A Pastor’s Perspective

“Snow What??!!” by Mike Hill, pastor of Calvary Chapel Aberdeen (mjhill@ida.net)

What does that white stuff you crunch through to get to car remind you of?  I can think of quite a few things.  Snow ice cream.  Snow days.  Ugh, snow shovels.  I also recall a time when a group of us adults and teens were divided into two opposing teams with the goal of pummeling each other with snow bombs.  I suppose the winners were the ones with the least amount of snow shrapnel adhering to their bodies.  Hard to tell.

I especially enjoy the quiet, windless days as the snow gently paints our landscape clean and white.  It gives me a sense of calm renewal. 

God’s Word, the Bible, teaches that snow illustrates the cleansing result of God’s grace within a spiritually dirty soul.  “’Come now, and let us reason together,’ saith the LORD: ‘though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow’” (Isaiah 1:18a).  Is guilt over a bad choice muddying your conscience?  God invites you to reason with Him!  What sins defile your soul?  Unkind words.  Lazy inactivity.  Fear of what others think.  Plain ol’ pride.  He’s ready to forgive you…make you white as snow.  Do you believe you’re already clean because you’re a good person?  God invites you to reason with Him!  He’s ready to forgive your self-righteousness.  The blood Jesus shed at the Cross of Calvary is the only cleansing agent that can wash away the stain of sin and make you white as snow.

Snow also speaks of the inherent purity of the One who had no need for cleansing.  “And His raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow…His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire” (Mark 9:3a; Revelation 1:14).  The Bible goes so far to say that when we place our faith in Jesus, He replaces our spiritual dirt with His righteousness…“shining exceeding, white as snow” (Philippians 3:9-10).  When you decide to reason with God, you’ll become white and clean like a fresh drop of snow…and your character sweeter than a fresh batch of snow ice cream.