"THE POWER OF SNOW"
As I write today, an incredible thing is taking place outside the window of my study at home....it's snowing! That's right, falling out of the sky flake by flake is the gift of snow. It was predicted last week but living in Southern Indiana I have learned that the weather forecast, in regard to snow, is never a sure thing. The topography of the Ohio Valley tends to screw things up and the snow tends to go north or south of my town. But this time it was right on the money. We woke up this morning with snow and then more fell after we got up. I love watching it snow as it transforms the landscape into a new thing. It makes everything look cleaner and brighter. Although I tried not to get my hopes up I couldn't help it. I love anticipating that which will change routines, stop traffic, shut down school and cause us to stay home for a time. It's as if God says, "Slow down and enjoy my world, my children, the closeness of family and the gift of relaxed time. Contemplate your relationship with me."
The Bible doesn't talk a lot about snow, but it talks a lot about transformation. Jesus was and is the great transformer (not robotic like the Omnibots and Decepticons). He encountered people every day and transformed them from sick to well, dead to living, from the bottom to top, from low estemm to high. His greatest transformation is referenced here, among many other places, in Psalm 51. The Psalmist talks of being made "whiter than snow." This is a metaphor for being made clean again after first being dirty. It is referring to the dirt of our sin/mistakes and the cleanliness of Christ's forgiveness. Jesus' greatest transformation was making our lives eligible and acceptable to God. The Psalmist is longing for a "snow day." There is great power in such "snow." It changes everything. I know that I feel like I have moved from the bottom to the top when I encounter God's unconditional love. I feel accepted, cared for, and elevated. When I woke up this morning and saw the snow I felt as if I could start my life over today. Everything was new including the future possibilities.
Although our weather forecasts may not be sure things, God's love and Christ's forgiveness certainly are. Whether you like snow or not, I invite you to receive its transforming power and enjoy a "snow day" on God. Contemplate God's love for you and God's hope for your future.
Sharing in Faith,
Rev. Craig W. Duke
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