Richard Townend considers how to make the most of this season

Richard Townend

There's more snow on the way, apparently.

It seems the default position of weather forecasters this winter is to suggest that 'there's a strong chance of snow'. Sadly, they rarely forecast where, and indeed when. Vital pieces of information, you might think. Bring back Michael Fish, I say.

But this winter is looking like a proper English winter. The kind of winter your grandparents talk about. With snow. Deep snow. I remember driving down to Middleton-on-Teesdale from Hexham recently to find snowdrifts at the side of the road higher than the car. As I looked ahead, I saw a load of cars had stopped. What had happened, I wondered. Could it be a breakdown? Was a car struggling on the ice? Or was it more sinister. An avalanche perhaps? A man got out of the car at the back of the queue. I wound my window down.

"Everything OK?" I asked.

He looked at me, utterly bemused.

"Yes. Why shouldn't it be?"

It was only then that I noticed the skis on top of his car, and then I realised that all of these cars had stopped to take advantage of the skiing conditions

Skiing! In the North East of England! They may be struggling for snow at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, but no such problem here. Of course, across the country, people deal with the snow with differing levels of competency. Down south, it seems everything shuts and everyone stays at home. But for us hardy northerners, we try to get on with life. Its water off a duck's back up here. Or should that be ice?

Can you imagine what Jesus and his disciples would have made of the snow? Would it have ruined their plans for ministry? Or would they have just got on with it? It would have made things a lot tougher, but Jesus' miracle of walking on the water may not have been so impressive.

We sing about snow in Christmas carols. 'See Amid the Winter Snow' and 'In the Bleak Midwinter' may hint at a rather frostier manger scene, but their Victorian writers probably intended to use the wintry language to make the story more relevant to western audiences who celebrate the birth of Christ at the coldest time of the year.

The bible itself, however, makes very little mention of snow at all, and when it does, it is rarely used to describe the climatic conditions. Snow is used throughout Psalms metaphorically. In Psalm 51, the psalmist records 'Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.'

Being 'whiter than snow' is something we can all thank God for, but the weather itself gives us an ideal opportunity to live out one of God's greatest commandments - to be a good neighbour, When we had the cold snap in January, the news was full of stories of people helping one another. One man got stuck in snow whilst driving near Newcastle. A Bentley stopped alongside him, and the driver said he'd get his 4x4 from home to help the man out. It turned out that the good samaritan in this case was Kevin Nolan, the Newcastle United player! In another story, a wedding in a remote church in Kent was on the brink of being cancelled, before an appeal went out on local radio for farmer's vehicles to transport the wedding party to the church. Dozens of people duly obliged, and the great British public saved the day.

Those stories may rely on Land Rovers as much as goodwill, but even if you don't drive a gas guzzler yourself, the lesson for all of us is to be alert to those in need during this spell of cold weather. You might find that you can be a beacon of Christian light and love just when someone needs it.

One thing that can't be avoided is that when the snow comes, it makes an impact on our daily lives. It brings disruption, and in some cases, chaos. We all like to think life goes on as normal, but the truth is services are disrupted. Roads aren't gritted. The buses aren't as frequent. The commute takes twice as long. The school is closed. And we are helpless to do anything about that.

This reminds me that the Christian life we are called to may make our lives as white as snow and may enable us to love God and love our neighbour as ourselves, but it is not an easy life. It disrupts our plans and asks us to go where we'd rather not go. It's not supposed to be comfortable. It's a challenge. It can be cold. It can be lonely. It can be desolate.

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that God wants to disrupt our lives, and our ministries. Don't settle for the easy option - God may want to take you for a walk in the snow.

And as for those people who constantly tell us that winters aren't what they used to be - they are notable by their absence now!