'Don 7 overlook the humble birth in a
tumultuous world'
As I sit doun at my computer to write this message, the sky has become
overcast and a few snowflakes are trying to fall. The temperature is around
35°. fa r her the sun shone and the skies were clear Last night the temperature
was 52° The weather seems unsettled and unsure o f what it should be
doing. Is it W inter, Fall or Spring'.’ It somehow doesn't seem like
Christmastim e.
Many people I have spoken with exhibit the same ambivalence the
weather seems to be demonstrating. Something seems out o f joint, off-balance,
not-quite-right. It has become almost commonplace to blame the events
o f September 11th and following for this mood o f portentous uncertainty
and unease. Commonplace as such observations may be, they are probably
accurate If the Christmas story teaches us anything, it is to look for the
truth about our lives in common places. The times now may very well
be pregnant with truths we need to hear about ourselves and our world.
But where shall we look for such truths? Should we voraciously scan
the news reports hoping to discern the hand o f God in current events?
Should we wrap ourselves in the comforting thought that our cause is
just and ignore the possible consequences o f national policies? Should
we raise money for refugees and orphans, but never learn to pronounce
their names or the names o f their homelands? What are we to make o f
the events and headlines o f the year 2001'.’ Where and for what should
we look?
Charles Swindoll suggests that we look for a moment at the events
of another momentous year: 1809. The international scene was tumultuous.
Napoleon was sweeping through Austria; blood was flowing freely. Nobody
then cared about babies. But the world was overlooking some terribly
significant births.
For example, William Gladstone was bom that year. He was destined
to become one of England's finest statesman. That same year, Alfred Tennyson
was bom to an obscure minister and his wife. The child would one day
greatly affect the literary world in a marked manner. On the American
continent, Oliver Wendell Holmes was bom in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
And not far away in Boston, Edgar Allan Poe began his eventful, albeit
tragic, life. It was also in that same year that a physician named Darwin
and his wife named their child Charles Robert. And that same year produced
the cries o f a newborn infant in a rugged log cabin in Hardin County,
Kentucky. The baby's nam e? Abraham Lincoln.
If there had been news broadcasts at that time, I'm certain these words
would have been heard: "The destiny o f the world is being shaped on
an Austrian battlefield today." But history was actually being shaped in
the cradles o f England and America. Similarly, everyone thought taxation
was the big news - when Jesus was born. But a young Jewish woman
cradled the biggest new s o f all: the birth o f the Savior.
So where do we look? While the headlines focus upon the activities
o f governments, presidents, prime ministers, generals and intelligence
operatives, the scriptures suggest that we need to look for God’s activity
in the com m on places, in common hearts and ordinary lives.
As I write these closing words, the weather has changed again. Twenty
miles away the weather is different from where I sit. The winds o f politics
and history will also continue to shift as well. But one thing will remain
constant: the light will continue to shine forth from humble places.
May we turn our faces toward that light: Jesus Christ. The light still
shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.
It's suddenly beginning to feel more like Christmas.
-The Rev. Craig S. Strobel
Heppner Christian Church
'Through The Eyes O f A Child'
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping
watch over their (locks at night. An angel o f the Lord appeared to them,
and the glory o f the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of
great joy that w ill be for all the people. Today in the town o f David a
Savior has been bom to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign
to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company o f the heavenly host appeared with the angel,
praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace
to men on whom his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone
into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let’s go to Bethlehem
and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was
lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning
w hat had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed
at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things
and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and
praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just
as they had been told. (Luke 2:8-20 NIV)
I have been taking some classes for further education and my professor
remarked about this passage out o f Luke. He noted that it was not the
wise men who saw Jesus from the first but some shepherds out in the
field, keeping their sheep He pondered on the significance o f what is
w ritten in the Gospel o f Luke. He then remarked to the class something
I think we adult and educated folks need to hear. He said, "The common
man and the uneducated and the children have beat the wise and the educated
and the great people o f the world to Jesus. After we find out that the hope,
joy. and peace o f life are not in greatness or education or wealth, we find
our way to Jesus and there are the children and uneducated and common
people who new better than we were to find the reason for the season.
The Bible says in Galatians, "...but when the time had fully come,
God sent his Son. bom o f a virgin," Many wise people have spoken and
said, "W hat a quaint little story for children, but we are wise and know
that no help comes from the child.” Only to discover that the only help
did and has come from Jesus. This Christmas I hope that each one o f us
would take a fresh look at the child and maybe look close with not the
eyes o f our wealth, education, or greatness but with the wonder o f a child
at discovering the greatest gift God could give. I hope and pray that each
o f you would have a very wonderful Christmas and a happy new year
And may the love o f Jesus be found in both for you.
-Pastor Andrew Johnson
All Saints Episcopal/Hope and
Valby Lutheran Churches
'Look to Jesus, not Santa, to fulfill
God's promises'
Before I get started let me begin by saying "hello” to everyone within
the Morrow County area I am Pastor Laura Snyder, and 1 am serving
Valby Lutheran Church, All Saints Episcopal Church and Hope Lutheran
Church. So, if you see a new face in the area it just might be mine.
Just last Friday night I drove into Heppner with my U-Haul having
traveled from Dubuque, Iowa. Needless to say, during the trip I had a
lot o f time to think. There really isn't much to do of see between Iowa
and Oregon and the scenic void had to be filled with something - anything!
So, because it is almost Christmas I gave a lot o f thought to the upcoming
holiday season. Xhis wasn't because o f any piety on my own part, but
because numerous radio stations were playing Christmas songs. It is quite
hard to think o f anything other than Christmas when Bruce Springsteen
is singing "Santa C laus is Com ing to Town."
What became apparent during my travels is that somehow Santa has
replaced Jesus in our lives. Most o f the Christmas songs sing about Santa
coming into the world spreading Christmas cheer and peace on earth.
Granted, this isn't a profound thought, or even a new thought for that
matter, but let me add a twist to the plot. Santa isn't just an advertising
ploy for a materialistic society, but Santa has moved to the role o f savior.
This jolly old man in a red suit brings peace to all the earth by delivering
presents to those who have been nice all year. In doing this Santa promotes
happiness and good will towards all.
For some reason it is easier to place our hope in a fable that only promises
one night o f very conditional gifts for good behavior; rather than the God
who gives us unconditional love and forgiveness. The gift God gives us
is with us always in the birth o f God's only Son, the baby Jesus, which
is why the Gospel o f John tells us that "God so loved the world that God
gave God's only Son." The birth o f Jesus is the only gift that can and does
fulfill the promises that we look to Santa for. Jesus is peace on earth and
good will towards all. So with that have a very merry Christmas and a
wonderful holiday season.
-Pastor Laura Snyder
St. Patrick’s and St. William’s
Catholic Churches
'Holy Day or Holiday?'
Perhaps we have all come to expect that immediately after Thanksgiving
there will be a consum er bonanza. The stores expect it, and they begin
their Christmas advertising and sales. Great bargains are offered to encourage
people to get started. Christmas music is played on t.v. shows, in stores;
the t.v. shows build stones around Chnstmas; people decorate their homes
with lights, the atmosphere becomes festive as Santa Claus roams everywhere.
The holiday spirit becomes so prevalent that we could easily lose sight
o f the Holy Day we want to celebrate. Perhaps by the time C hristm as
arrives, the carols have ceased to be meaningful for us. Consequently,
some people think that consumensm has taken over and the real significance
o f C hristm as lost. It need not be so.
When we see the nativity scene we can recall that St. Francis put
a living creche (cradle) together with live people and animals in 1223.
His intention was to celebrate the incarnation in a special way. He wanted
people to remember that the Christ Child had been bom in Bethlehem.
So also for us, as we look upon that scene, we can recall the goodness
o f God who gave his Son to mankind. That scene can conjure up for us
thoughts o f the infinite love o f Jesus for each one. So, the commercialism
and the multiplication o f nativity scenes could be a powerful reminder
to us o f the real meaning o f Christmas, not just on Sunday at Church,
but in stores and streets
When we see Santa Claus we could recall that he emerged in popular
culture from St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas was a bishop o f Myra in the fourth
century. He was reputed to be kindly and a giver o f gifts to others, especially
to children. The custom o f giving gifts comes from the gifts brought by
the Magi to the Christ Child. So, when we give gifts we might want to
be aware that we are giving a gift to someone who is a child o f God. The
gift that we give could be a gift from the heart - a book, video, magazine
that will be inspiring to the receiver; the gift o f forgiveness to someone
from whom we have been alienated; the gift o f encouragement to someone
who is depressed.
The beauty o f the HOLY DAY o f Christmas is that it does not end
o f the 25th o f December. Rather December 25th is the beginning. It is
the beginning o f a new focus on life, a life inspired by our Savior.
-Fr. Gerry Condon.
Heppner Christian Missionary
Fellowship
'God is with us even in a time o f
darkness'
The Holiday Season is here again. The lights are up, the people are
busy getting their shopping done. Homes are filled with the sm ells o f
Chnstm as baking and songs. It's a time o f loving and giving. All because
o f Jesus, Emanuel, God with us!
Even in this time o f darkness, a time o f war. He is the light that lights
our lives. He is an ever-present help in the time o f trouble. He is our hiding
place.
If you do not know Him ...Today is the day o f salvation. If you will
seek Him with all o f your heart you will find Him. If we confess our sins.
He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unnghteousness. He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly
May each o f you have a Wonderful C hns’mas and may all o f us in
Heppner be mindful o f His love. For God so loved the world, that He
gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him, should not
perish but have everlasting life.
-Pastor Lynda L. Crane
lone United Church of Christ
'Daring to Hear the Christmas Story'
I love to see the little angels in the Chnstmas programs. On the scale
of cuteness, they are second only to the occasional wayward lambs. I love
to see the young Mary and Joseph, and there is something profoundly
beautiful about heanng young voices successfully negotiate the old language
and adult-oriented concepts o f the Christmas story. Someday, perhaps,
they will grow into the mature faith which is represented in the strange
words they memorize.
In the story that wc have the children tell, the ongmal main characters
were mostly adults, except perhaps some young shepherds doing adult
work on the night shift, the mother who was barely more than a child,
and the infant in the manger The story took place on a winter's night
in the unheated places o f an overcrowded town, and in the open fields
o f the surrounding countryside, not in the comfort o f a heated sanctuary.
The Chnstm as stones in the Bible do not say what the angels looked like.
beyond saying that the glory o f the Lord shone around them. I imagine
them not as cute but as strong, beautiful and magnificent, fhey inspired
fear and awe, not sm iles and "awww..".
It is reassunng to hear the traditional words recited by different children
each year as they grow into their parts. For an evening, the world seems
like it is as it should be, and as it always has been.
Yet those same words point to the birth o f Christ as an event w hich
changes the world forever, and as the beginning o f the transform ation
o f our own lives. Simeon praised God when he saw the child, and said,
"My eyes have seen your salvation!" He then said to Mary, "Behold, this
child is set for the fall and nsing o f many in Israel (and a sword will pierce
through your own soul also), that thoughts out o f many hearts will be
revealed." How would you like to hear those words spoken to you, as
you hold your child?
If we dare to listen fully and hear the Christmas story as the awesome
news that God is taking the essential part in the human story- and therefore
in the story o f our own lives- then perhaps we will comprehend the strength
and the necessity o f the words o f God's magnificent messengers:
"Do not be afraid, for I am bringing you good news o f great joy for
all the people, to you is bom this day in the city o f David a Savior, who
is Christ the Lord!"
-The Rev. Paul Clay
Heppner Nazarene Church
'St. Nicholas embodies the spirit o f
giving'
Recently I was contemplating the events o f the Christmas season.
It seems that our culture has become very com m ercialized with sales,
buying frenzies, decorating blitzes, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and
Santa Claus. Oh, yes I know that we all adore Santa. But what happened
to original foundation for the Chnstmas season'.’ What effect and influences
has it made upon us and our culture?
For thousands o f years prophets had been foretelling about the birth
o f the savior Jesus Chnst. In the Bible the story is told about this special
event. Why don't you find your Bible, dust it off, and read the book o f
Luke chapters 1 and 2.
Now back to my onginal thought. L'pon deciding to learn more about
Santa Claus, I found this story o f St. Nicholas. By the way, St. Nicholas
and Santa Claus are one and the same person and, the word "Santa" means
"holy". Here is the story...
St. Nicholas was a fourth century saint who inspired our modem figure
o f Santa Claus. He was bom near Myra, a port on the Mediterranean Sea.
Nicholas came from one o f the city's wealthy merchant families, but
he was not spoiled by his family's wealth. His mother and father taught
him to be generous to others, especially those in need. So Nicholas, came
to see that helping others m akes one richer in life than anything else.
One day, by chance, Nicholas heard about a rich man in Myra who
lost all his money when his business failed. The man had three lovely
daughters, all wishing to get married, but he had no money for their marriage.
Besides, who would marry them, he thought, since their father is such
a failure? With nothing jo eat, the man in desperation decided to sell one
o f his daughters into slavery. At least then the rest o f them might survive.
That night before the first daughter was tofle sold, Nicholas; w ith
a small bag o f gold in his hand, softly approached their house and, tossing
the gold through an open window, and quickly vanished into the darkness.
The next morning, the father found a bag o f gold lying on the floor
next to his bed. He had no idea where it came from. "Maybe it’s counterfeit,"
he thought. But as he tested it, he knew it was real. He went over the list
o f his friends and business associates. None o f them could possibly have
given him this.
The poor man fell to his knees and great tears came to his eyes. He
thanked God for this beautiful gift. His spirits rose higher than they had
been for a long time because someone had been so unexpectedly good
to him. He arranged for his first daughter's wedding and there was enough
money left for the rest o f them to live for almost a year. Often he wondered:
who gave them the gold?
But by the end o f the year, the family again had nothing, and the father,
again desperate and seeing no other way open, decided that one o f his
daughters must be sold. But Nicholas, hearing about it, came by night
to their window and tossed in another bag o f gold as before. The next
morning the father rejoiced, and, thanking God, begged His pardon for
losing hope. Who, though, was the mysterious stranger giving them such
a gift?
Each night afterwards the father watched by the window. As the year
passed their money ran out. In the dead o f one night he heard quiet steps
approaching his house and suddenly a bag o f gold fell onto the floor.
The father quickly ran out to catch the one who threw it there. He caught
up with Nicholas some distance away and recognized him, for the young
man came from a well-known family in the city.
"Why did you give us the gold?" the father asked.
"Because you needed it," Nicholas answered.
"But why didn't you let us know who you were?" the man asked again.
"Because it's good to give and have only God know about it."
When the bishop o f Myra died, the priests and leading people o f the
city, along with the neighboring bishops, came together in their cathedral
to select a new bishop. They prayed and asked God to point out who it
would be. In a dream, God said to one o f them that they should all pray
together the next morning. Someone would come through the cathedral
door as they prayed. He should be their choice.
It was Nicholas who entered the cathedral the next morning. Immediately,
the people o f the city named him their bishop, for they knew that this
unassuming person, whose good deeds they had learned about, was meant
by God to lead them.
As bishop o f Myra, Nicholas seemed more aware than ever of people's
needs. He would appear all over the city offering help to anyone in difficulty,
then quietly disappear without waiting for thanks. He shunned publicity.
Still, his reputation as a holy man grew and grew, even spreading to distant
cities that had never seen him.
He was especially interested that families had enough to eat and a
good place to live, that children got ahead in life, and that old people
lived out their lives with dignity and respect. And he always loved the
sailors living so dangerously on the sea. W ithout their ships, people
everywhere would be without food and other goods they earned for trade
Yet it is as a lover o f children that Nicholas is best remembered today.
While he lived, he gave the little ones he met small g ifts - some candy,
a toy His kindness, which always managed to surprise them, touched
their hearts, and they learned from this holy man what a beautiful thing
giving is.
It's in the figure o f Santa Claus, whose name and activity Nicholas
inspired that we have this saint still with us today.
Merry Christm as
-The Rev. Duane Jones