Let It Snow
You may have noticed my little sign here in front of the pulpit. Over the next four weeks we will be taking a look at several contemporary Christmas signs. These signs typically represent the secular mythology of Christmas we have come to know and love. Santa Clause, reindeer, elves, and the like. We take up these images, symbols, and themes because there is growing concern in Christian spheres that Jesus has been removed from Christmas. I’m sure you have seen the campaigns targeted against people who would say Happy Holidays rather than Merry Christmas. Maybe you have felt that frustration too. The changing winds of time moving and shaping traditions we hold dear. What I hope that we might do together over the next four weeks is see how the secular and the sacred interact with one another in our culture. It is my desire that we would not fear “the ways of the world,” but would see it as the center for opportunity and God’s activity with us.
The Gospel texts for the next four weeks run contrary to what we might expect. They occur in reverse narrative order, from the end to the beginning. The series opens with the teaching of Jesus shortly before the crucifixion and his resurrection in Jerusalem, followed by John’s prophecy in the wilderness before Jesus’ ministry, and concludes with Mary’s song as she and Elizabeth celebrate the coming birth of their sons. The end precedes its beginning, just as the beginning unfolds with the end already in sight.[1] We know this ourselves; time is fickle! When things are fine and dandy it flies by, and when the going-gets-tough time drags to a screeching halt. Today may feel like forever, but when we look back ten years ago feels like tomorrow. God’s time is both the “already” and the “not yet” that reshapes the world’s present.
Our first word sign is “Let it snow.” This phrase referenced in songs, movies, and our heart’s hopes evoke the magic of the season. We long for snow on Christmas just as we long for Christ’s presence in our lives. It is in the instance of snow fall that all care in our lives fall away. It is a time when even computer and phone screens cannot distract us from the possibilities outside our door. We are taken back to childhood memories of snow days, ski trips of old, and the glorious intake of hot chocolate after shoveling our driveways. Adults are prone to take up the care-free joy of rolling around in the snow to make a snow angel. The imagination of children runs wild as they create their own frosty-the-snowman. The present reality of snow gives us hope, if for a minute, that tomorrow might be okay after all. Fort-building, snowball fights, and sledding are just some of the joyous possibilities that snow makes available. Snow elicits a time of care-free wonder and joy that our days seldom allow but is evidenced by our faith in Jesus.
With wonder, we see a hope-filled picture for all who live on earth.[2] Obvious in this passage are its allusions to the future. We notice all the “wills” that shall come to pass. There will be signs.[3]The powers of heaven will be shaken, and people will see the Son coming with power and glory.[4]That day will come upon all who live on the earth.[5] The future coming of Jesus informs the present, but so too does the past. Buds of spring past remind us that the barren trees of winter give way to sprouts of new life and the abundance of summer. While we might hold our breadths at the devastations seen in our present—as we said last week, “lions and tigers and bears, oh my!” — we are assured that the coming reign of God shall not be impeded. No matter how improbable, God’s redemptive work is unimpeachable. We are exhorted to be alert and to be prepared for these signs shall give way to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the same way that our Scripture passage tells of cosmic signs heralding the second coming of Jesus, our favorite Christmas songs and movies use “snow” as the herald for the coming celebration of Christmas. In some sense it captures our hopes and prayers in the same way in which we pray “Come, Lord Jesus.” In both instances, the world reveals something about the nature of our days to us. It sets the stage for what is to occur. It’s a context clue, begging us to look closely and to prepare for what is coming. There is both a beauty and a power to both snow and the events described in our passage. I can imagine with awe and wonder signs available in the night sky even as I would gape at snow illuminated by streetlamps and moon light. I can imagine the terrible power of waves crashing against a boat even as I have experienced the terrible power of snowfall from the perspective of the driver’s seat. Indeed, “Let it snow,” is a symbol of the season, a time of great beauty and power. It is a reminder of the beauty our Creator God has lavished on this creation. Jesus says that he came so that we might have life and life to the fullest. “Let it Snow” and “Come, Lord Jesus,” are both a yearning for the future hope of redemption and the present reality of God with us.
The secular “Let it snow” is not in competition with our Christian “Come, Lord Jesus.” Both allude to the glory of a Creator in creation. Both imagine tranquility and harmony which is fast fleeting in our days. They acknowledge the difficult reality of our often frustrating and tumultuous existence. In awe we look forward to and imagine God’s glory and power in our midst. Snow is the backdrop for our favorite Hallmark love stories, a boy home alone, and what precedes families and friends coming together. “Let it snow,” is a secular plea for Jesus. It is a petitioning for God to visibly show up in our lives. It’s a prayer that envisions the possibilities of love, redemption, and new possibilities. It encapsulates our yearning and desire for God’s Kingdom here on earth. It harkens back to the star of wonder over Bethlehem and the cosmic setting of Christ’s return. It is a visible sign of God’s invisible presence here on earth. It is a prayer of hope gone unseen for most of the year.
So, what, if anything, can we learn from the secular “Let is snow”? First, we can remember that our past can give us hope in the present. Just as it has snowed in seasons past, so too will there be snow for us this year. So, as we have made it through difficult season past with God by our side, God is by our side leading us through this season. Friends, this too shall pass! Second, our faith is to be filled with excitement, laughter, and joy. We must remember that the joy of the Lord is our strength. We need not wait until Christmas to soften up and remember the present and abundant blessings of God available to us. It is an invitation to sing a little louder, smile a little wider, and enjoy the presence of one another. It is a reminder of the small, but profound graces of God that break through into our world. Snow does not fix our problems, just as our salvation does not free us from our life’s journey. It is, however, a reminder of God’s everlasting presence in our lives. God will neither leave nor forsake us. We name Jesus Immanuel because God has come for us and for our salvation. Hosanna and Hallelujah. The coming of snow shows us that not only can we endure, but that we can make it through this difficult season with rays of joy and thrills of hope breaking through.
With that said, our perspective as a people of faith is different than that of our secular counterparts. Just as it can remind us of the hope we have in Jesus, we ourselves can serve as witnesses to the world the concrete reality of God’s Kingdom on earth. Above and beyond the action of taking back Christmas for God, we can show the world by our worship and our lives what the spirit of Christmas is all about. As Christians, we are people sent into the world to proclaim messages of hope to the bleakest corners of our neighborhoods. “Come, Lord Jesus” is a statement of promise. It is Jesus who came for the lost and lonely, the widow and the orphan, the sick and disenfranchised. It is the promise of an invitation into God’s Kingdom to those who are disadvantaged, to the ones who have been undignified, and to the world’s forgotten people. It is a season not measured in quantity, but by the quality of God’s immeasurable love for us and for all. “Come, Lord Jesus” signals our intention to be a people who are coworkers in this movement of God’s grace. It is our intention to be a mission partners who work alongside the Spirit’s work in our church. It’s the time of year where the fleeting joy of snow gives way to the eternal hope of Jesus our Messiah. Friends, stand up and raise your heads, sing and laugh, because our redemption has drawn near.
[1] Audrey West, “Commentary on Luke 21:25-36,” Working Preacher (Luther Seminary), accessed November 24, 2021, https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/first-sunday-of-advent-3/commentary-on-luke-2125-36-5.
[2] Luke 21:34.
[3] Luke 21:25.
[4] Luke 21:27.
[5] Luke 21:35.