BLOOD AND SNOW-WHITE

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"Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful. And since we've got no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

Don’t you just feel all Christmassy whenever you hear this 1946 Sammy Cahn and June Styne ditty? 

We’re  blessed to bask in our own tropical climate this side of the world, yet once in a while—and especially at Christmastime—we pine for the snow-capped pine trees and landscapes enjoyed by our New York or Toronto cousins. 

Brrrrr! Now, I’m shivering and want to don my fur coat and mittens. 

Why this fascination with snow? I love snow, but just from afar. Think uber migraine-inducing freezing temperatures  and painstaking snow-shoveling  tasks, and your mind will soon be Boracay-bound.

What seems more interesting about snow is the bible’s reference to it.  

Isaiah 1:18—“Though our sins be scarlet or red, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”

Read with me a line from Grace Chong’s blog highlighting the significance of Jesus’ shedding His blood for us: “Unlike Herod who caused massive bloodshed among hordes of people, Jesus shed His own blood for all people of the world…”

The devil through Herod may have tried to kill Christmas but God’s purpose could not be stopped. On the third day after He willingly went to the cross and died, Jesus rose again. 

The Messiah—who became Immanuel, God with us—rose again, declaring and proving Himself to be the Truth, the Life, and the only Way through whom anyone can be reconciled with the Father. 

Blood turned snow-white.  What a sweet reminder of our heavenly Father’s unconditional love for mankind. 

That’s why I love Christmas.

Jesus, thank you for willingly going to the cross for me and your promise to take my sins away from me—“as far as the east is from the west”  (Psalm 103:12). What a comfort to know that I am forgiven and that I’m a new creation in Christ.