Spiritual Life
A6
Thursday, October 21, 2021
SPIRITUAL LIFE HIGHLIGHTS
Country Gospel band
performs at First
Christian Church
SUBMISSIONS
LA GRANDE — Soul Ren-
ovation, a country Gospel band
from Wallowa County — will
perform at the La Grande First
Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ) on Sunday, Oct. 24, at
10 a.m. Soul Renovation has
been performing since 1995.
Their desire is to lift Christ up
through their message in song.
All are welcome. Face masks are
required.
Faith Lutheran services
off ered in Union and
Wallowa counties
LA GRANDE — Faith
Lutheran Church on Sunday, Oct.
24, will hold a worship service
in La Grande at 10 a.m. and in
Enterprise at 2 p.m. The sermon
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@lagrandeob-
server.com (with Highlights in the subject line).
will be drawn from Mark 10:46-
52, which tells of a man who had
been taught about Jesus. When
he knew Jesus was passing by, he
called out to him for mercy. We
are blessed by those who have
helped us to know about Jesus
and Jesus’ desire for us to be near
him.
streamed live and also recorded.
The link to the livestream will be
posted to the church’s Facebook
page on Saturday, Oct. 23. That
same link can also be used to
watch the service at a later time.
Join St. Peter’s service
virtually, live or later
LA GRANDE — The Sunday,
Oct. 24, worship service at La
Grande’s Zion Lutheran Church
begins at 9 a.m. The service will
include Holy Communion and
will be followed by a time of fel-
lowship. Masks and social dis-
tancing are required. The service
will also be livestreamed to You-
Tube, and the link for that stream
LA GRANDE — St. Peter’s
Episcopal Church in La Grande
will meet for in-person worship at
11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 24. The ser-
vice will include Holy Commu-
nion. Masks and social distancing
are required. The service will be
Livestreaming of service
resumes at Zion Lutheran
will be posted the day before
on Zion’s Facebook page and
website.
Children present Primary
Program at region’s services
NORTHEASTERN OREGON
— Children will present the
annual Primary Program during
the Church of Jesus Christ of Lat-
ter-day Saints’ Sacrament Ser-
vice in the Pine Valley, Union and
Enterprise wards on Sunday, Oct.
24. Members of the congregation
will speak in the other La Grande
stake wards, and the second hour
will be Priesthood and Relief
Society meetings.
The “Come, Follow Me” lesson
for the week of Oct. 25 will be
based on Doctrine and Covenants
Section 124, which is a revelation
given to Joseph Smith in January
1841 that provides direction for
the members settling in Nauvoo,
Illinois, and provides informa-
tion on the temple they were to
build. Lesson materials may be
enhanced by a series of podcasts
released this past week titled “The
Nauvoo Temple: A Joseph Smith
Papers Podcast.” Visit www.news-
room.churchofjesuschrist.org to
learn how to access this material.
What does spirituality
mean to you?
LA GRANDE — The
Observer welcomes thoughts and
comments from community mem-
bers on spiritual matters. If you
would like to share how you expe-
rience spirituality, email news@
lagrandeobserver.com or call 541-
963-3161. Ongoing monthly col-
umns and one-time submissions
will be considered. Columns are
generally 500-600 words and
include a photo of the writer.
— The Observer
The greatest good for the greater good
MATT
HENRY
THE ROAD
NOT TAKEN
A
s a retired pastor,
I tend to stay con-
nected to local
clergy for friendship and
support.
I was having coff ee
recently with one of them,
a good, wise, experienced
pastor who serves a com-
munity church in Weston.
We both have analytical
minds by nature, shaped
and formed by our Chris-
tian faith.
So it was that he asked
me the million-dollar ques-
tion: “Do you think we
have an unconscious death
wish?”
My unspoken thoughts
immediately crackled like a
dry grass fi re. Who is “we”
and who is to decide the
defi nition of that? Uncon-
scious — or rather, as I sus-
pect, quite conscious? And
perhaps most important:
Are there enough of us who
want to live to overcome
those of us who seem hell-
bent on dying and leaving a
scorched earth behind?
The fi rst sermon I ever
preached in a church set-
ting was as a lay person.
The pastor of the church
asked me if I would
“give the message” at the
Easter Sunrise Service of
all things. Thinking we
were both nuts, I humbly
accepted. I was scared to
death. What did I have
to tell anyone, especially
fellow believers who were
much more experienced
with the Holy Scriptures
than me?
My solution was to not
center my refl ection on
any specifi c passage but to
rather concentrate on the
central message of Jesus’
Gospel itself — that of
supreme self-sacrifi ce. But
my audience could repeat
the Easter story in their
sleep so what was left to
say? In my own simple
way, I just brought it home,
down out of the transcen-
dent distance and into the
imminent moment.
I asked them to close
their eyes and imagine their
favored child or loved one.
Holding that person in front
of their eyes, I envisioned
the classic sci-fi scenario
of an alien race invading
earth, possessing the tech-
nology to kill all humans
immediately with the mere
thought of it. But here’s
the deal — they will not
do that, and leave, never to
return, if one human would
give them their most cher-
ished and loved human
to take away. For most of
them, that was their child.
It was that simple. The
simple swap of one — their
one — for all, everyone else
on the entire planet, even
those they call “enemy.”
What would be their deci-
sion? What would be yours?
That decision had been both
Abraham’s and God’s, and
we have been given their
responses: The greatest
good for the greater good.
The One for the All.
In both cases, I’m sure
the decision was beyond
imaginable excruciation.
Now think about my
friend’s question and my
inexperienced homily for
a second against the cur-
rent backdrop of partic-
ular, historic and largely
white-induced hyper-
individualism that is
drowning the world and
casting a future with much
uncertainty and anxiety.
As the second act of
“Opera COVID” plays out,
the uber self-centeredness,
the classic American self-
ishness of anti-vaxxers con-
tinues to stump me, particu-
larly because their decision
has no grounding in logic or
common sense.
Is this what our frontline
health care providers are
sacrifi cing their own lives
for? Simple childish obsti-
nacy? Or is it rather as I
suspect — they are willing
to sacrifi ce everyone else
on earth so that their own,
cherished ideological child
survives the dominant alien
onslaught above all others?
Have we “Americans” bun-
kered down with a fallout
shelter mentality toward
each other? You come for
the last can of pork and
beans on earth and I’ll
shoot you?
Another Abraham,
this one surnamed Lin-
coln, to someone who
was requesting a prayer
that “God might be on
the Union side to win the
war,” responded wisely
and adroitly, “Sir, I am not
really concerned about
whether God is on our side.
I am very concerned we are
on God’s side.”
One theologian puts it
like this, “It is diffi cult to
stand on God’s side. Per-
haps that is why we are so
often tempted to believe
that God stands on ours.”
For bona fi de Christians,
there can only be one side.
The Gospel of ultimate
self-sacrifi ce — the greatest
good for the greater good
— draws a line in the sand
that cannot be breached.
———
The Rev. Matt Henry is
a retired American
Baptist/United Methodist
pastor, who pastored the
Pendleton First United
Church and now
joyfully makes “hippie
food” for the houseless at
the Warming Station.
WORDS OF THE BUDDHA
Irrigators direct the water. Fletchers fashion the
shaft. Carpenters bend the wood. The wise control
themselves.
— Dhammapada 6.80
You are your own master, you make your future.
Therefore discipline yourself as a horse-dealer trains a
thoroughbred.
— Dhammapada 25.380
Better than a thousand useless words is one useful
word, hearing which one attains peace.
— Dhammapada 8.100
Source: www.pariyatti.org
The Week Communities
Pledge to Stay Drug Free
GO TO UCSAFECOMMUNITES.ORG
TO LEARN MORE
Northeast Oregon Directory of Churches
Cove United
Methodist Church
1708 Jasper St., Cove, OR
North Powder
United
Methodist Church
390 E. St., North Powder, OR
JOIN US... Catch the Spirit!
First Christian
Church
(Disciples of Christ)
Worship
10:00 a.m.
~Join us at The Lord’s Table~
SUMMERVILLE
BAPTIST CHURCH
LA GRANDE UNITED
METHODIST CHURCH
A church for your whole family
Visit us at summervillebaptistchurch.org
The Place
62848 Philynda Loop in Island City
901 Penn Avenue 963-2623 “We are called to Serve”
lgdisciples@gmail.com
Worship: 9:00 a.m. Cove
Worship: 10:00 a.m. N. Powder
Sunday Services:
Sunday School & Adult Bible Classes
9:45AM
Children’s Church & Worship Service
11:00AM
Family Worship Service
6:00PM
Wednesday:
Prayer Mtg, Children’s Bible Club, Youth
Group 7:00PM
GRACE COMMUNITY
LUTHERAN CHURCH
Sunday School for all ages - 9:00 am
Sunday Worship 10:00 am
Phone: 541-568-4230
grace.lutherancove@gmail.com
www.lagrandeumc.org
www.imblercc@gmail.com
Sunday Services
9:00 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
Sunday School
Worship Service
La Grande Seventh-day
A Place where hope is found in Jesus
Join us in Fellowship & Worship
Saturday all age classes 9:30 am
Saturday Worship 11:00 am
1612 4th Street – 963-2498
For service information go to
440 Ruckman, Imbler 534-2201
Adventist Church
“OPEN HEARTS, OPEN MINDS, OPEN DOORS”
Pastor Taylor Gould
Imbler
Christian
Church
2702 Adams Avenue, La Grande
963-4018
109 18th Street • 963-3402
Sunday School 9:15 a.m.
Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m.
lagrandeor.adventistchurch.org
Learning for Today and Eternity
Little Friends
Christian Preschool/Childcare 963-6390
La Grande Adventist Christian School
K-8th Grade 963-6203
FIRST LANDMARK
MISSIONARY BAPTIST
CHURCH
1812 1st St. La Grande
Pastor Dave Tierce • 541-605-0215
We use the King James Version Bible
Sunday School - 10:00 am
Worship 11:00 am
Sunday Evening Bible Study - 3:00 pm (Effective June 10)
Wednesday Evening - 6:30 pm
“Where you can find TRUTH according to the scriptures”
www.flmbclagrande.com
Services
This
Week