FOUR
- Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon
Wednesday, April 4,2012
Messages of Easter inspiration ...
“A little further”
Picture, if you will, a
huge hall, perhaps a the
ater o f some sort. There
is a crowd there but it is
strangely quiet, almost like
they are in fear or mourn
ing. From a distance you
can just barely hear the
clattering of some someone
running and some yelling.
As the footfalls draw closer
the yelling gets louder. At
last a lone figure appears
at the top of the stairs and
you hear him yelling, “The
enemy has been defeated!
The enemy has been de
feated!”
As the meaning sinks
in, the noise in the hall
grows; the cheering be
comes almost deafening.
“The enemy has been
defeated!" The truth begins
to sink in. “The enemy has
been defeated! Death could
not hold Him!”
Just as he promised,
Jesus has risen.
This is the best docu
mented truth in history,
yet a lot of the world still
resides in that darkened
room. Where are you? Are
you in the darkened room
in mourning or fear, or are
you in the thundering crowd
celebrating the victory?
We are entering the
most significant season
on the Christian calendar.
Most of the country calls
it the Easter season. 1 still
prefer to call it Resurrec
tion Sunday. This is the
turning point of all history.
Many people will celebrate
or honor it by attending a
sunrise service; many oth
ers will make it a point to
attend a local church for
morning worship services.
However you choose to
honor this day, I am sure
most will hear some form
of the Easter story, includ
ing the common verses and
stressing the empty tomb.
This year, one verse really
took on special significance
for me. It actually takes
place the night before Jesus
is crucified. It takes place in
the garden of Gethsemane
just prior to Jesus being
arrested.
M atthew 26:36-39:
“Then Jesus went with his
followers to a place called
Gethsemane. He said to
them, ‘Sit here and pray.’
Then He told Peter, James,
and John to come with him.
Jesus began to be troubled.
He said to Peter and the
other two, ‘My Heart is
troubled and breaking, stay
here with me and pray.’
Then Jesus walked a little
farther away from them, he
fell down and prayed...”
(NCV).
What a powerful pic
ture, what a powerful in
vitation. Jesus invited his
closest friends to come a
little further, to share a little
deeper.
“ And He went on a
little further, and fell on
His face, and prayed....”
(KJV).
Have you ever felt God
calling you “a little further”
with Him? It is those times
when He is connecting with
one can do that for me. He
reminds me to look to Him
alone, to please Him and
not people.
You see, when it is only
God and you, you are more
apt to face your pride and
your sins. With everyone
else, we argue these things
away and look wonderful
and smile. But when we are
all alone before God, we
face ourselves, and cleans
ing will take place. We be
come less phony the more
we are with the Lord.
Is God calling you “a
little further" today? Our
Heavenly Father is com
pletely faithful and entirely
trustworthy. He is standing
with His strong and loving
arms opened wide asking
you to take steps of faith
in your walk with Him.
Though the place you step
may be unfamiliar, remem
ber He has gone before
you. He wants you to see
more of Him - His flawless
character and His amazing
love. He has a heart full
of treasures to unearth for
you.
If He is beckoning you
to go “a little further” with
Him, prayerfully trust Him
as He leads you forward.
Isaiah41:13,“Fori am
the Lord your God, who
takes hold of your right
hand, and says to you, ‘Do
not fear, for I will help
you’” (NIV).
you so personally and so
deeply, and gently calling
you to go further in your
relationship with Him.
These places of ‘ further
still with God’ are places
where it’s just you and Him
as He beckons you to step
into deeper levels of inti
macy and trust. As you pray
and search His scriptures,
you listen for and hear His
still, small voice. During
these “ further still” sea
sons with God, He matures
your faith, broadens your
trust, and reveals intimate
treasures from His heart to
yours. It’s a beautiful time
when you crave less of the
world and more of Him.
I have been in one of
those “a little further” sea
sons with God recently.
He has called me out of
my comfort zone into un
familiar places. 1 have to
trust that these places are
prepared and safe or he
would not be calling me
there. Just as He required
bravery of Joshua in the Old
Testament, He calls us to
bravely trust Him, too.
During this time, He
has also been calling me
to lift my head and fix my
eyes upon Him alone. My
wife lovingly gives advice
and insight to me, and fel
low Christians pray on my
behalf. I am so thankful
for my family and friends,
yet I know that as God
calls me “ further still,” Kevin L Hodges
I am the one who has to Community Bible Church,
continue stepping forward Lexington
with confidence in Him. No
The unexpected
savior
A couple o f months
ago, my family was given
the sad news that there
was a 96 percent chance
that my father had cancer
for the second time. This
was obviously unwelcome
news, and my family began
making both mental and
physical preparations for
this. Last week 1 went down
to southern California to
spend time with my folks
before my dad began his
chemotherapy. While I was
there, the most unlikely
thing happened. We found
out that my dad. in fact,
did not have cancer. While
it was the most welcome
of news, it took us a while
to adjust the way we had
been thinking for the last
couple of months. All of a
sudden, the future looked
completely different.
As I have spent time
with the Easter story this
year, I can’t help but won
der if Jesus’ followers had a
similar kind of experience.
They were all plugging
along fine, when suddenly
Jesus was taken from them.
The man they were begin
ning to understand as the
savior of their world was
suddenly dying a painful
and humiliating death. Je
sus’ followers must have
spent those days in grief and
sorrow, not only for the loss
of their friend, but also the
loss of their belief that he
had come to save them.
And possibly, just as
they were m oving from
denial to acceptance, Easter
morning arrived. And once
again they had to readjust
their expectations. All of a
sudden, their future looked
completely different.
This is the way of the
Christ story. Christ always
shows up on his own terms.
Every time we think we
know how the savior is
going to show up, we are
surprised. From the baby
bom in a stable to the man
who died on a cross, Christ
is always in the least ex
pected places.
For us it may be a beau
tiful sunrise, the sound of
baby chicks, the joy in a
child’s face, a conversation
w ith a stranger or a surprise
cancer-free diagnosis. The
risen Christ is all around us,
and this Easter my prayer is
that we each will take the
opportunity to greet and
welcome him.
Pastor Stacy Shelton
lone Community Church
Community lunch
menu
Hope Lutheran, Valby Lutheran and All Saints
Episcopal church members will be serving lunch on
Wednesday, April 11 at St. Patrick’s Senior Center.
The meal will include Swedish meatballs, mashed
potatoes,
green beans, sliced tomatoes, hot rolls and or
ates a bird hunting preserve
ange
pudding.
Milk is served at each meal.
at Ruggs; the new ground
Suggested
donation is $3.50 per meal. Menu is
will be part o f that busi-
subject
to
change.
ness,
Planning approves new hunting preserves
The Morrow Coun- Ranch operation.
Rhea Creek Road; the other
ty Planning Commission
One o f the new is about five miles east of
last week approved two hunting areas will be eight Heppner off Highway 74.
new bird hunting preserves miles north of Ruggs on
Ruggs Ranch oper-
as part of the existing Ruggs
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