A WHITE CHRISTMAS | KAIROS GLOBAL | DECEMBER 2018

Author: Eby Kurian

Intro: Eby Kurian reflects on the meaning of Christmas for him and all of us, through looking at the purity and uniqueness of a snowflake

One of my fond memories of Christmas season while growing up in India was the excitement of receiving  Greeting cards from relatives in the United States. It always had an image of a mansion, and its surroundings fully covered with snow. Then, after moving to the U.S. my first real life experience of snowfall was during a Jesus Youth gathering in Chicago around the Christmas holidays. 

Whether in a studio apartment in Europe, or in a luxury home in the US suburbs, nothing says "the holidays are here" like White Christmas. Those words itself bring Christmas images to mind. The "white" in "Christmas" evokes so many seasonal memories. Snow evokes so many images that speak of the true meaning of the Christmas season.

Something about a baby in a manger echoes the purity of newly fallen snow. As it thaws and melts, it soaks the earth, preparing the ground for an explosion of new life each spring. It falls in silence, landing without a sound and reminding us that Christmas is a time to block out the noise of the world for at least a day. The uniqueness of each snowflake — scientists tell us no two snowflakes are alike — remind us of the uniqueness of each person whom God's only Son came to save.

Snow reminds me of the One whose birth we remember each year. Can anyone doubt the purity of the baby born in Bethlehem — the purity of His birth and His life? When Daniel the prophet saw the Ancient of Days, Daniel described His garment to be white as snow (Daniel 7:9).

A snow crystals' large number of reflective surfaces give it a white appearance as it reflects pure light. It is because He is pure that Jesus Christ can make us pure. After the heart of King David had been strained by the blackness of sin, he cried out to God, "Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow" (Ps 51:7). His prayer was answered because the God of Israel had promised His people that He would take their scarlet sins and make them white as snow (Is 1:18).

Like snow, Jesus brings new life. As "the snow from heaven… so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it" (Is 55:10, 11). By the Word which comes afresh to us at Christmas, we are saved and made whole: "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord", a Savior who will "save His people from their sins" (Lk 2:11; Mt 1:21). The life-giving snow of Christmas speaks of the life-giving Savior of Christmas.

The day is coming when all the earth will keep silence before Him. Even now, "The Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him" (Hab 2:20). Jesus was born into this world to be judged in our place. Rather than being silent in fear of judgment, we are moved to silence at Christmas because of God's unspeakable Christmas gift.

God alone is God — there is no other (Deut 6:4; Job 23:13). And "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). The uniqueness of every Christmas snowflake speaks of the uniqueness of our God and His "one and only Son” (John 3:16). Without Jesus, there would be no Christmas.

So, I invite you during this Christmas Season to encounter Jesus and receive HIS Grace and Mercy through the Sacrament of Reconciliation so that your Soul may become White as Snow! My prayer is that your days will be "merry and bright" because the radiant light of the King of kings has filled the manger of your heart, causing you to meditate on His purity, new life, silence, and uniqueness.

Whether you have snow or not, when you celebrate the One born to live, die, and come again for us, you'll have a White Christmas. So, I wish all the readers of Kairos magazine and all the Jesus Youth Families around the World a Very Merry White Christmas!

Eby Kurian is Director of Adult Faith Formation at Mary Queen Church in Houston. Eby holds a Master of Arts in Theology from St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida with a specialization in Campus Ministry. Eby, his wife Gloria and two daughters live in Friendswood, Texas.