Author: Christine Wyrtzen

Paved With The Finger of God

Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

While spending the night on the way to Bethlehem, I wonder if Mary thought of her home and her comfortable bed. The ground wasn’t very forgiving to her aching body. Joseph probably didn’t sleep much either, trying to do what he could to soften the place where Mary lay. We can imagine his kindness.

Joseph had to wonder what would happen when they arrived in Bethlehem. He could tell that the baby’s birth was near. He probably felt alone and weighed down with responsibility for their safety. For strength, perhaps he took a deep breath, reviewed the stories of his ancestral fathers, and trusted God.

Their safety was not dependent upon his own ingenuity. God was the Father, just out of sight, ensuring the safe arrival of the Promise. The redemptive plans of God, from before time, would break open upon the Earth and nothing would tamper with divine sovereignty.

My life has also been planned from before the creation of the world. God said so. My calling is as secure in God’s hands as the calling of Joseph and Mary. I can often feel the weight of responsibility, believing that I have more to do with determining my tomorrows than God does. I fear that my own ingenuity will make or break my future. Not so. The presence of God hovers near. His breath warms my way. I cannot miss the way if I am prayerful, if I am listening, because my Bethlehem is always within reach. My roadway has been paved ahead of time by the index finger of God.

When You Remember The Moment

Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.  Luke 2:9

The shepherds didn’t ask to see the glory of God.  They didn’t try to earn it the privilege either. The unmerited favor of God intersected their personal history and brought an experience the likes of which they would never forget.  Nothing in the future would eclipse the memory of that night when the heavens opened up and the veil that limited their spiritual eyesight was temporarily lifted.

Are such defining moments possible today for the one who loves God?  Yes. There are moments that become mountaintops; encounters that become a Bethel.  Don’t settle for monotony.  Don’t live on yesterday’s manna.  Seek, listen, pursue God relentlessly and the glory of the Lord will be near to you at an unsuspecting time. An ordinary day will be turned upside down as the eternal penetrates the temporal.  God’s glory will so fill your field of vision that earth’s trinkets will no longer dazzle your eyes.

Those around you may not see the holy moments but you will.  You’ll take your shoes off even as you remember it.  In the afterglow, you will live dazed and will tremble in the distraction of the memory.  Such is the ecstasy of the one who has seen God pass by.

I want to commune with you in a place that doesn’t need words.  Amen

“May I Hold Him?”

Published on by Christine Wyrtzen1 Comment

Let’s go back 2,000 years.  Together, we are standing in front of an opening to a stable.  We look inside and see a young man and woman holding a newborn infant in their arms.  Their mood is hushed.  The moment is holy – though nearly everyone in Bethlehem fails to notice.  We enter, are warmly welcomed, and ask what is so common when visiting friends who have had a new baby.  “May I hold him?”

I have held many newborns, but the experience didn’t hold a candle to the sacredness of holding my own two children in my arms.  When it’s your baby, how different is it?

If you and I pause to enter the Christmas story, we’re invited to internalize that He’s not just Joseph and Mary’s baby.  He’s our baby.  “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.”  Holding him is very personal for us. We know the rest of the story and understand that Jesus was the little lamb of God.  He’s been prophesied throughout the Old Testament all the way back to the book of Genesis.  Mankind, ever since the fall of Adam and Eve, has desperately sought a way to get rid of our guilt.  Our fallen nature eats away at our psyche until we feel like a shell of a person.  We are agitated and tormented until our sins can be forgiven by God’s Lamb.

The most challenging things in life are often bittersweet.  The pain is there, but so is the presence of Jesus.  Against the backdrop of tragedy, beauty arises out of the ashes.  This was true even in the stable.  The manger and the cross were in each other’s shadow, and Mary pondered the enormity of the implications.

Baby Jesus.  My little Lamb of God.  Your little Lamb of God.  As we caress Him and sing Him lullabies, we’re rocking Holiness.

My Lamb.  You are no longer vulnerable but sitting on a throne.  Hallelujah. 

What Happened Then?

Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

When the shepherds had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.  Luke 2:17

What a person experiences long after a spiritual mountaintop is often withheld from a storyline.  After the shepherds saw the heavens open, and after they found Jesus, and after they witnessed what they saw, what happened next?  Did they continue to believe?  Did they keep track of Jesus until his parents took him to Egypt?  We’re not told.  

But we know the nature of mountaintops and valleys.  We know that not all the shepherds would have gone on to worship God with their lives. Holy moments dim with time.  Daily living consumes.  Holy moments are rare.  Holy men who go on to finish well are even rarer. 

My own storyline has been dotted with more God moments than I deserved, and yet, they didn’t always carry me through the dark times.  There were moments I still doubted and battled hopelessness.  It wasn’t that I didn’t remember the mountaintops.  I did.  But I couldn’t connect with them like I did just after they happened.  

We’ll never know how many shepherds were on the hillside.  We’ll never know if all of them left to go to Bethlehem.  We’ll never know if they were all equally impacted by the baby in the manger.  And we’ll never know how many went on to live changed lives from that time forward.  But some did.  God picks who will be privileged to witness the supernatural.  For some of them, it will be the defining moment that forever changes the direction of their lives. 

Take me back to the moments I need to review to be strengthened and re-purposed.  Amen

Wise Men Keep Their Eyes Fixed

Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

Now, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, wise men came from the east to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who was born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”  Matthew 2:1-2

Scholars disagree on the length of the wise men’s journey to Bethlehem.  The shortest calculation is forty days.  The longest, and the one most everyone agrees upon, is approximately two years.  Whether a 40-day journey or a 2-year voyage, it took considerable planning. 

Had they always been looking for the star that appeared in the night sky?  How did they know its significance?   How could they be sure it wasn’t something of lesser significance? But they knew.   And as they traveled, they would have re-calibrated continually to ensure they were still on track.  Eyes fixed, they were led safely to their destination. 

Symbolically, each of us embarks on a similar journey.  We see the glory of God revealed, not in the skies, but in the face of Christ.  That event means more than what we can possibly convey in a dinner conversation.  It holds such significance that we are willing to stop everything, count the cost, and embark on a journey that will take a lifetime.  Ultimately, we don’t arrive in Bethlehem to see a baby but in heaven to see a risen, glorified Jesus. Along the way, we keep our eyes fixed.  We re-calibrate.  If our gaze remains on Jesus, the north star, we have a direct path home. 

Jesus understands the sojourn.  He made it Himself.  Eyes fixed on His Father, He was led safely to glory. 

Jesus, I’m looking at the horizon and not at my feet.  Amen

God’s Glory Still Invades Our World

Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.  Luke 2:9

The shepherds didn’t ask to see the glory of God. They hadn’t done anything to earn the privilege. They certainly didn’t expect it.  Yet, God’s favor punctuated their evening and brought an experience they would never forget.  Nothing in their lifetimes would eclipse the night on the hillside when heaven opened.  Do such miraculous moments still happen today?  Sometimes.

A pastor we knew well suffered an aortic rupture…. something you don’t usually come back from. While clinically dead on the table, he witnessed a battlefield.  He saw forces of darkness and God’s angelic forces engaged in a confrontation.  When God brought the pastor back from death, he told everyone….. “If you could see what I saw, how outnumbered the enemy was, and how majestic and mighty the angelic warriors were, you would never be afraid of anything ever again!”  I think of his testimony every time I battle fear. 

I know that most of us will not have a near-death encounter and come back to speak of it.  But we can still witness the glory of God. Sometimes there are angelic visitations. I’ve had one of them that I know of. On other occasions, Jesus will appear to someone in the night. He bears witness of Himself and brings the most unsuspecting convert to the kingdom. It’s happening all over the Middle East.

And what about the times when the heavens open and God’s Spirit brings illumination about a scripture we’ve never understood before! It is cataclysmic to our spirits, is it not? It can instantly change our paradigms, banish our fears, and shine a light on a new path we are to take. These events are ‘Bethel Moments’ that define life is profound ways.

 It is easy to separate the times of scripture from the times in which we live.  Sadly, our skepticism can obscure the reality of God’s presence and power.  God wants to be experienced, is to be experienced, and the supernatural is to punctuate my life with poignant moments. 

My trust in You does not depend on the miraculous, but every miraculous encounter with You changes me forever.  Thank you for every one! Amen

Jesus Said Goodbye

Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

Instead, he gave up his divine privileges. He [Jesus] took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. Philippians 2:7

Parents of missionaries who serve in dangerous places live with the pain of uncertainty. They often wonder if they will see their children again. The more hostile the culture to Christianity, the more danger their children face. There will be want, discouragement, and even threats of persecution. Does God understand these parents’ agony? Yes, He experienced it too.

The Trinity had always been together, functioning in perfect harmony from before time. Their synergy was described in terms of a rhythmic slow dance. Each had a clearly defined role and the execution of them was achieved without the slightest hint of friction.

Imagine how their rhythm was disrupted when the Jesus left the Trinity to go to His mission field. Intimacy was disrupted as He became a child in Mary’s womb. God said goodbye and watched Him leave, able to see into the future. He knew what awaited His child. He envisioned the 40 days of temptation in the desert. He knew Lucifer and could predict the all out war that would be waged. He foresaw the close calls; the brushes with death as the crowds would plot to kill Him. God would plan each way of escape to ensure that His Son would fulfill His mission on Calvary. He saw it all and He felt what human parents feel at their child’s departure. Joy and agony

God also knew who would accept His Son as the Messiah and who would openly reject Him. He knew the disciples that would be called to take the Gospel to the world. He looked down through the ages and saw an unstoppable church on the move. It would be battered but would prevail.

As Mary welcomed her newborn Messiah, the love story of the ages was being written. He would be the only way God’s estranged children could be restored to paradise.

Father, You gave it all up too. Thank you for counting the cost and deciding that Your creation was worth loving so recklessly. Amen

Wild, Yet Wonderful

Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

God is wild and wonderful.  He is also unpredictable.  He exalts the likes of Judah, the treacherous son of Jacob.  He blesses adulterers like King David.  He forgives betrayers like Peter.  He saves persecutors and murderers like Paul.  Judah, at the end of his life, offered to give his own for the life of another brother.  His father, Jacob, lived long enough to see Judah choose righteousness. The common thread in all of these stories was a heart of repentance.  God’s forgiveness was, and is, so radical that an entire past is put under His atoning blood.

No family is perfect. In the past few days, I’ve heard from more than a few who say that they have not seen their grandchildren in years. They grieve over that and feel embarrassed in public when others ask if they have children and grandchildren. Is the Gospel of Jesus Christ relevant to them? Is it relevant to us in the very places we long to see the righteousness of God revealed in the lives of our family members? Oh yes.

This Christmas, as we hear the Christmas story and are tempted to zone out at the reading of the lineage of Jesus, let’s wake up and sit on the edge of our seat.  When Judah’s name is mentioned, we can rejoice that God works in family messes.  No one is out of His reach.  We should never stop praying for forthcoming repentance.  God is good for every promise He has made.

For every family ‘Joseph’, there are tears of joy.  For every family ‘Judah’, there are tears of faith.  You are God over every family drama that is brought to your feet in prayer.  Amen

With Both Hands

Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

I will lift up my hands toward our commandment, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes.  Psalm 119:48

When I lift up both hands toward heaven, I am paying honor to God.  The psalmist lifts both hands towards God’s Word.  He pays homage to it because he loves it.

The Word is old.  It is tested.  It is deep and layered.  It softens the heart of the most hardened person.  It strengthens the most feeble.  It brings a solution, like an arrow, to my deepest dilemma. It comforts like the cooing of a mother.  It changes the heart of a person where that person has simply remained unchangeable through many self-renovations.  Is there any reason why any man or woman shouldn’t raise hands toward this Word?  In doing so, we raise our hands to Jesus.  Logos.

What has caused me to drop my hands?   Discouragement?  There is a Word for me.  Sick?  There is a Word.  Weary in prayer?  There is a Word.  Betrayed?  Ah, there is a Word.  My prayer this morning is, no matter what has caused a slack in my hands, “Strengthen me to raise my hands, just one more time, Lord.” God will be faithful and another Word will come to my rescue.

Like Amos, I consume Your Word, hungrily.  Amen

When I’m Out Of Steam

Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.  Romans 12:11

 Spiritual steam, the kind that propels a train up a mountain is hard to know how to come by.  Does reading more of my Bible give it to me?

I can learn something about WWII history, get excited, and share it passionately with others.  But that’s one piece of history and it doesn’t sustain my soul for a lifetime.  Bible study (apart from the reality of Jesus revealing Himself to my heart) is this way as well.  I can discover something in scripture, love what I find, but the excitement that facts sometimes bring will dissipate with time.  When I’m hurting, interesting facts from the book of I Samuel won’t give me spiritual fervor.

The steam needed for the long haul comes from something childlike.  Love.  When I’m tired from service, I need to go home to be loved.   When I’m beaten up by life, I need to go home to be loved.  When I’m physically weak from the pace of meeting so many needs, I need to go home to be loved.  The strongest saint retreats, comes to their Father with childlike faith and says, ‘Feed me, love me, hold me, and teach me.’  These elementary expressions of need fuel the saints we would describe as having mature faith.  Unlike what we might believe, their fuel does not come from some intellectual study of Calvinism verses Arminianism.

Deep weariness can send me to the line of total abdication.  I teeter on the edge of just giving up.  One small demand can send me over the limit.  My body won’t cooperate anymore in spite of my ‘drill-sergeant-kind-of-self-talk.  It revolts.  My heart doesn’t listen to one more internal speech to keep myself going.  Quitting seems to be the only answer.  I am afraid though that if I sink into an abyss of emotional and physical exhaustion, I won’t ever get out.  Oh, I have been there and I didn’t know what was wrong or how to heal.

God showed me.  Mature faith begins and ends with the recognition that my fuel is the love of God. And here’s the thing ~ it will foster the spiritual curiosity for my study of the scriptures.

Your love resurrected me from the pit.  I had given up, had no energy or joy, but I had not experienced Your love.  Thank you for the joy of serving You now with a fervent spirit.  Amen