"Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29)
Whiter than snow, whiter than snow, wash me and I will be whiter than snow.
There is nothing quite like snow. It makes a dirty landscape become beautiful. It covers over the flaws, the dips- making everything even, filling in holes. So Christ's coming is a cleansing.
Revelation 5 describes Christ as a sacrificial lamb who is standing on the altar. It is through this sacrifice that people are allowed into heaven. His sacrifice covers over our flaws and sins- as snow covers the landscape. David writes Psalm 51 out of the guilt of adultery. He feels separated from God and saddened. But he also anticipates forgiveness, cleansing, and the washing that makes him whiter than snow. It is not the sacrifice of ordinary lambs that can do this. It is the payment for sin by the death of the one who was truly innocent. His infinite life given for our finite but many and deep sins. Jesus was first identified b John the Baptist at the beginning of his ministry as the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. John's baptism didn't cleanse but it pointed to a deeper cleansing. Out baptism itself doesn't cleanse our souls, but it points to our sins being taken away by Christ's sacrifice. This is the deeper Christmas clean up and why Christmas is so important.
Prayer: Lord, wash me and I will be whiter than snow. But wash me. Cleans me and I will be clean.
Youtube Song; Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?
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