Spiritual Life
A6
Thursday, August 18, 2022
SPIRITUAL LIFE HIGHLIGHTS
Neighbors gathering begins
with outdoor Communion
Ward services’ speakers to
focus on the covenant path
SUBMISSIONS
LA GRANDE — St. Peter’s
Epsicopal Church is hosting a
meet your neighbors worship and
lunch on Sunday, Aug. 21. All are
welcome at the gathering, which
will begin with an outdoor Com-
munion service at 10 a.m., fol-
lowed by lunch and games.
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).
Council meeting in which there
will be discussion on lighting and
curtains.
Message emphasizes
being known by Jesus
LA GRANDE — The sermon
at Faith Lutheran Church’s 10 a.m.
service on Sunday, Aug. 21, will
use Luke 13:22-29. In these verses
a person asked Jesus a perti-
nent question: “Lord, will those
who are saved be few?” (verse
23). In answer, Jesus emphasizes
the importance of being known
by him. To be known by Jesus is
to be taught by him (Jesus is the
Word of God) and to be close to
him as he gives of himself.
Following the Divine ser-
vice is Faith’s monthly Church
Women’s fellowship group
prepares for fall bazaar
LA GRANDE — Worship
begins at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday,
Aug. 21, at the First Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ).
Pastor Archie Hook will speak on
“Rebuilding the Temple,” drawn
from John 2:19-22.
The congregation’s Christian
Women’s Fellowship group is pre-
paring for its bazaar in November
with crafting workdays on
Thursday mornings at 9:30 a.m.
NORTHEASTERN OREGON
— This week at Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints wards,
speakers during Sacrament ser-
vices on Sunday, Aug. 21, will
be members of the La Grande
Stake High Council. They will
be speaking on Elder David A.
Bendar’s April 2022 Conference
talk, “We Heeded Them Not,”
in which he taught how we can
progress along the covenant path
through ordinances and cove-
nants while not heeding what the
wicked might say. Sunday school
meetings will be held during the
second hour.
The “Come, Follow Me” lesson
for the week of Aug. 22 is based
on select chapters from the Book
of Psalms. The main message of
this book is to “praise the Lord.”
The lesson also focuses on how
these scriptures point us to the
Lord and how the Lord will com-
fort and strengthen us. For lesson
details, download the free mobile
“Gospel Library” app or visit the
church website.
at 8 a.m. The chapel is at the Wal-
lowa County Park on the north
end of Wallowa Lake. Morning
prayer services are led by mem-
bers of the Wallowa County Ecu-
menical Ministry Society.
Sermon looks at ‘Keeping
the Sabbath’
LA GRANDE — Zion
Lutheran Church meets for wor-
ship on Sunday, Aug. 21, at 9 a.m.
The sermon, based on Isaiah
58:9b-14 and Luke 13:10-17, is
titled “Keeping the Sabbath.”
Holy Communion will be served,
and a time of fellowship will
follow the service.
The service will be streamed
live and also recorded for viewing
later. The link for those will be
posted to Zion’s Facebook page
and website on Aug. 20.
The Observer seeks local
spirituality content
LA GRANDE — The
Observer welcomes announce-
ments and photographs of local
faith-based events and activi-
ties for inclusion on the Spiritual
Life page. We also invite thoughts
and comments from community
members on spiritual matters. If
you would like to share how you
experience spirituality, email
lkelly@lagrandeobserver.com
or leave a message at 541-624-
6019. Ongoing monthly columns
and one-time submissions will be
considered. Columns are gener-
ally 500-600 words and include a
photo of the writer.
Morning prayer services
held at Wallowa Lake Chapel
WALLOWA LAKE VILLAGE
— The Wallowa Lake Chapel
announced that all are welcome to
“worship in the beauty of God’s
holiness” each Sunday in August
— The Observer
Program focuses Seek the sacred rhythm of work and rest
LAURA
on Jewish roots
ELLY HUDSON
of Christian faith
BELIEVING AND BECOMING
Presentation in
Elgin open to all
The Observer
ELGIN — David
Trubek, a representative of
Chosen People Ministries,
will speak at Elgin Har-
vester’s Nazarene Church
on Sunday, Aug. 21. The
program, “The Fall Feasts
of Israel,” will be fea-
tured during the 10:45 a.m.
worship service. A love
offering will be received.
Chosen People Minis-
tries was founded in 1894
by Leopold Cohn, a Hun-
garian rabbi who came
to believe that Jesus was
the Messiah of Israel.
From humble beginnings
in Brooklyn, New York,
Chosen People Ministries
has grown into a worldwide
ministry with outreach
centers in Argentina, Aus-
tralia, Canada, England,
France, Germany, Israel,
Mexico, Ukraine and the
United States, according to
a press release.
Throughout its long his-
tory, Chosen People Minis-
tries has been committed to
bringing the Gospel mes-
sage of salvation in Jesus
“to the Jew first and to the
Gentile” throughout the
world.
The release explained:
“In stressing the Jewish
roots of Christian faith,
Chosen People Ministries
hopes to make the mes-
sage of the Messiah more
accessible to Jewish people
and also to help Christian
believers achieve a greater
appreciation of the Jewish
basis of their own faith
traditions.”
The presentation in
Elgin is open to the public,
and Harvester’s Church
of the Nazarene invites
the Christian and Jewish
community to attend. For
more information call
541-437-3782.
ow much hammock time
have you enjoyed this
summer? Swinging in a ham-
mock, staring up at the sky, letting
your mind drift like the slow-moving
clouds: It is the epitome of sum-
mertime bliss. It’s the best way I’ve
found to be “idle and blessed,” as in
Mary Oliver’s poem “The Summer
Day.” Settling into a hammock, I
release all the pressing demands of
my life and just … rest.
The trouble is that summer is
nearly over, and I can count on one
hand the times I’ve actually enjoyed
our backyard hammock. Too often
I’ve stared at it wistfully before run-
ning off again to attend to a text, a
phone call or a child’s request. Other
times, I’ve just slipped into the ham-
mock when Hoagy Carmichael’s
“Lazybones” starts playing in my
mind: “Lazybones, sleeping in the
sun / How you ‘spect to get your
day’s work done?”
Who among us has permission
H
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to be lazy? I suspect your life is as
busy or more so than mine. In our
culture, hard work and productivity
are cardinal virtues. We brag about
our exhaustion as if it deserves a
medal of honor. Relentlessly driving
for more money, things, recognition,
influence and security, we lose any
sustainable rhythm of work and rest.
Scriptures cherished by Judaism
and Christianity include instruc-
tions first given to escaped slaves,
who knew too well how an existence
of endless work shrivels the soul.
“Remember the Sabbath and keep
it holy,” they were commanded by
God, who labored six days in cre-
ation, then took the seventh day to
rest and enjoy it. Shabbat means “to
cease,” to break from purposeful
work to delight in the full possibil-
ities of freedom in lives given by
God.
“And for want of rest, our lives
are in danger,” writes Wayne Muller.
Studies back this up. One in three
adults does not get enough sleep on
a regular basis, and one in 20 has
fallen asleep behind the wheel. Sleep
deprivation creates numerous health
concerns from high blood pressure
to heart attacks.
Our lack of rest not only has
public health but also ecological,
racial and social justice conse-
quences. Our economic system was
founded upon chattel slavery, cheap
labor and the extraction of fossil
fuels, and working some beings
to exhaustion to benefit a privi-
leged few is, frankly, still the norm.
Black and Brown-bodied people still
suffer the greatest lack of rest in this
system driving the entire globe to
exhaustion.
How, then, do you find time to
rest so that you can be well in body,
mind and spirit? And how do you
make space for others to rest, too?
There are no fixed rules; rest is a
spiritual practice. Let yourself recog-
nize how you’ve become captive to
the drive for more. Practice content-
ment by noticing with gratitude what
you already have. Finally, give your-
self permission to explore what feels
like rest to you, and find community
with others who seek to embody a
sacred rhythm of work and rest.
Maybe some hammock time will
be just the thing you need.
█
Laura Elly Hudson is co-pastor of the
La Grande First Presbyterian Church and founder of
Story Journey. You can find her at lauraellyhudson.
com.
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WORDS OF THE BUDDHA
Through countless births in the cycle of existence
I have run, not finding
although seeking the builder of this house;
and again and again I faced the suffering of new
birth.
Oh housebuilder! Now you are seen.
You shall not build a house again for me.
All your beams are broken,
the ridgepole is shattered.
The mind has become freed from conditioning:
the end of craving has been reached.
— Dhammapada 11.153-154
— www.pariyatti.org
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)
901 Penn Avenue 963-2623
lgdisciples@gmail.com
Bible Study
9:00 a.m.
Worship
10:30 a.m.
~Join us at The Lord’s Table~
Imbler
Christian
Church
www.imblercc@gmail.com
Sunday Services
9:00 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
Sunday School
Worship Service
Phone: 541-568-4230
grace.lutherancove@gmail.com
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
www.lagrandeumc.org
Sunday School for all ages - 9:00 am
Sunday Worship 10:00 am
Adventist Church
“OPEN HEARTS, OPEN MINDS, OPEN DOORS”
For service information go to
The Place
62848 Philynda Loop in Island City
440 Ruckman, Imbler 534-2201 “We are called to Serve”
LA GRANDE UNITED
METHODIST CHURCH
Pastor Roberta Smythe
GRACE COMMUNITY
LUTHERAN CHURCH
2702 Adams Avenue, La Grande
963-4018
109 18th Street • 963-3402
Sunday School 9:30 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
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