“‘Come now, let us settle the matter,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.'” (Isaiah 1:18)
Everyone in North America knows exactly what I’m talking about when I say “White Christmas”. According to weathernetwork.ca, the definition of a “white Christmas” is that there is a minimum of 2 cm of fresh snow on the ground when you wake up Christmas morning. I, for one, love to go out for a walk on the undisturbed streets, basking in the vivid reminder of what Christmas is all about, how Jesus came to this earth as a tiny baby and 30 years later sacrificed Himself on the cross so that my sins, though as scarlet, can be as “white as snow”.
As romantic as the notion of a White Christmas is, however, no one sees any romanticism in a “White Easter”. Easter is usually in the time of year all over the world where transition is happening. In the northern hemisphere, the memory of winter is fading; and in the southern hemispheres, summer is rapidly transitioning into fall. Certainly not the time of year that anyone would, even romantically, wish for snow. Nonetheless, when I awoke at 5:00 am Easter morning last year year, there was a 2 cm blanket of snow covering my deck.
Needless to say, I didn’t go out for a walk. No, I went back to bed and hoped that when I awoke, this fresh snow would be nothing more than a bad dream. You see, after record cold temperatures and snow fall last year, not even the romantic side of me could find anything positive in the blanket of snow that lay on my deck.
When I woke up two hours later, there was, unfortunately, still snow on my deck. There wasn’t as much of it, however, and for that I rejoiced. I was sure that by mid-day it would be all gone.
But wait. Why would I rejoice at the spiritual symbolism of a “White Christmas”, yet not at the same symbolism of a “White Easter”? It’s true that had Jesus never come as a baby, there would never have been a death or a resurrection; but in all reality, what we celebrate at Christmas, the birth of Jesus, isn’t nearly as important as what we celebrate at Easter. In fact, we don’t even really know when Jesus was born; yet we know exactly when He died: At Passover, the time of year when Christians celebrate Easter! Easter is truly a day of celebration, for Christ our Lord, who suffered a horrible death on the cross, carrying our sins as far from us as the east is from the west (See Ps 103:12), rose again Sunday morning to bring us life and life more abundant! It is truly because of Easter that we can say, in the words of the prophet Isaiah, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (Is 1:18).
Wait a minute: White as snow…Isn’t that what was covering my deck that morning?
Isn’t it true that we tend to live most of the year as if there is no Jesus, no blood sacrifice, no resurrection power? Just like the snow on my deck was almost gone when I woke up two hours later that morning, as soon as Christmas and Easter are over we tend to forget that our sins are as scarlet, yet Jesus makes them as white as snow. We tend to go back to living ordinary lives, back to our survival modes, completely forgetting that we were created for more than this: We were created to thrive!
Instead of being depressed about the snow at Easter last year, I thanked Jesus for it, for it was an important reminder that because of what He did on the cross, we have reason to celebrate, for our sins, though as scarlet, are as “White as snow”! May the memory of that “snow” that covers our sin never “melt” from our hearts. May it stay vivid in our minds throughout the upcoming year in order to be a continual reminder to us of the power of the blood–for salvation, for relationship, for healing, for wisdom and peace and strength, for victory over temptation and addiction–for Resurrection Power!
Thank You, Jesus, for sending us the “White Easter” last year. Thank you for making our sin as “white as snow” every day of our lives. May we NEVER forget the power of your blood!
And may all our Easters be “white”!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author — “Aboard God’s Train — A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer”, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.