Come now, let us reason together, Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. That’s from Isaiah. And from the psalms: Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
I wonder – how much snow did Isaiah, or the psalmist, see? And did they have this kind of snow in mind?
Even more, the snow makes me think of a passage from 1 Peter: Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
The thing about a heavy snow – this kind of crazy, almost two foot deep snow – is that it covers everything. A dusting doesn’t hide much, although it might make things look bright, or clean, for an hour or two. But deep snow changes things. My bird bath looks like a dome; our two Adirondack chairs are strange geometric shapes. Any dirt has vanished under the thick coat of white.
Theologically, it’s God’s love, the forgiveness offered through Christ’s death and resurrection, that washes us, and make us clean as snow. But Peter wasn’t writing to Jesus – he was writing to us: “Love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.”
What does it mean to be loved with a love so deep it blankets our failings, hides our imperfections? We live in a culture that is quick to point out flaws, impatient with weakness. Our kids live under the constant scrutiny of teachers, coaches, peers, parents.
We are all quick to see the places where our youth fall short, where we ourselves fall short. Is it any wonder that anxiety is the new epidemic?
