SIX- Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon
Wednesday, December 24,2014
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Christ in Christmas
We pray that the residents of the Morrow County area
will experience the genuine merry Christmas and happy
future that Jesus’ birth promises.
At a time when ISIS-type terrorists threaten us, when
rumors of wars abound, when extra-ordinary storms and
earthquakes are the norm, when Ebola ravages entire
populations, when a person’s house may bum today, when
he may have an automobile accident or be diagnosed with
cancer tomorrow, during these times it is good to know
Jesus came with outstretched arms, inviting, “Come unto
me all ye that labor and are heavy laden.”
Only in his care and with the strength he gives is there
absolute security and perfect peace of mind. Yes, unto us a
child is bom, a son is given.. and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
We pray that you will personally experience the
benefits of this great event: Christmas.
Pastor David Jenkins
Christian Life Center
A Sonnet fo r Christmas
We watch and wait for the Christ child to come
Looking to the malls, the shops and the lights.
We seek an intangible gift from some
earthly thing, hoping to improve our plight.
But as much as we look we will not find
That which is hidden in places humble
and small, in places so grand or refined.
The gift yearned for is found in a bundle.
In the strangest of places - a manger -
the blessing of God comes in an infant
And the dark world, so full of harm, danger,
and uncaring is changed in an instant.
The gift sought is in front of our faces,
small moments and odd little places.
Stacy Shelton
lone Community Church
The largest gift we will
ever receive
A baby is bom. Angels sing. Shepherds come running.
It’s a well-known story, and our fondness for telling it has
enlarged it in ways probably never intended by its original
author. Luke is brief: there’s Joseph, Mary, a child in a
manger, and some curious shepherds (who are the only
ones to see angels that night). Matthew tells us elsewhere
about a star and an unknown number of wise men bearing
gifts, but we’ve otherwise populated our nativity scenes
with details the Bible doesn’t mention.
And by filling in the gaps with donkeys, camels, an
innkeeper, a stable with a host of angels fluttering directly
overhead, three kings with crowns, gently falling snow,
and maybe even a little drummer boy, we risk crowding
out the chief actor in this drama: God. This is a story
about God, and God’s unquenchable love for those who
were made in his image—a love that persists in spite of
our tendency to tarnish that image with selfishness, pride,
greed and more. What God made good, we polluted.
So what’s a Creator to do when his good creation
turns into a mess? God answered that question by stepping
right into the middle of it. Instead of washing his hands
of us and starting over somewhere else, God slipped into
human skin inside the womb of a young girl in an obscure
comer of this messy world. For reasons that escape us,
God chose to do things the hard way, and save us from
ourselves in this most peculiar manner—by becoming
one of us, taking on human flesh so he could teach and
heal and show us what God’s love looks like. This is a
love that stops at nothing to set things right again. No
cost is too great—not the distress of a human birth in a
place fit only for animals; not growing up to be the target
o f taunts and threats from the religious community; not
being subjected to torture and death without cause; not
lacking a place to lay his head until he rests in a stone
cold tomb briefly. The world had never seen a costly love
like this before, and had done nothing to deserve the gift
o f God’s own self.
But God gave it to us anyway the night of Jesus’
birth, and ever since to all who will take hold of this gift.
And in its unwrapping— in getting better acquainted with
this reckless God—so many other gifts are found waiting
for us inside: forgiveness, peace, hope, joy, love and the
promise of life in God’s presence forever.
That baby in the manger may be the smallest figure in
the nativity scene, but concealed inside is the largest gift
we will ever receive: God with us. Emmanuel.
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salva
tion to all.” (Titus 2:11)
O Come Let Us Adore
Him: A Story o f
Unimaginable Joy
The wonder of a star - the awe of an angel’s song -
the whimper of a newborn babe lying in a manger - a
humble donkey - the drummer boy drumming - shepherds
watching their flocks - the coming of the faithful - and the
silence of that Holy night. These glimpses of well-known
carols remind us of the fear, anxiety and finally the un
imaginable joy present at the miracle of our Lord’s birth.
The carol, “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” is one of many
that tells the story of that precious night more than two
thousand years ago.
"O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, come
ye, O come ye to Bethlehem. Come and behold Him, bom
the Kind of angels.”
“Sing choirs of angels. Sing in exultation. O sing all
ye citizens of heaven above. Glory to God, All glory in
the highest.”
“Yea, Lord, we greet thee, bom this happy morning.
Jesus, to thee be all glory given. Word of the Father, now
in flesh appearing.”
“O come let us adore Him. O come let us adore Him.
O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.”
This is a story of a very young couple, the woman
hugely pregnant, who traveled by donkey to Bethlehem
some 90 miles from their home. How exhausted she must
have been. There, she gave birth to a son whose first bed
was a feed trough for oxen and cows.
In the fields not far from town, an angel was sent from
God to tell the shepherds about the babe's birth.
The shepherds must have been terrified. They were
sitting in a field with their sheep, who were probably bed
ded down for the night, when out of nowhere an angel
appeared. The angel told them to be calm and to go and
find this baby. And they did. And then they told everyone
they met about the birth.
Later in the story, men riding camels brought gifts
to the newborn babe. They had looked to the heavens for
guidance and were so inspired all they wanted to do was
to follow where the star led them.
Each part of this story requires one thing from each
participant: great faith.
Here’s a question to ponder on this, the eve of our
Savior’s birth: Is our faith as strong as that young couple,
those shepherds, or the wise men who travelled to Beth
lehem? Would we have been a willing participant at the
Nativity?
We wish for you this Christmas the courage of those
humble shepherds, the spirit of generosity found in the
wise men and the unimaginable joy of that young couple
as they welcomed God’s light into the world.
Please join us at Heppner United Methodist Church
as we gather this evening, Christmas Eve, to celebrate the
story of our Savior’s birth.
Patty Nance and Cara Osmin, pastors
Heppner United Methodist Church
A Gift from a King
In Matthew 2 we read of the coming of Magi (the
wise men) from the east following a star. They arrived in
Jerusalem to ask for directions to the one who had been
bom king of the Jews, for they wished to go and worship
him. O f course Herod, king of the Jews, hears of this
request and promptly asks the Magi to locate this child
for him that, “He too may go and worship the king.” And
so Herod tells the Magi to go and look in Bethlehem of
Judea for the child bom king of the Jews.
We know the story. They go and find Jesus and bow
and worship him and present to him gifts of gold, frank
incense and myrrh. After they did this the passage of
Scripture says that they, being warned in a dream, did not
go back and tell Herod about the child but went home by
a different route. It also says that Joseph was warned in
a dream to flee to Egypt in order to escape from Herod,
king of the Jews.
King Herod at that time gave a gift to the people of
Bethlehem. Realizing he had been outwitted by the Magi,
he had every child two and under in Bethlehem killed so
as to protect his precious power. Isn’t it interesting how
the world seeks to keep and hold power even today? But
Jesus on the other hand, being the true king, died for the
sins of his people, who had rejected him, and for the sins
of the whole world. A gift from one king was death and
sorrow and pain. The gift from the other was freedom
from all of that.
This Christmas season let us remember Jesus the
King and the gift he gave, the forgiveness of sins to all
who believe. It was and is so much more than anything
else we can give.
Andrew Johnson
H eppner Christian Church
Rev. K aty Anderson
The Shared M inistry o f H ope Lutheran Church
& A ll Saints Episcopal Church
/ \ r e a (C h ristm a s S e rv ic e s
Dec. 24 at 7 p.m. Refresh
Several area churches
mas carols at 8:30 p.m.;
ments prior at 6:30 p.m.
will celebrate Christmas with
candlelight procession,
Christmas Eve or Christmas Heppner Christian Church
blessing of the nativity
services. Here are a few of Christmas Eve service, Dec.
scene, vigil Mass at 9
24 at 6 p.m.
the services happening in our
p.m.
The Shared Ministry o f Hope Thursday, Dec. 25, Christmas
communities:
Lutheran Church and All
Mass, 11 a.m.
Heppner Church o f the Naza
rene
Saints Episcopal Church
Christmas Is Joy, Peace
and Love
“Behold, I bring you good News of a great Joy...;
for to you is bom this day...A Savior, who is Christ the
Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).
We celebrate Christmas with great rejoicing for three
reasons:
1. It is the birthday of our God who became man and
savior to save us from our sins.
2. It is the birthday of God who came to share His
love with us.
3. It is the anniversary of the day when Almighty God
came to live with us as Emmanuel.
First of all, Christmas is the feast of God’s sending
us a savior. Jesus, the Incarnation of God as man, came to
save us from the bondage of sin. “God so loved the world
that He sent His only son so that every one who believes
in Him might not perish, but might have eternal life” (John
3:16). We celebrate that Incarnation today as Good News
because we have a Divine savior. As our savior, Jesus
atoned for our sins and liberated us from slavery to sin
by His suffering, death and resurrection. Every Christmas
reminds us that we still need this savior to be reborn in
our hearts and to live there, for we need Him every day to
free us from evil habits, addictions and unjust, impure and
uncharitable tendencies. Hence, Christmas challenges us
to accept Jesus our as our Lord and God and our personal
savior and to surrender our sinful lives to Him, allowing
Him to rule our lives.
Secondly, Christmas is the feast of God’s sharing His
Love with us. Jesus, as our savior, brought the “Good
News” that our God is a loving, forgiving, merciful and
rewarding God who wants to save us through His son
Jesus Christ. Christmas reminds us that we have to allow
this God of unconditional love to be reborn in us and to
start living in us. So, let us allow Jesus to be reborn in our
hearts and lives today and every day and radiate His light
around us, as a sharing and selfless love, compassionate
words, deeds, unconditional forgiveness, the spirit of
humble service and overflowing generosity.
Thirdly, Christmas is the feast of Emmanuel, i.e., God
living within us. Christmas is the feast of the Emmanuel
who became in the New Testament God — with — us;
Emmanuel, who continues to live with us in all the events
of our lives as announced by the angel to Mary. Hence
every Christmas reminds us that we are bearers o f God
with the missionary duty of conveying Jesus to others
around us by loving others as Jesus did, through sacrificial,
humble and committed service. Sharing with others Jesus,
the Emmanuel living within us, is the best Christmas gift
we can give to or receive from others.
God Bless,
Fr. Papa Rao Pasala
St. Patrick s and St. William s Catholic parishes
Our Gift
Have you ever lay in bed at night and asked your
self the question...is there something more? Have you
struggled with desperation, addiction, loneliness, loss
or anxiety? Have you been sick and tired of being sick
and tired? Have you carried a deep anger or bitterness
that keeps you from the ones that should bring love and
comfort to you? Do you realize how much of your life is
lived through the wounds o f your soul?
Yet, you push through your daily routine and this
time of year you even tie a Christmas or holiday bow on
it? You fear that this struggle may never end? What if...
your very question is the answer and the something more
is some one more?
God formed man from the dust of the earth and then
breathed life into him. He is that close to us today, sim
ply a breath away. Our prayer for you is that as you read
these words it would release the Kingdom of God into
your life. That it would spark hope and dispel any dark
ness. Jesus proclaimed in John 8:1, “I am the light of the
world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness
but will have the light of life.”
That very light brings healing to the darkest of places
in our lives. Hope lies in healing and peace lies in freedom,
all brought into existence by the very first Christmas gift
that is the great “I AM” bom of a virgin.. .the Son of God
who lived, died and rose again.
The family o f Lighthouse Heppner
That’s no Christmas tree... Justice
Court
Report
Morrow County Justice
o f the Peace Ann Spicer
has released the following
Justice Court report:
- K a s s a n d r a Rayne
Gaines, 27, of Heppner was
found guilty of violating the
Basic Rule 73/55 and was
fined $ 160.
St. William s Catholic Parish
Christmas Eve candlelight Christmas Eve service with Thursday, Dec. 25, blessing
lessons, carols, candles
of the nativity scene,
service with the chil
and Holy Communion at
dren’s choir, Dec. 24 at
Christmas carols, Christ
6:30 p.m.
mas Mass at 8:45 a.m.
Hope Lutheran Church,
Heppner United Methodist
Dec. 24 at 7 p.m.
lone Community Church
Church
Christmas Eve services, Dec.
St. Patrick s Catholic Parish
Christmas Eve service on Wednesday, Dec. 24, Christ
24 at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.
This is no Christmas tree; this tree blew over into the front
yard of Bill and Merilee McDowell on Rock Street in Heppner
during the windstorm Dec. II. The couple said they were on
their way to Eugene when it happened, and returned to find
this mess waiting for them. -Contributed photo
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