Treasures of the Snow

This morning we awakened to a blanket of fresh snow 6-8 inches deep here in Central Indiana, and this afternoon Mary K. and I took broom and brush to uncover our ol' Chevy in the apartment parkinglot. This stirred up memories of winter wonderlands in our life -- first, going sledding out in the country near Wallace, IN, even ice-skating up Sugar Mill Creek. Winter in Chicago while studying at Moody Bible Institute was almost certain to be snowy from the "lake effect" and travel in the city by streetcar and elevated was an adventure. Taking a semester at Baptist Seminary in Grand Rapids as newlyweds we enjoyed the "lake effect" from the other side of Lake Michigan; it made "snuggling" a must! Later, in Weilheim, south Germany we recall filling our little Opel station wagon with family and local "Kinder" to enjoy a mid-winter retreat at our Mission camp near Bad Heilbrunn in the foothills of the Alps. We all enjoyed sledding on nearby slopes and some tried skiing; in fact, I tried to ski and about broke my neck, so afterwards I stuck with sledding, once tearing the toe out of my winter shoe while trying to guide the sled! From our apartment livingroom window and balcony in Weilheim we were blessed with a view of the Zugspitze (in fact, our street had same name), Germany's highest (10,000 ft.+) mountain near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a famous ski resort. What a sight when snow-capped! Later we learned that those high slopes were where the Edelweiss flower bloomed from July thru September, many under the remaining snow! And, the romantic German (or any) guy was to seek and find an Edelweiss to show his love for his Liebling! (German Alpine troops have worn this flower as uniform insignia for many years.) No, I didn't venture up the Zugspitze, but I did buy my Liebling a necklace containing a real (dried) Edelweiss! In Job 38:22 God asks the question: "Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow?" Surely, this beautiful flower is one of those treasures as it speaks of nobility (Edel) and purity (weiss/white), a description of Biblical love and my Liebling! Fresh snow covers much ugliness in winter and that's where the Edelweiss flourishes. The prophet Isaiah sums it up in 1:18 - "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Surely, the greatest treasure of all is the forgiveness of sin and cleansing from sin, made available to all by the love and grace of God through the work of His dear Son on the cross of Calvary! As the hymn-writer puts it: "In the bleak midwinter, Frosty wind did moan, Earth stood hard as iron, Water like a stone; Snow had fallen, snow on snow, Fallen snow on snow, In the bleak midwinter, Many years ago.

...God Himself became a man -- Born to pay sin's price; He's the great Redeemer, Our Lord Jesus Christ!"