Unexpected faces

Jesus in snow patterns

 Snow (son of) man

The image above has circulated in Britain since the late 1950s. It contains a face of Christ, but not everyone can see it straight away. The story that goes with it says it was taken by a Chinese photographer who was riding home one day through the snow. According to the story…

His soul was troubled. He had been witnessing a great movement towards Christianity among his friends since the Japanese invasion. He longed to know the truth of what he had been hearing from Christian missionaries.

As he rode along he said, “Lord, if I could only see your face, I would believe.” Instantly a voice spoke to his heart, “Take a picture. Take a picture.”

He looked out at the melting snow forming pools of water and revealing here and there the black earth. It was an unattractive scene. Nevertheless, being thus strangely compelled, the man descended and focused his camera on the snowy roadway.

Curious to know the outcome of the incident, he developed the film at once upon returning to his home. Out from the black and white areas of the snow scene a face looked at him, full of tenderness and love - the face of Christ. He became a Christian as a result of this experience.

 Church

The Church of St Ninian’s in Prestwick, Ayrshire, was given a copy of the image by a retired Bishop of Singapore in the 1980s, and have it displayed outside their church hall. “It proved to be quite a talking point,” says one of the church members.

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