Another snow day. I live in the foothills of northeast Tennessee. Unlike the snow-slammed northeastern states and parts of the country that are used to big winters, we practically close down when a handful of flakes team up and stick to the road. So I’m not complaining. I don’t have to go to work, and the snow is beautiful.
There’s something about the white, clean-looking appearance of snow. When it falls gently and begins to muffle the sounds of city life, a peaceful scene soon emerges. One of my daughters used to live in a state that had a lot of litter and a lot of snow. (I won’t name the state; I don’t want to make Sarah Palin mad.) The great thing about the snow was that it covered up the litter, making the landscape look clean.
Religious preachers and teachers throughout the ages have used the snow analogy to address man’s sin and the promise of cleansing. “Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:7) “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” (Isaiah 1:18) They add in the paradox of Jesus’ blood being the cleansing agent.
I suspect that the teaching is much like the snow in real life. It covers, giving the appearance of clean, but underneath remains the mud, dirt and litter. Even though we’re “washed in the blood,” we continue to sin. We don’t need our sins covered; we need to be rid of them. And the process for overcoming sin requires taking responsibility for them, feeling sorry for them and turning away from them. This is repentance.
It also is what Jesus accomplished with his visit to planet Earth. He taught us of a father who would expect no less than perfection — not as our boss, but as our loving parent, who knows that, deep inside, we want it also. We want to be loved, and we want to learn how to love. And we are learning that sin gets in the way of experiencing perfect love. For this message Jesus became a man, that he might relate individually and collectively to his brothers and sisters. And for this he gave his life.
The importance of his death and resurrection was also to teach us that this time-bound existence that we are in is not the end. The journey must go on to its completion. What we can accomplish here will not only make this portion of the journey more pleasant, but it enables us to do the work of the Father to help others on the path who are struggling.
Now a word about WORKS, that evil attempt to earn our salvation, as the preachers would have us to believe. The work that God has given all of us to do does not secure salvation. It’s part and parcel of the journey. I saw a bumper sticker once that read, CHRISTIANS AREN’T BETTER — JUST BETTER OFF. No one is better off than anyone else. It’s just that many may find it more difficult to navigate the road ahead. That’s why they need us. We certainly need them, because life is about relationships.
I don’t want more crowns than someone else. I just want to know Christ more and more. I want to embrace his teaching and feel his Spirit within me, drawing me closer to his Father and my Father. I want to love, and be loved by those walking, running, limping or crawling on the road beside me.
Unless you live at the North or South Poles, the snow will eventually melt. By trusting in Christ, the pure whiteness of God’s love won’t cover your sins; it will melt them as your heart begins to thaw and the spring of his glory shines through.
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