White as Snow

As I write this, I’m listening to quiet Christmas carols with gentle snow falling behind me. How peaceful and beautiful it all seems!

As I rode the bus to school this morning, I got to thinking about the Bible verse that says, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” These words were spoken by the prophet Isaiah as a warning to Judah’s leaders and people who were exceptionally corrupt. Right before this verse (1:18), Isaiah shares what God says about their sins: “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow….”

The people back in Isaiah’s day didn’t know that he was actually talking about the coming Messiah, Jesus, who would take away the sins of the world through His shed blood on the cross. Today, we understand the complete picture. As we prepare for the arrival of the Christ child on Christmas Day, let us consider the reason that Jesus left His home with God the Father to dwell with us here on earth. It is the shedding of Jesus’ blood that makes our filthy sins as white as snow.

So, in the midst of all the troubles that we see in the world, we have this beautiful picture of the clean, white snow that covers everything beneath it. It can remind us that Jesus came to save us from the awful things that we see in the world. Christmas time is also a reminder to seek justice, rebuke the oppressor, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. We can ask ourselves how our thankfulness for what God has done for us can overflow into acts of love and service to others.

Looking ahead to Christmas,
Dr. Sharon Brobst, Director