Peter Witkowski Memos

Memo: April’s Breast Cancer Christmas 2019 Update

witkowski-christmas-updayApril’s cancer has settled into place like the soft Minnesota snow.  According to the last round of tests, April’s cancer has become “stable.” The tumors in her breast, back, and liver have neither grown nor shrunk since her October scans. April and I wish her hormone therapy drugs would have further melted her cancer. But, the doctors consider stability a win and a further proof that her treatment is succeeding. We will happily snuggle into this message of good news this cold winter morning.

More importantly, we remain hopeful this winter season because the God of Christmas reigns. These past few weeks. April and I have learned afresh that the story of Christmas is the story of salvific hope. God sends a baby to Elizabeth and Zachariah after a lifetime of infertility. God transforms a poor, no-nothing girl named Mary into one of the most revered women of history. And, the king of heaven sends angels to bring Good news of great joy to lowly shepherds. With all our hearts, we know that this good God of Christmas is our God. We know that he never distances himself from us and that he never becomes to distracted by world events to care for insignificant people like us. Moreover, we know that God can do the miraculous, answering prayers years after they have been prayed. God delights in giving his children good gifts. Thus, our hearts overflow with hope because the God of Elizabeth, Mary, and the Shepherds is our God as well.

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In a small way, we have seen the goodness of God this past week in while exploring the frozen plains of Minnesota. Our three amigos took to the airport with enthusiasm, riding the trams, moving through security, and watching the planes with eyes filled with amazement. They were wowed by the size of Mayo, finding its massive expanse of hallways to be a wonderful maze filled with elevators, chairs, and food. They loved the mall of America. Our oldest got to explore the spinning rides of the Nickelodeon theme park while his sisters and parents embraced shopping and some pastries from Carlo’s Bake Shop.

Throughout our travels, we enjoyed these precious moments which reminded us of our precancer selves. April and I loved watching our five-year-old become more and more of a little man, carrying suitcases, opening doors, and hopping onto rides that would have scared him silly a few months ago. We have smiled at each other as we listened to our three-year-old lead her siblings in rousing renditions of Mary Had a Little Lamb and Jingle Bells. And we have been warmed with joy as our one-year-old freely dispensed hugs and smiles. Moreover, we have loved seeing our newly engaged cousin, one of ABC’s former interns, and one of our dear sisters-in-law. This past week, we had the unique opportunity to unite with old friends and family in a new place. God has been so very good to us these past days and always.

unnamed-17.jpgThe good days have grown in length. But they still remain tainted by the occasional snow storm. April falls into lows after every high, suffering from back pain, fatigue, and nausea. We still do not know what April strength level will be in 2020. We will be seeking wisdom from above as we attempt to create a new normal lifestyle for our little family in the early weeks of January. And, we do not know how long the bulwark of “stability” will keep the wicked blizzard of cancer from sweeping back down into our lives. The shadow of vagueness resides over our lives. But the hope of Jesus shines every clearly across our horizon. The God of Christmas reigns. Our God reigns. We have every reason to rejoice this Christmas.

We are also deeply thankful for the many dear family members, friends, and church members who have helped us navigate our stormy 2019. You have selflessly watched our kids, brought us meals, supported us financially, and covered our church responsibilities. To borrow from the medical world, April and I have the best support system that we could ever ask for!  Thank you!

Please continue to pray for that our hearts will remain fixed upon the things of above where Jesus resides. Please continue to pray that our kids will come to know the baby in the manger as their Lord and savior. And pray that God will heal April.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 

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Thank you for your love, prayers, and never-ending support.

Merry Christmas!

Sustained By Grace Through Faith,

Peter and April

 

Peter Witkowski Christmas

The Original Christmas Story is Still the Best

baby-4258530_1920Only baby Jesus explains why Christmas is good when people are not.

But biblical truth cannot restrain the imagination of pop culture. Books, movies, and songs seek to transform the divine message of Christmas into secular terms that all can embrace.

The Whos down in Whoville attribute the magic of Christmas to the power of community. Frosty the snowman ascribes the power of Christmas to the magic of the seasons. And, Fred Clause celebrates the holiday because there is no longer a naughty list

While these sentimental messages that connect with hearts, they fail to minds. The beauty of Christmas music can be destroyed by Kevin’s of the world whose sibling rivalries result in the school pianist being decked by an oversized Christmas tree. Many winters have come and gone since Karen meet Frosty. But no one else has seen Professor’s Hinkle’s hat. And for every misunderstood Fred, there are the water bandits,  Marv and Harry, who enjoy impersonating police officers, attacking kids, and stealing from charities.

Pop culture struggles to explain the magic of Christmas because the Christmas is ultimately not magical season. It is miraculous season.

Christians celebrate Christmas because a tiny baby was miraculously born. Luke 1:27-38 recounts how God told Mary that she would have a son. The verifiable virgin conceived a son prior to marriage and prior to sleeping with anyone. As Mary told the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin? (Lk. 1:34b)” The short answer is God through the Holy Spirit according to his power. Though unexplainable, the virgin birth was scientifically and historically verifiable. Luke credits his story as being “an orderly” account derived from eyewitness testimony (Lk 1:1-4).

Mary supernaturally had a baby boy. And, the baby born to Mary was not any ordinary baby. Mary calls her baby, “Jesus” (Lk 1:32). The name means God saves. The miraculous baby comes for a miraculous mission. He comes to save all those not nasty people who throw snowballs at little whos, who lock Frosty in a greenhouse, and who enjoy terrorizing a little kid left home alone. More importantly, Jesus comes to save people like you and me who struggle with very unChristmasy things such as pornography, pride, and gossip. He comes to save.

And this baby about to be born to an insignificant girl engaged to an insignificant guy living in an insignificant town can save people because he is God. Jesus is not some good teacher lighting the path of kindness for humanity. He is God in human flesh. Luke says, “He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High.” In plain English this means, Jesus is great for he is God. As opposed to John the Baptist who “will be great before the Lord.” Jesus is simply great because he is God. Jesus is both fully God and fully man.

We should be thankful, Jesus is divine. For if he were not divine, he could only save one of us. He could trade his life for another life. But because Jesus is God, he can pay for the sins of every man and woman who repents and believes. He has the power of God to bring all of us to him.

But the question remains how?

The angel’s next words answers this question. He tells Marty that Jesus will sit on the throne of David forever. Though God, Jesus is also fully man which means he can rightfully lay claim to the throne of his great (many times over) grandfather David.

But this raise a problem.  If Jesus can ascend to David’s throne, then he must also be mortal and capable of experiencing death as David had. Yet, the Luke 1:33 says “of his kingdom there will be no end.”

How does this work?

Jesus does die. Luke 23:46 recounts, “Then Jesus calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father into your hands I commit my spirit!”’ and having this he breathed his last.”

But he does not stay dead. Three days later Jesus defeats death. The angels tell us, “He is not here, but he is risen” (Lk 24:7). Jesus conquers death. He does the impossible. All who repent and believe gain access to the impossible. They can access to heaven, to life with God, to unbroken joy and glory. For the power the raised Jesus from the dead is the same power the guides all repenters to heaven.   Colossians 2:11-14 sums up the joyousness of Christmas well stating,

In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Christmas continues to be worth celebrating because it reminds us that God does miracles. The blessed virgin conceives. And then the God-man, Jesus conquers death, bringing countless numbers of sad and messed up people to the heaven. This is the miraculous joy of Christmas that transcends human imagination. This is why we can relishes the goodness of the day even when people are not good. Jesus saves!

Why are you celebrating Christmas this year?

Peter Witkowski Christmas

Why Hurting People Need Christmas

blog mangerAs the winter chill of age seeps into our souls, we cannot help but question the purpose of Christmas. The death of a loved one, the loss of a job, and the shattering of friendships   push the fleeting joys of hot chocolate, candy canes, and twinkling lights from our hearts. Those identify with the unwanted toys of life wish the holiday would hurry on by.

Christmas appears to be reserved for happy children, newly married couples, and well-loved grandparents.

But Christmas is not earmarked for those with a fairytale life. According to the Bible, baby Jesus came because he knew that singles are lonely, that couples struggle with infertility and that wives bury their husbands. We celebrate the baby in the manger because his birth and the events leading up to his birth merrily shout, “God saves his people.” Just ask Zechariah and Elizabeth.

The gospel of Luke describes the first couple mentioned in the original Christmas story as being “righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.” Yet, they face an excruciating problem. They were old and childless (Lk 1:7). In 4 B.C, Jews viewed “the fruit of the womb [to be] a reward” and childlessness to be a curse (Ps 127:3; Lev. 20:20-21: Jer. 22:30; 2 Sam. 6:23). For the majority of their lives, Zechariah and Elizabeth carried the burdens of grief and social rejection. But despite all their sorrow, the joy of Christmas would be their joy!

Luke records that God sent the angel Gabriel to tell Zechariah that his “prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name John (Lk 1:13).” God rescued Zechariah and Elizabeth from their trial. They would have a baby boy and their hearts would be uplifted. The angel tells Zechariah, “And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth (Lk 1:14).

Christmas should resonate with the orphaned, the sorrowful, and the afflicted because it is their holiday. The Christmas celebrates the truth that God recuses his people. The trials that afflict the righteous year after year are not signs of God’s forgetfulness or of God’s animosity but of his blessing. The hearts of God’s people ache today because God intends to do more than they could ever imagine in the future. While God may not heal our infertility, we can be absolute certain he has heard our prayer and that he delays good gifts because he is preparing us for unimaginable blessings that will glorify God. Look at Zechariah’s and Elizabeth’s son.

God declares that many will rejoice at John’s birth because God has set John apart for greatness. From conception, John is “filled with the Holy Spirit” and abstains from “wine and strong drink” indicating that his whole life will be devoted to God inspirited ministry (Lk 1:15).

John’s ministry will consist of turning sinners to God as Elijah had done before him.  John is coming to challenging men and women to stop limping between the Lord and false gods (1 Kg. 18:21). He is coming to remind men and women “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God (1 Kg.18:39).” He is coming to tell sinners that the wages of sin is death and that the gift of God is eternal life.

John’s ministry will also unite generations and families. Because of sin, the typical baby boomers finds millennials annoying, and average millennials disparages baby boomers as out of touch. But when families find peace of Jesus, the generations unite in peace.

If your family get-togethers are tense or non-existent, Christmas is indeed your season. Christmas reminds us that reconciliation can be accomplished through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Even the most dysfunctional families can find peace if they will worship the baby in the manger. How do they get to him?

The disobedient encounter the wisdom of the just (Lk. 1:17). The fool says there is no God. John arrives to remind men and women that there is a God, a just God who will judge the living and the dead. Though all deserve death, the judge of the universe also offers life to all who repent of their sin and follow him, making the message of Christmas the most joyous of all messages. Namely, Jesus “will save his people from their sins (Mt 1:21).”

Though Christmas should stir even the grinchiest of hearts to unspeakable joy, many a weary soul will find rejoicing over the baby in the manger to be quite difficult. They look at the empty chairs at their table, the feel the pains of their disease, and the sense the stares of those around them and conclude that God cannot overcome their circumstance. Zechariah made the same mistake. He liked the idea of having a son but thought the whole affair a touch fanciful because he was after-all an “old man and my wife is advanced in years (Lk 1:18).” Zechariah failed because he lacked faith. John Calvin noted

Those who believe that God will do no more than what seems probable in nature take a narrow and disparaging view of the works of God, as if his hands were limited by our human senses or confined to earthly means.

Many Christian find Christmas joyless because their hearts are faithless. They doubt that God will rescue them and save them. The doubt that God will remove their reproach.

But this is exactly what God does. He rescues his people from trials and from death itself. As Elizabeth said, “he looked on me to take away my reproach among the people.”

Friend if you are lonely, sick, infertile, broke, or sad, embrace Christmas! The day is your day for it promises you that God will remove your reproach! Are you ready to celebrate Christmas?