Happy New Year - with SNOW!!!

New Year's Day arrived with a special gift in Nagoya: a few centimetres of snow to frost rooftops, treetops, and bicycle seats. :) I know for many of you reading this, snow is no big deal, and I understand why: it comes all the time, it means cleaning off the car and slower driving, and it brings with it all sorts of inconveniences. But it's a big deal for me. This is the first time that I have seen Nagoya with snow after living here for two and a half years (it came a few other times, but I happened to be away). As I sit cozied up in my living room looking out over white powdered rooftops, I can't help but smile. I love snow. I love how it covers the ordinary and the ugly, making it beautiful. I love how it falls, gently swirling in the sky, and I love a good snowball fight (even though I usually lose!).
I also love snow because it makes me feel like I am home in Canada. It seems like God has given me special graces for my first Christmas away from home – I was able to visit a friend from home in Australia, I travelled to the north island of Japan and felt “real winter” just after Christmas, and when I returned to Nagoya it started snowing, so I got to have a snowball fight and wake up to a white world. To me, each of these are precious gifts from my heavenly Father.
Given my love for snow, it's no wonder that when I heard Chris Tomlin & Audrey Assam's new Christmas song called “Winter Snow”, I loved that, too! I hope you'll take a few moments to listen to it because it's simply beautiful.




As I reflected on the words to the song, I gained a new appreciation for snow: it's a beautiful picture of how Christ entered the world at His birth. Just as the Lord says through the prophet Isaiah, “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope” (Isaiah 42:1-4, NIV). Jesus did come to make bring justice on earth – to establish His kingdom. But He didn't come “like a roaring fire” or “with all the strength of a hurricane.” He was born quietly in a stable, His birth announced to shepherds and sought by a few wise men from a distant land. He didn't change the world by force, and some might even say He didn't change the world at all. After all, there is still poverty and injustice and sickness and death. But I know that He came to establish His kingdom in hearts that would receive Him, covering the ugly and the ordinary and making it beautiful. He is also waiting patiently for the day when He will return and establish His kingdom in all its fullness. When that day comes, it won't be like a winter snow, where you wake up and notice the world has changed and you didn't even know it was snowing. It will be much more like a roaring fire or a hurricane that time, as Jesus himself says, “At that time the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the peopls of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Many coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other” (Matt. 24:30-31). Jesus follows these words with a warning to “keep watch” and “be ready”. He did come once like a winter snow, and I am so grateful for His mercy and grace in doing so – giving us an opportunity to turn from our sin and be made righteous in Him. One day He will come with the strength of a hurricane, and I pray that many will be found ready for His return.