Words of Faith: Look for solutions that last, like what God offers

“White Christmas” is THE Christmas song of the United States.

And yes, I’m old enough to admit that no one can sing it like Bing Crosby. He recorded the song in 1942, and it became so popular that he had to re-record it in 1947 because the master became worn beyond use.

Its popularity had a lot to do with the fact that America had just gone to war. Our people found themselves in a confusing and unstable world. Loved ones were being shipped off to the battlefront, not knowing if they would ever see their families again. And so this song had a powerful impact on American soldiers. They dreamed of a white Christmas when they could come home again.

And when that white Christmas came, all would be merry and bright.

For centuries, the Jews had dreamed of their own “White Christmas.” For centuries they had seen promises that predicted the coming of a Messiah. And that Messiah would bring salvation to his people, forgiveness for their sins and light and peace to those who were God’s people. They looked forward to a time when life would be merry and bright again. Through the prophet Isaiah, God had declared that there would be a white Christmas for his people:

“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18). During the centuries, the Jews watched for this Messiah. They waited and waited until they began to despair. There’s an old hymn that describes that despair that filled them. “O Come, O Come Immanuel, and ransom captive Israel. That mourns in lowly exile here; until the Son of God appear.”

The song “White Christmas” declared that a person’s life could be changed by a winter storm. The Bible tells us that our lives could only be changed by the deliberate act of Jesus, the baby that came to us at Christmas. He came to be the Savior of Jews and Gentiles alike; to all people. We are living in a world that is often dangerous and unstable. Because of that, people look for satisfaction in all kinds of places. They look for it in their possessions, relationships, parties, even in what kind of weather they enjoy – whether sunshine or snow.

But the problem is that all those solutions are short-lived. They eventually melt away.

Someone once observed: If our greatest need in life was pleasure, then God would have sent an entertainer. If our greatest need would have been money, then he would have sent a financial consultant. If our greatest need would have been for information, he would have sent an educator. But God in his infinite wisdom knew that our greatest need was forgiveness and so he sent a Savior.

The satisfaction Jesus can give goes far beyond a white Christmas. You can know the joy of sins forgiven, of peace that passes all understanding even in a world that is not always peaceful, and an assurance of a “White Christmas.” Not of snow on the ground, but of a clean heart.

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

This story was originally published December 14, 2015 at 9:31 AM with the headline "Words of Faith: Look for solutions that last, like what God offers."