6A — THE OBSERVER
HIGHLIGHTS
CHURCH OF JESUS
CHRIST OF LATTER-
DAY SAINTS
LA GRANDE — The
Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints’ “Come,
Follow Me” lesson for the
week of Dec. 14 concludes
the series’ study of the
Book of Mormon with an
invitation for all to “come
unto Christ and be per-
fected in him” (Moroni
10:32). The lesson focuses
on Chapter 10 of Moroni
and Moroni’s promise that
the truth of the Book of
Mormon will be mani-
fest unto those who “ask
with a sincere heart, with
real intent, having faith in
Christ” (Moroni 10:4).
The #LighttheWorld ini-
tiative and invitation con-
tinues through the month
of December with daily
reminders of ways we can
serve one another.
Rays of hope for a
brighter future can be
What is the
season of
Advent?
For more news, go to lagrandeobserver.com
Submissions
Wishing You A Merry Christmas
Churches and faith-based groups are encouraged to
submit Highlights for the Spiritual Life page by 4 p.m.
Tuesday for publication Thursday. Submit by email to
news@lagrandeobserver.com (with Highlights in the
subject line).
found in the phase 3 limited
reopening of some temples
and the groundbreaking for
the fi rst temple to be built in
India, a country of 1.3 bil-
lion people.
Visit the church’s
“Newsroom” website for
more information.
FAITH LUTHERAN
CHURCH
LA GRANDE, ENTER-
PRISE — The message this
Sunday at Faith Lutheran
Church will focus on John
the Baptist. The forerunner
for Jesus Christ, he pro-
claimed, “He who comes
after me, the strap of whose
sandal I am not worthy
& Happy New Year
to untie” (John 1:27). To
untie another’s sandal strap
would have been involved
with doing a lowly ser-
vant’s duty of washing
feet. John identifi ed that
he was not worthy of one
of the lowest duties before
Jesus Christ. Faith Lutheran
Church’s sermon will be
based on this humbleness
before Jesus Christ who is
Immanuel, God with us.
Services are in La
Grande at 10 a.m. and in
Enterprise at 2 p.m.
Faith Lutheran’s mid-
week Advent service on
Wednesday, Dec. 15, begins
at 6:30 p.m. The lesson will
address “Jesus, the Branch
of Jesse’s Stump.”
Designed by Ella Kessinger of Lewiston, ID.
She was the winner of our annual Holiday Design Contest.
Donate by Drive-Up This Holiday Season in Our Annual
Charity Drive
To Suppor t the
FAMILY
OWNED
Food Banks
in each area
Community Bank will match your donations
DOLLAR for DOLLAR up to a max match of
$1,000 in each town through Dec. 18th!
La Grande: 2313 Adams Ave & 904 Adams Ave
Baker City: 1190 Campbell St
Elgin: 109 S 8th St
Wallowa: 202 N Storie St
Enterprise: 300 NW 1st St
Joseph: 609 N Main St
The Observer
Advent, which begins
the church’s liturgical year,
began Nov. 29. Advent
encompasses the four Sun-
days and weekdays leading
up to the celebration of
Christmas. The Advent
season is a time of prepa-
ration for our hearts and
minds for the anniver-
sary of the Lord’s birth on
Christmas.
Many congregations
celebrate Advent by put-
ting up an Advent Wreath
and lighting candles each
week. The use of the wreath
and candles during Advent
are a longstanding tradi-
tion that was originally
adopted by Christians in the
Middle Ages as part of their
spiritual preparation for
Christmas.
The wreath and candles
are full of symbolism tied
to the Christmas season.
The wreath itself signifi es
continuous life. The circle
of the wreath, which has no
beginning or end, symbol-
izes the eternity of God, the
immortality of the soul, and
the everlasting life we fi nd
in Christ.
The candles also have
their own special signif-
icance. The four candles
represent the four weeks of
Advent, and one candle is
lit each Sunday.
The fi rst candle sym-
bolizes hope. It is some-
times called the “Prophecy
Candle” in remembrance
of the prophets, especially
Isaiah, who foretold the
birth of Christ. It represents
the expectation felt in
anticipation of the coming
Messiah.
The second candle rep-
resents faith. It is called
the “Bethlehem Candle”
as a reminder of Mary
and Joseph’s journey to
Bethlehem.
The third candle sym-
bolizes joy and is called the
“Shepherd’s Candle.” The
third Sunday of Advent
is sometimes referred to
Gaudete Sunday (“gaudete”
means “rejoice”). It reminds
us of the joy that the world
experienced at the birth of
Jesus, as well as the joy of
the faithful having reached
the midpoint of Advent.
On the fourth week of
Advent, the fi nal candle is
lit to mark the fi nal week
of prayer and penance as
we wait for the birth of
Jesus. This fi nal candle, the
“Angel’s Candle,” symbol-
izes peace. It reminds us of
the message of the angels:
“Peace on Earth, Good Will
Toward Men.”
Some traditions place a
white candle in the middle
of the wreath that is lit
on Christmas Eve. This
candle is called the “Christ
Candle” and represents the
purity of the life of Christ.
Celebrating Advent will
prepare your mind and
heart for Christmas.
— This article
was adapted from
www.mercyhome.org.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020
SPIRITUAL LIFE
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Enterprise, OR 97828
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