By Pat Harrison, President & Founder

Christmas morning 2009 I woke up to a winter wonderland because six inches of snow fell on Christmas Eve. The Tulsa area had gotten a blizzard of blowing and drifting snow. For some areas of the U.S., six inches of snow is not a big deal, but for Tulsa it was an entire winter’s snowfall in one event. The city was in chaos. I wondered how long the snow would last.

As I drank a cup of coffee, I enjoyed the quietness, both inside and out, that a snowstorm brings. I looked out the windows, and each scene was more beautiful than the previous one. Next to my home is am empty field with a small pond. A large, old elm tree and an oak tree stand as sentinels on each end of the pond. Everywhere I looked was white, beautiful, clean, unblemished snow. It was a splendid reminder of the Lord’s awesome hand.

In front of my home is a man-made pond surrounded by a circle drive for the neighborhood. The fountain in its middle blasted icy showers of water into the morning air. Its water shimmered in the bright sunlight, made even brighter by the heavy blanket of snow. There were no cars or car tracks, no movement, just a fresh carpet of clean snow sculpted by the wind.

At that moment, an old song bubbled up in my heart:

What can wash away my sins?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh, precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow.

No other fount I know.

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

That morning in Tulsa everything was blanketed, covered, subdued, and overwhelmed by the snow. You couldn’t see the potholes, weeds, bare patches, or any ugliness.

Jesus’ blood washes us white as snow. His blood just doesn’t cover our blemishes, mistakes and sin. It washes them away. It removes them from us as far as the east is from the west.

This is how God sees us. He doesn’t see our blemishes, mistakes, or sins. He sees us covered by the blood of Jesus. He sees us white as snow, made righteousness because of Jesus. That beautiful blanket of snow covering Tulsa, undisturbed by human toil and untouched by everyday living, was a perfect example of how God sees us.

Years ago, Rev. Bryn Jones made this statement: “God restores us not to where we were but back to His original intent.”

The effect of the snow is temporary, but the effect of Jesus’ blood is eternal. Soon all the blemishes of everyday living will appear in my yard and neighborhood and all around Tulsa as the snow melts. But the work of Jesus lasts for all eternity.

Not everyone who reads this lives where there is snow. Some of our FCF family live in Hawaii where they are surrounded by the ocean. Others live in the Arizona desert where snow rarely covers the sand. But let’s take a moment to imagine that snow, sand, or ocean cover all our sins so that no one can see them. No one knows the sins are there or ever were because they are completely covered.

Here is the truth I want you to grasp and never let go: The new birth is still having its effect in our lives. The sin and its stain is gone, not just covered over but washed away—as if it were never there to begin with. How many people are sitting in your church or in your meeting who need to be reminded of this? Too often, we are guilty of getting it and forgetting it.

As the years advance, people remind themselves of what was or could have been. Consequently, we find it difficult to rest in the finished work of Jesus. We should rejoice in God’s forgiveness and His forgetting of our sins, which will last for all eternity.

That old hymn asked, “What can wash away my sins?” It also asks, “What can make me whole again?” Whole means “complete, entire, unimpaired, unbroken, uninjured, sound, not hurt or sick.” Many people had a very difficult time in 2009. Jobs and homes were lost, trust was violated, couples divorced, and uncertainty abounded. We need to be there to remind them that the blood which washed away their sins also makes them whole. Jesus’ sacrifice restores us to God’s original intention.

The definition of “whole” covers all areas of our lives: emotional, physical, spiritual, social, etc. Jesus’ life and sacrifice addressed any experience that the human condition can throw at us. By His blood, we are covered; we are redeemed; we are blessed to be a blessing.

Am I preaching to the choir? Yes, but we need to be reminded so that we can remind those for whom we are responsible. Life comes at us fast and keeps on coming. Most of the time we can take a breath and continue without much difficulty. But what about those for whom we are responsibl?, How often do we remind them of the most basic truths about their salvation?

A winter storms seems an insignificant event in the totality of life. This winter storm, however, gave me a moment of selah—pause and consider God—take account of the moment and be reminded that God is on the throne.

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! What can make me whole—complete, entire, unimpaired, unburdened, uninjured, sound, healed—nothing but the blood of Jesus.

A Christmas morning, a winter storm, a wonderful present, a moment of reflecting and rejoicing in all that my Father has done for me and is continuing to do regardless of what the world is doing—what a wonderful gift! Nothing but the blood of Jesus is more than enough.

Tags: blood | christmas | sin | start | wash