SOMEWHERE in the snowy mountains of Washington State, on the border with Canada, and next to the Pacific Ocean, a skier is making his descent. Through the lens of his GoPro, he’s facing down steep terrain, the ground and horizon are white, and in places greenish-black pine trees are struggling to hold themselves upright under the weight of a recent fall. And, what a fall it has been!
Stopped by the snow
As our skier makes progress powdery snow sprays into the air, and then, he is into the trees. They cause him to slow down. He twists and weaves, and then, he’s stopped by the snow.
It prompts a little laugh of recognition, and respect. This silent white stuff is a touch more pernicious than it looks, but, after orientating himself, dusting off the GoPro, and doing a little waddle to the left, he’s off again, and of all the tree tops he decides to pass between, it’s a pair that have formed a well; a tree well that has claimed a snowboarder.
Fun, frustration or fear
Now, while I cannot speak for you, I am fascinated by snow. For snow to form I am told that cloud temperatures must be below freezing. And, when that happens, the cold temperature causes ice crystals to form around tiny particles like dust or pollen, and while this union is initially light-weight, in time, the ice-crystals get bigger, and heavier, and then they fall to earth as a flake of snow, and, depending on what we are up to, snow can bring us fun, frustration, or fear.
Life saving
And, I say fear because, back on our mountain in Washington, while our skier is trained in avalanche-rescue protocols, the GoPro is now recording the fear our skier feels, because that twitching snowboard means he is in a race against time. Not that the snow cares. In fact, from those agonising side steps up to the casualty and the dig-out itself, the snow, and the thin air, labours our skier’s breathing to the point of exhaustion. Nevertheless, the skier gives every ounce of himself to save the life of that snowboarder, and, this holds true when it comes to Jesus of Nazareth, and us.
Good news
When God entered this fallen world in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, He came with one mission in mind. To rescue us from our sins and take away the fear of the grave. Indeed, when the angel announces Jesus’ birth to the shepherds near Bethlehem, he says, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.”(1)
Overcome your fears
Will Christmas 2025 be the moment when personal faith in Jesus helps you overcome your fears? I hope and pray that it shall be so, for you, and your loved ones.
Yours, in Christ
Jamie Campbell
Pastor, Welwyn Evangelical Church
(1) Luke 2: 10-11, ESV UK.
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