White Christmas

This year will be a White Christmas. It is many years since it was this snowy on Christmas Day.

In previous years my children would have been playing in the garden, making snow men, having snow fights, and maybe even building an igloo. The snow would have been trampled flat instead of lying peacefully in a beautiful white blanket across the garden.

I am sure the birds do NOT like the snow. They cannot find bugs and insects for food. But at least it makes life even more difficult for the cats!

Snow is white because the ice crystals reflect nearly all the light that falls upon them. Our eyes see full-spectrum light as white. If a material absorbs some of the light frequencies, then only a portion of the spectrum is reflected, and we see colour. If all the light is absorbed then an object is black.

Snow is not being discriminatory in being white. It is undiscriminating. It reflects all colours of light the same. It is white.

Some birds are very colourful. Male robins have a very red breast, which is very obvious against the white snow. The female robin is not so brightly coloured. Blue tits do have a blue hue to their feathers. But they also have white, green, and yellow feathers. I suppose other birds also have white, green, and yellow feathers, but not many are Blue.

Christmas is a time when colours stand out, either against the white of a snow field, or against the plain colours of brown mud and dirty green grass or evergreen leaves. Red and white berries and flowers are particularly obvious and are often used for Christmas decorations.

Jesus died on the Cross. His red blood was spilled on the ground. His life was pure as the driven snow. He died for us, for me, for you.

This Christmas, remember that Jesus came as a baby, a pure and innocent baby. He remained pure and innocent for 33 years until his death on the Cross. Unlike the Christmas movies, he showed us how we can live together in peace and love; not by avoiding the hardships of life, but by embracing them together.

For some countries Christmas happens in summer-time. Other countries never have winter, and some are always winter. But whatever season of the year it is for you, I ask God to reveal himself to you this Christmas season. He longs for you to accept his invitation into his family, to get to know him personally, along with your friends, for ever.