember why you’re on this journey of faith.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado