white Christmas

I get so excited about people opening presents that people often mistake me for the Birthday Girl at a party which definitely isn't mine. I love seeing peoples face as they unwrap something that I have picked with them in mind. I love being the giver of gifts. But there is someone who is a much better gift giver than me. 'Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who doesn't change like shifting shadows' (James 1:17)

I love Christmas. No if's or but's. 

I love Jesus, the story of the birth of the Saviour of the world, the beauty of the star that guided the shepherds and the wisemen to their new baby King.

I love Christmas trees, tacky jumpers, turkey, tinsel, mistletoe, santa, glitter, mince-pies and nativity plays. 

Like I said: No if's or but's. 

If you know me you'll know that I can't sing - literally not even one note in my head, this is unfortunate for everyone I meet because despite my true inability - I never stop singing. I think I have a problem - every sentence someone says to me, I can quickly and efficiently find a song that relates or fits the sentence. These constant blurts of lyrics 'sang' loudly out of tune has most of my friends sent round the bend. And at Christmas time it doesn't stop, in fact I think it probably gets worse. [Sorry to all my friends I love you all.]

I was wrapping my presents the other night and had some Christmas playlist on in the background. On came 'White Christmas', the lyrics of which go 'I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know'. and as I belted out these words in I'm sure a non-existent key/pitch/tone/whatever music word is correct in this context, something occurred to me.

We have already received our White Christmas. 

You see the Old Testament tells us: 

'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.' (Isaiah 1:18) 

This means that when we accept Jesus as our Saviour, He cleans our sin from scarlet to white.

And David actually takes it one step further and says: 

'Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow' (Psalm 51:7)

WHITER than SNOW? When you think of white - you think snow, but Jesus actually washes us more white than snow. If you don't know Jesus yet, and every time you think about God you imagine an angry, grumpy man who only cares about everything you have ever done wrong, let me tell you that He is your Father, He loves you and He wants to let you be free of that, He wants to wash you, from scarlet to whiter than snow.

That first Christmas when Jesus was born, We received the greatest gift of all. 

Through His birth, the world was prepared to see Him conquer death.

Through His life, the world witnessed the only perfect life. 

Through His death, the world could be saved.

So this Christmas, if you haven't yet accepted the giver of life, the King of heaven, the best gift giver of all. I pray that this year you'll have your White Christmas in accepting Him, and having your slate washed clean, from scarlet to whiter than snow. 

And if you have accepted Him, I praise God for that, and I pray that you'll join me in thanking God for His perfect gift to us, praising Him for His constant goodness and encouraging others to open their hearts to Him.