Snow
Just a quick advent thought.
Tonight as my family and I arrived at St. John's Christmas Concert things were less than tranquil. We were late as usual and the stress level in the car was high. The roads were a mess, rain and snow was falling and the sidewalks were just beginning to get slick. I dropped my family off, circled around the building and found a spot on the street. Even the walk to the churches front door felt contested, as I trudged through a wet, muddy, slick mess.
I found my family and we headed into the sanctuary. We settled into a pew, much farther back in the sanctuary than I had envisioned, just as the music began to play and we were given an opportunity to sing Praises to God.. As the hour slipped by the Christmas and Advent praises and offerings filled our St. John's family's hearts and my frustration eased, settled and disappeared. There was a peacefulness about the evening as things were once again put into perspective. The concert eventually ended and after some quality time with friends that put us about third from the last to leave, we stepped out on the churches front walk way.
It's amazing how much can change in one hour. Everything was white in a blanket of snow. The wet, muddy, slick mess was gone and the snow peacefully fell upon everything. The image is nothing new, but it is always powerful. It was powerful for me as I reflected on the message of Christmas and the hope of Advent. It's amazing how much can change in an hour. How incredible that every time we come to church to hear His Word preached and to receive His gifts, Jesus is blanketing our wet, muddy, slick mess with a whiteness from above. This is what He was born to do, this is what He has done in our lives every day since baptism and this is what He will do with finality when he returns.
Snow. What a powerful reminder of the Lord's Incredible work.
May God's peace fall upon your life as a blanket of snow,
Pastor Guy
