Today is a National Day Calendar celebration that honors a drink that is first mentioned in Genesis and continues to be one of our favorites today: MILK. Remember the commercial? It does a body good.
This special day was first suggested in 1915 when “The International Association of Milk Inspectors submitted a request to Congress in October of 1915 for a resolution naming an observance of National Milk Day. Their request did not suggest a date for the observance. We have no record that the incoming Congress ever presented a resolution for National Milk Day, nor did incoming President Woodrow Wilson ever declare the day.”1 Though Congress never acted, the day made it into the history books.
God knew exactly what He was doing by giving us milk. The Cleveland Clinic tells us that milk gives us 18 of the 22 nutrients we need every day. It also builds strong teeth and bones because of the calcium content. A glass of 1% milk provides 305 mg of calcium. Milk is also high in protein and is believed to be a good tool for managing diabetes.2
“In 1863, French chemist and biologist Louis Pasteur made it possible for milk and other food and drinks to be stored for more extended periods. He developed a method of killing harmful bacteria that is now called pasteurization.
“In 1884, an American doctor, Hervey Thatcher of New York City, developed the first modern glass milk bottle. He called it the “Thatcher’s Common Sense Milk Jar.” He used a waxed paper disk to seal the milk in the glass bottle. Later, in 1932, plastic-coated paper milk cartons were introduced commercially as a consequence of their invention by Victor W. Farris.”3
Here’s a bit of nostalgia that will date you. How many of you remember when milk was delivered to your house? In the late 60s-early 70s, I remember the milk man showing up, taking the empty glass bottles from the box and leaving fresh, full bottles. I still have the Benner Dairy milk box!
The first mention of milk in the Bible is when the Lord came with a couple of angels to visit Abraham. Genesis 18:6-8 says, “And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. (7) And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. (8) And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.”
The final mention of milk is found in 1 Peter 2:2-3. “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: (3) If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”
Today, as we go to church, Sunday School teachers and the pastor will serve a meal similar to what Abraham served. There will be meat, chewy morsels that will stay with you. There will be bread – the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ presented. And there will be milk and butter offered, sweet and easy things to get down.
What you do with the meal is your business. You can lick the plate clean and drain the glass of milk, trying to get every drop and leaving nothing behind. You can push it aside, ignoring it and rejecting it in whole or in part. The meal will still be offered. Why not take as much of the bread, meat, and milk you can possibly get?
Psalms 34:8 encourages us, “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
1https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-milk-day-january-11
2https://health.clevelandclinic.org/is-milk-good-for-you
3https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-milk-day-january-11
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