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