Spiritual Life
A6
Thursday, April 14, 2022
SPIRITUAL LIFE HIGHLIGHTS
Ecumenical Good Friday
service features dramatic
reading, music, prayer,
drum and dance
SUBMISSIONS
LA GRANDE — An ecu-
menical worship service on
Good Friday, April 15, begins at
6:30 p.m. at the United Methodist
Church. The gathering features a
dramatic reading of the Passion
Story with music, prayer, drum
and dance. The service is spon-
sored by the La Grande United
Methodist, Zion Lutheran, First
Presbyterian, First Christian and
St. Peter’s Episcopal churches. The
public is invited to attend.
He is risen — celebrate
Christ’s resurrection
IMBLER — The Imbler Chris-
tian Church on Easter Sunday,
April 17, will celebrate Christ’s
resurrection. Beginning at 10 a.m.,
the service will feature special
praise music, an uplifting Easter
message and an Easter egg hunt
for children.
Easter communion
service planned
LA GRANDE — Easter
Sunday, April 17, will be cele-
Churches and faith-based groups are
encouraged to submit Highlights for the
Spiritual Life page by noon Tuesday for
publication Thursday. Submit by email
to news@lagrandeobserver.com (with
Highlights in the subject line).
brated at St. Peter’s Episcopal
Church at 11 a.m. with a com-
munion service. Fellowship will
follow in the church hall. Masks
are still required at this time.
Union church off ers three
services and a brunch
UNION — The Union Bap-
tist Church has three services
planned around Easter to celebrate
the Risen Christ. A Good Friday
service on April 15 begins at
6:30 p.m. at the church. On Easter
Sunday, April 17, a sunrise ser-
vice will be held at the Union City
Park at 6:30 a.m. At 9:15 a.m. on
Easter, a potluck brunch begins at
9:15 a.m. in the church’s fellow-
ship hall. All are welcome to bring
a potluck dish to share and join in
the fellowship. An Easter worship
service follows at 11 a.m.
We need reminders of what
God has already said
Easter service will be
livestreamed
LA GRANDE — Gatherings at
Faith Lutheran Church for Passion
Week include a Maundy Thursday
service at 6:30 p.m. April 14 and
a Good Friday Tenebrae service
at 6:30 p.m. April 15. On Easter
Sunday, April 17, a sunrise service
at 7 a.m. and a worship service at
10 a.m. will celebrate the resurrec-
tion of the Lord.
“Maundy” is a Latin word
meaning “mandate.” On the night
Jesus was betrayed (a Thursday
night), he washed his disciples’
feet and said, “just as I have loved
you, you also are to love one
another” (John 13:34). He also
gave the mandate to “take, eat
and drink” as he instituted the
Lord’s Supper.
“Tenebrae” is a Latin word
for “darkness.” The darkness of
Jesus’ death on Friday brought
the good of divine forgiveness for
humankind.
For Easter, the sermon will use
Luke 12:1-11 in which the angels
reminded the women at the tomb
what Christ had told them. We
need regular reminders of what
God has already said.
LA GRANDE — Zion
Lutheran Church meets for wor-
ship on Easter Sunday, April 17,
at 9 a.m. Masks are not required,
though are recommended for
those at risk. The service will
include Holy Communion and
will be followed by a time of fel-
lowship. The service will also be
streamed live to YouTube, and the
link for that stream will be posted
on Zion’s Facebook page and
website on April 16.
Tabernacle Choir and
Orchestra broadcast Easter
performance
EASTERN OREGON — The
Church of Jesus Christ of Lat-
ter-Day Saints wards will hold
special Easter Sunday celebra-
tions of Christ’s atonement and
resurrection during the April
17 Sacrament service in each
ward. Two one-hour services, at
9 a.m. and at noon, are off ered at
the church buildings on Gekeler
Lane in La Grande, on McAl-
ister Road in Island City and on
Hughes Lane in Baker City. Ser-
vices in Union, Elgin, Enterprise,
Halfway and John Day start at
10 a.m. There is also a singles
group that meets at 11:30 a.m. in
La Grande and another ward that
meets at 10:30 a.m. in Baker City.
Also on Easter, a special per-
formance of the Tabernacle Choir
and Orchestra at Temple Square
will be broadcast at 9 a.m. (PDT).
Visit www.churchofjesuschrist.
org/comeuntochrist to learn more.
The “Come, Follow Me”
lesson for the week of April 18 is
based on Exodus 18-20 and will
focus on the need for us to do the
Lord’s work, to make and keep
sacred covenants, and to put the
Lord fi rst in our lives.
Special music highlights
Easter service
LA GRANDE — First Chris-
tian Church (Disciples of Christ)
will celebrate Easter Sunday,
April 17, at 10:30 a.m. with spe-
cial music and refl ection on
the Easter story. Pastor Archie
Hook’s message comes from
Matthew 28:6: “He is not here;
he has risen, just as he said.”
There will be an Easter egg hunt
held for the children during the
worship service.
Her devotion must have spoken to his lonely soul
DONALD
BASTIAN
JUST CALL ME
PASTOR
A
t a dinner a couple
miles from Jeru-
salem, Jesus was
the guest of honor. The
sisters Martha and Mary
and their brother, Lazarus,
whom Jesus had raised
from the tomb, were there.
The group was completed
by Jesus’ 12 disciples.
The meal was being
served six days before
Passover when crowds
would fl ood Jerusalem
and the surrounding area.
Passover was the main
Jewish feast of the year
and the city was already
beginning to stir in
expectation.
The table posture of
the guests would not fi t
our style today — they
reclined on low-lying
couches, resting on their
left elbow and receiving
and eating with their
right hand.
Into the room Mary
carried a pint of very spe-
cial ointment imported
from India, worth nearly
a year’s wages. Before the
guests realized what was
happening, she broke its
seal and, as the Gospel of
John says, poured its con-
tent lavishly on Jesus’ feet.
She then used her hair to
wipe up the excess, fi lling
the room with a pleasing
fragrance.
Judas, the disciple
who would betray Jesus
just days later, erupted in
indignation, “Why wasn’t
this perfume sold and
the money given to the
poor?” On the surface this
sounded like a good ques-
tion. But we know today
that Judas’ interest was
the money itself: He was
a thief.
Jesus came to Mary’s
defense. “Leave her
alone,” he said. “It was
intended that she should
save this perfume for the
day of my burial.”
They must have all
wondered, “my burial”?
Though he had tried to
forewarn his disciples of
his coming death, none
of them was thinking of
funerals. After all, he was
a young man, about 33,
and in good health.
Although Jesus likely
entered fully into the
social exchanges at the
table, he knew that he
was marked for a very
cruel death and unspeak-
able anguish as the world’s
sin-bearer.
One can suppose that,
however vaguely, Mary
may have sensed that the
time for displays of devo-
tion were coming to an
end, prompting her to
seize the moment to pour
out her devotion in this
extravagant way.
Jesus also halted the
clamor by saying, “You
will always have the poor
among you, but you will
not always have me.” This
seemed to be an acknowl-
edgment that her percep-
tion of trouble ahead was
accurate.
When Matthew and
Mark tell this story they
add these words of Jesus:
“I tell you the truth, wher-
ever the gospel is preached
throughout the world,
what she has done will
also be told, in memory
of her.”
Mary made a gesture of
extravagant devotion at a
time when the world was
set to reject Jesus, his dis-
ciples to forsake him, and
Roman soldiers to torture
and kill him. Her devotion
must have spoken to his
lonely soul.
Jesus said to those at
table with him, “She has
done what she could.”
And, “She has done a
beautiful thing.” The
account gives us occasion
to measure our own love
for the Lord Jesus Christ
as Easter approaches.
█
Donald N. Bastian, of Ontario,
Canada, is the bishop emeritus
of the Free Methodist Church of
North America. For more of his
writings, go to justcallmepastor.
wordpress.com.
Good Friday Service
April 15th at 7 pm
Easter Day Service April 17th
Breakfast 8 am to 9:30 am
Church service at 10 am
Grace Community Lutheran Church
At The Place
62848 Philynda Loop, Island City
Grande Ronde Hospital & Clinics proudly welcomes
Andrew Oh, MD—Neurologist
“Some of us seem to face more than our fair share of life's challenges.
Having a neurological condition is certainly a challenge, but having a
neurological condition is also more common than you might think. Worldwide
about 1 in 6 persons suffer from at least one neurological disorder. Although
I'm a specialist, I specialize in problems that are widespread among us.
My goal as your neurologist will be to find the underlying cause of the neurolog-
ical symptoms that bother you, and do whatever possible to ameliorate their
effects. Not all neurological conditions are treatable but I always focus on trying
to find the treatable ones and minimizing their effects.”
Dr. Oh’s Professional interests: Migraine, dizziness and vertigo,
general neurology, neuroimaging.
Dr. Oh’s Personal interests: Family time, dogs, cats,
and tinkering in the shed.
Please help us welcome Dr. Oh and his Family to our Community!!
GRH Neurology Clinic
GRH.org — 700 Sunset Drive — 541.963.1919
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!
Worship: 9:00 a.m. Cove
Worship: 10:00 a.m. N. Powder
SUMMERVILLE
BAPTIST CHURCH
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
A church for your whole family
Visit us at summervillebaptistchurch.org
First Christian
Church
(Disciples of Christ)
GRACE COMMUNITY
LUTHERAN CHURCH
The Place
901 Penn Avenue 963-2623 62848 Philynda Loop in Island City
lgdisciples@gmail.com
“We are called to Serve”
Bible Study
Sunday School for all ages - 9:00 am
9:00 a.m.
Sunday Worship 10:00 am
Worship
Phone: 541-568-4230
10:30 a.m.
grace.lutherancove@gmail.com
~Join us at The Lord’s Table~
Sunday Services
9:00 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
Sunday School
Worship Service
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
www.lagrandeumc.org
www.imblercc@gmail.com
Adventist Church
“OPEN HEARTS, OPEN MINDS, OPEN DOORS”
For service information go to
440 Ruckman, Imbler 534-2201
La Grande Seventh-day
LA GRANDE UNITED
METHODIST CHURCH
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