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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (April 8, 2009)
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 8,2009 - THREE Easter messages from area pastors The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! “Be still and know that I am God” This ancient Easter greeting announces an event that reshaped life as we know i t ... an event that revealed a God who can pluck life out o f the darkness o f death. This earth-shattering news has become an old familiar rerun for many, but you are invited to hear this message new, for you. Has your Lord risen? When Mary came to the tomb that first Easter morning and found it empty, she could not recognize Jesus when he appeared to her because she had come looking for a dead body. Her own expectations blinded her, until Jesus called her by name. Only then could she say: “I have seen the Lord!” When we come in search of the meaning of life, when we apply ourselves to the study o f religion, philoso phy, and the great books of faith, when we try hard to live a good life, we find that none o f those things are able to satisfy our deepest need. All of it is merely searching for a dead body until Jesus himself comes to us through the Holy Spirit and calls us by name — through the Word of God and the water o f baptism, claiming our hearts as his own and calling us to new life as a child o f God. Are you able to listen, like a child, to some good news? Jesus may be calling you right now in an unex pected way— through family conflict, through a passing headline, a significant loss, an old friend—doing whatever it takes to get your attention, to break open the tomb o f your heart, and fill that empty space with his Spirit. From this call o f Christ— this Word that reaches into us through the Spirit— faith is bom; faith is renewed. For “faith comes from what is heard,” Paul writes, “and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17) As we turn toward Jesus and the gift o f faith he offers us, we receive the gift o f sight as well. We recognize what it is w e’re seeing in this Easter story: this resurrection victory is for us. We are the ones redeemed from bondage to sin, reclaimed as heirs o f eternal life with Christ, and called to serve a boundless God— a God who brings life out o f the jaws o f death, who turns weeping into joy, who loves us beyond measure, who has erased our sin through the death of his Son. May you grow into a faith strong enough to say out loud to those who haven’t heard it yet: 1 have seen the Lord! He is at work among us! My Lord is risen indeed! Before the Christmas season each year I am very conscious o f the chaos that will commence and 1 work to protect myself from it. I know the hustle and bustle o f it all has the potential to make me forget to take time to be with God and I work to make sure that 1 find time to reflect on the Christ story. But during Lent and Easter I admit to being less vigilant in my effort to guard against the busyness. It seems to have taken me by surprise again this year. The chaos o f life has successfully distracted me from God and 1 know that if it is true for me, a person who must sit down with the Bible repeatedly during a week’s time, it is probably true for many o f you as well. 1 am reminded o f the words of God in Psalm 46, “Be still and know that 1 am God.” Be still... what won derful permission. In the simplicity of this statement I get a reprieve from worrying about how to get people from here to there, packing up to move across the street, in-law s visiting, or my Easter sermon. What a gift! It is here that I find new life. It is here that I find my own sense o f resurrection. It is enough for God for me to simply be still. May it also be enough for me. Pastor Katy Anderson Valby Lutheran Church Some good news We have all heard a lot o f bad news today. Here is some really good news: The Son o f God became a man, so that men could become the sons and daughters of God. Jesus Christ died to provide salvation, and He was raised from the dead to show us that even death cannot separate us from Him. Have a blessed Resurrection Day. Chaplain Patti Smith Pioneer Memorial Home Health and Hospice Stacy Shelton lone Community Church Hope for lives Lent: A time of reflection, self-denial and repentance I want you to flash back to February 24. 2009, w hich was a Tuesday. It was a very special Tuesday in the Christian calendar year. You may have gone to the dinner All Saints Episcopal Church or you may hav e participated in a mardi gras celebration. In the universal Christian church, that Tuesday was Shrove Tuesday, the eve of Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of Lent. In the first century follow ing the first Easter, Lent w as a time of preparing the new converts for baptism and membership which occurred on Easter. Just prior to Easter, there was also a call lor all Christians to observe a fast beginning on Good Friday and ending on Easter. By the fourth century. Lent had been extended to include the 40 days prior to Easter, not counting Sundays, which were always considered little Easters and thus a feast day. Lent became a time o f reflection, self-denial and repentance. 1 am sure that many o f us hav e practiced a form of self-denial during these past few weeks either by refraining from eating a favorite food like chocolate or desserts, or adding prayer and Bible reading times to our daily schedule. 1 urge you to take your self-denial to a higher lev el by joining me in a fast from Friday at 3 p.m. until Sunday morning after the sunrise serv ice which is at 7 a.m. at the football stadium. The reason for this fast is found in Mat thew 9: 14-15. “One day the disciples o f John came to Jesus and asked, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?’ And Jesus said to them, 'The wed ding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is w ith them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast." In his book. Fasting, Scot M cknight writes that fasting is a natural response of a person to a grievous sa cred moment such as death, or the realization o f sin. It is thus fitting, I believe, to fast from the time o f Jesus' death (then ninth hour, which is 3 p.m.) until the realization by his disciples o f his resurrection. During this time of self-denial, let us reflect upon our sinful nature and God’s gift o f forgiv eness made pos sible through Jesus' self-sacrifice o f His life. I believe that such a fast - limiting your intake o f water and medica tions - will greatly enhance your celebration and feasting o f Easter. I inv ite you to our Tenebrae service on Good Friday at 7 p.m. and our Easter celebration on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. May you have a blessed Easter. Jesus our Christ is risen; He is risen indeed! The leaders o f the 20 most powerful nations of the world met in London. From their discussions a ray of hope emerged for the easing of the world economic crisis. As I look out the window of my office 1 see daffodils in bloom. Something in nature instructed them that it is time to bloom, that spring is here, and spring is a season of hope. Sunday will be Easter Sunday, the day o f the greatest hope offered to mankind. The death o f Jesus Christ on the cross on Good Friday seemed to be the end o f hope; instead it was the beginning o f the most powerful hope offered to all people. All o f us seem to be better able to cope with the difficulties o f life when we know that they will not last forever. People face serious surgery when they hope it w ill heal them. All o f us can face a long w inter when we know that spring will come. Our human spirit can endure and overcome many difficulties when we are blessed with the gift of hope. Naturally, Easter provided the greatest degree o f hope that our spirit needs. When Jesus rose from the dead, the fact was only revealed to a small group o f people. Initially, even His apostle? had difficulty believing, but in time they believed so strongly that they were ready and willing to sacrifice their lives for Him. Faith in the resurrection of Jesus is the foundation Jonathan Enz hope for eternal life. That hope helps us to cope with the Heppner United Methodist Church difficulties of life; it is a source o f inner peace for we know that life is stronger than death, love is stronger that fear. Just as the sun dispels the darkness, may the resurrection of Jesus brighten our lives with hope. Fr. Gerry Condon St. Patrick’s Catholic Church All Saints-Hope Lutheran St. William’s youth group spends spring break doing volunteer work churches list Holy Week schedule St. William’s youth tian atmosphere of dignity A service of confession will be held on Wednesday, April 8, at 7 p.m. at All Saints Episcopal Church, 460 N. Gale Street in Heppner. The Maundy Thursday service will be held at Hope Lutheran Church, 675 S. Alfalfa Street in Heppner, on Thursday, April 9, beginning at 7 p.m. at Hope Lutheran. The Good Friday service will be held at All Saints on Friday, April 10, beginning at 7 p.m. and tHfe Holy Saturday service will be held at All Saints on Saturday, April 11, at 10 a.m. ‘The Easter Sunday Eucharist will be held on Sun day, April 12, at 10 a.m. at Hope Lutheran. All are welcome to attend the services at All Saints and Hope Lutheran. Valby Lutheran Church announces Easter schedule Valby Lutheran Church will observe Good Fri day on April 10, with a service of darkness, lessons, and hymns at 7 p.m. Celebration o f the Resurrection on Easter Sunday, April 12, will begin with breakfast, which will be served beginning at 8:30 am. Easter festival worship w ith communion will begin at 10 a.m. (one hour later than usual). The regular Sunday schedule resumes on April 19, with worship at 9 a.m. All are invited to join in worship at this historic church in the middle o f wheat field roughly midway between lone, Heppner, and Condon, where spectacular views o f distant mountains blend with a rich tradition of singing G od’s praise. For directions or for more informa tion, call Pastor Katy Anderson at 989-8174. St Patrick’s Holy Week schedule Holy Thursday: 7 p. m. mass o f the institution the blessed Eucharist. Good Friday: 7 p.m. solemn commemoration the suffering and death o f Jesus. Holy Saturday: 7.30 p.m. Easter vigil: service light, Easter proclamation, liturgy o f the word, renewal baptismal promises, and celebration o f the Eucharist. Easter Sunday: 11 a.m. Easter mass. of group o f lone, plus a couple o f extras, traveled to Port land over spring break on a trip that combined service with just a bit o f fun. The group continued their com mitment to serving the less fortunate by volunteering to serve the evening meal at the St. Francis dining hall in Southeast Portland. St. Francis dining hall is operated by the St. Francis o f Assisi Parish. St. Francis is an urban parish in an industrial and residential neighborhood with a wel coming congregation and a special outreach to the poor and marginalized. The din ing hall has a staff consisting o f a director, two assistants and cook. The remainder of the work is accomplished by volunteers. Many of these volunteers are those who stay to have a meal because they are either homeless, jobless, underemployed, or at a time in their lives when they are down and out. Six days a w eek, the dining hall serves ap proximately 120 people an evening meal. Guests are treated with respect and serv ed a hot meal in a Chris and peace. The hall gives them a place to come in out of the weather, enjoy a book or magazine and socialize. The lone teens were given an overview o f the program prior to reporting to the hall for duty. They learned that St. Francis din ing hall gets many o f their supplies from the Oregon Food Bank, and due to the recession, supplies have been running low. They also receive donations from various grocery stores and food outlets. St. Francis, like many other facilities serv ing the poor, has become very creative with making the most of the food that comes their way. Shortly before five, the teens washed and gloved up. Food was dished up on trays and each student delivered two trays o f hot food to the tables at a time. They were all amazed at the efficiency o f the operation as the 100- plus diners were all served in about 10 min utes. Some other students poured ju ice and v isited w ith the guests. Once every one was served, the students helped with clean up. By of of of St. William’s Holy Week schedule Good Friday: 5 p.m. Stations o f the Cross. Easter Sunday: Easter mass. Pictured are: back row (L -R ) Beth Morter, Tie Shelton. O m ar Juarez. Marco Juarez, M a n Gates. Tyree Ssetich. Clay Morter. Dennisfkhmidt, and Alex Rietmann; front row (L -R ) Toon Orem and Steven Holland. Contributed Photo 5:45, the meal was served, the tables wiped down and the chairs stacked. T he e x p e r ie n c e , while brief, was eye-open ing for the youth. A fter seeing people with so little, some expressed a feeling o f remorse for spending money at the mall earlier. “ It makes you grateful for what you have," said Clay Morter. Overall the students found the serv ice opportunity to be worthwhile. “It makes you feel good to help others," said Dennis Schmidt. Following the ser- viee, the youth attended a Portland Trailblazer game and enjoyed sitting in the Rip City Row. The group consisted o f Clay and Beth Morter. Alex Rietmann, Marv Gates. Marco Juarez, Steven Hol land. O m ar Juarez, D en nis Schmidt, Toon Orem. Tyree Svetich and Tie Shel ton. Adult chaperones were Joe and Jeri MeElligott and Anne Morter. Senior Center Menu St. Patrick’s Parish members will be serv ing luneh on Wednesday, April 15. The menu will include Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies, apricots, rolls, chocolate peanut butter pudding. I
