ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER

Another winter storm has socked us in. Roads will be hard to travel. Schools will open late or not at all. Plans will be rearranged or cancelled. Christmas shopping will probably be done online this year. The days are shorter. We get tense and anxious. Emotions are all over the map. It’s just another reminder that our long winters in Minnesota are to be expected. We’ll don our winter coats, furry boots and mittens and push through it. The beauty of winter will soon turn into salty streets and yellow snow. The Advent season is kind of like winter. We wait and wait – sometimes impatiently. We think about God’s plan for our salvation. We look back at all the prophesies about Jesus and how they were fulfilled. We think about our sin and feel sad that we can’t do a thing about it on our own. We ponder all these things along with Mary, and we come to God with repentant hearts. That dirty snow (our sin) is washed clean because of God’s perfect Son.

Deep in the heart of the forest, what is it you see,
The death of bush or the loss of each tree,
They die for a while, and rise up again,
Spring pushes each bud, giving life deep within.

Our days undefiled and sins now washed clean,
The pure life of Jesus, will help us convene,
The darkness of winter can leave deep remorse,
We wander away and relinquish our course.

The coldest of days will be warmed through the night,
Our Savior will comfort and holds each one tight,
He won’t let us go, if we trust in His Word,
Our souls are renewed and our steps undeterred.

THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR ANOTHER DAY AND THE REMINDER THAT OUR SIN HAS BEEN WASHED WHITER THAN SNOW!