Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 31, 2021 -- THREE
Messages of Easter hope from local pastors
New life at last
Being in God’s presence
forever
Every time April 4
comes around, I remember
Margaret. On that day back
in 1926 Doc McMurdo
made sure she’d be born in
time for an Easter birthday
. . . doubling the gift of new
life. You’d think the pairing
up of those two celebra-
tions—birthday and Easter-
--would occur with some
regularity over a lifetime.
But much to Margaret’s
disappointment, it didn’t.
Easter coincided with her
birthday only twice in 88
years. This Easter would
have been the next one, but
for the fact that she’s been
celebrating a perpetual Eas-
ter since 2014 when she was
born into God’s presence
forever.
What being in “God’s
presence forever” looks
like, sounds like, or feels
like exactly is a mystery
on this side of the grave.
We’re given glimpses in
scripture. We can specu-
late. We can be hopeful or
fearful or skeptical. But it
will take a death before we
know what life in God’s
eternal presence is really
like. I expect it will be an
even bigger surprise than
the day we pushed our way
out of a cramped and watery
womb into a world of light
and air and color and room
to stretch. But Margaret
knows. God knows.
And we do know this
one essential thing: because
Jesus died and rose again,
death no longer has the last
word; God does. And God
is in love with this whole
creation---the beautiful and
the faithful right alongside
the parts God surely finds
objectionable. God loves
it all, and God longs for
all of it to know about that
love and love God back. For
God’s love has set us free,
free to put down the burden
of guilt or remorse we’ve
been dragging around be-
hind us; free to give up the
illusion that we have to
earn God’s love by being
good enough; free to em-
brace the gift of unmerited
forgiveness, unconditional
love, and the promise that
an abundant life in God’s
presence is possible al-
ready, in this life, when we
follow Jesus and learn to do
what he did: love God, love
neighbor, pray for our ene-
mies, share what we have,
tell what we know.
Because Jesus lives,
love wins, and a perpetual
Easter awaits those who
respond to God’s love with
a yes.
Rev. Katy Anderson
Hopeful Saints
Ministry
A Lutheran &
Episcopal partnership
ATV instructor
course offered
The Morrow County
4-H program is hosting an
ATV Instructor Training
Course to support new AT-
V/4-wheeler 4-H clubs. The
course is $50 and in-person
training will be held on
Saturday, May 22 at Blown
Away Ranch in Ione from
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Partici-
pants will also be responsi-
ble for completing a set of
online e-modules prior to
the in-person training.
For more information
and to register go to https://
extension.oregonstate.edu/
program/4h/morrow/events
or contact Morrow County
4-H Educator, Erin Heide-
man, at 541-676-9642 or
erin.heideman@oregon-
state.edu.
Bag sale to be held
The Neighborhood
Center will be holding a bag
sale on Wednesday, April 7
from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
(closed 12:30 to 1:30 for
lunch). Stop in to purchase
a brown bag for $15 and fill
it up with clothing, shoes,
books, games, music and
movies for the whole fam-
ily. Second bag purchased
will be at a discounted rate
of $5. Household items will
be 50 percent off that day
also. Proceeds from the sale
help purchase food for the
pantry.
Donations of paper and
plastic bags and new un-
opened toiletries (such as
deodorant, shampoo, con-
ditioner, soap, razors, etc.)
are needed and appreciated.
Donations can be dropped
off Monday through Friday
at 441 N Main St., Heppner.
For questions regarding
emergency services, contact
Executive Director Lisa
Patton at 541-676-5024.
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188 W Willow, Heppner • 541-676-9228
Thinking back to
last Easter, I pondered
the thought that we have
crossed the one-year mark
since life was swallowed by
Covid. I never could have
imagined that an estimate
of weeks before things
returned to normal would
turn into just a month or two
to now a year gone by. I’m
certain this is not an original
observation as we all have
been collectively subjected
to this rather arduous ex-
perience.
I’m certain you share
my dismay over restrictions
imposed upon us with the
speed of wild mustangs
streaking across prairie
grass. But alas, it appears
we are on the cusp of nor-
mal life again. My heart
rejoices and my spirit sails.
Before I get carried
away, I must hold those
horses because I’m show-
ing my cards by exposing
an all too human frailty,
which is our proclivity to
put our faith, hope and trust
in things which never last
and never really satisfy.
What I’m getting at is
that perhaps the greatest
lesson this last year has
taught us is that it is truly
grasping at straws to count
on careers or health/long-
life or even friends and fam-
ily to bring us everlasting
joy. No doubt these can be
good, even great things, but
they subject to the erosion
of time. Our vision is near
sighted and often we only
see the present. That which
we believe will last forever
is really only a vapor.
What a tragedy it would
be to waste the opportunity
to open your eyes and see
laid bare before you the
existential truth of the way
things really are. Simply
put, that which we believe
to be permanent is just a mi-
Churches schedule
Easter services
-Willow Creek Baptist
Church is having an Easter
Church Service at 10 a.m.
on Sunday, April 4 at 560
Minor Street, Heppner.
-South Morrow County
Ministerial Association will
be holding a Sunrise Ser-
vice at 7 a.m. at the Mus-
tang Stadium in Heppner
on Sunday, April 4.
-Hopeful Saints Min-
istry will hold Maundy
Thursday on April 1 at 6
p.m. on Zoom (link to be
posted on Facebook); Good
Friday Stations of the Cross
April 2 at 6 p.m. (outdoors
if weather permits) and Eas-
ter Sunday festival worship
with communion at 10 a.m.
The church is now open for
in-person worship (masks
and other pandemic restric-
tions remain in place) and
will continue to be broad-
cast on Facebook Live.
-Heppner Christian
Church Easter events in-
clude a potluck Easter
breakfast at 9:30 a.m. in the
church basement and Easter
Service at 10:45 a.m., 293
N. Gale St., Heppner
Valby Lutheran Church
Valby Road, Ione Oregon. 97843
Easter Service
Sunday, April 4th
10:00 AM
Easter Breakfast to Follow
541-422-7300
rage. Financial security can
evaporate when bull mar-
kets become bears. Good
health can deteriorate in an
instant or in the best of cas-
es last only a few decades.
The truth I pray you
could see is that there is
only one permanent source
of joy. Would you be will-
ing to allow the Covid crisis
and just the general disap-
pointment of last year’s
protests and chaos turn you
around to gaze upon some-
thing more substantial? Let
the bankruptcy of last year
put you on to something
better, more permanent,
more enduring?
That of course is the
everlasting life promised
to all who by faith believe
a man named Jesus of Naz-
areth gave up his life for us
on a dirty, rugged, wooden
cross. By dying he gave us
life. God became a mortal
that we might experience
immortality. A divine trans-
action that only God him-
self could come up with.
But death by execu-
tion on a cross was not the
end of the Jesus’ story. He
shocked the world by doing
what no human being had
ever done before or has ever
done since, coming back
from the dead.
This Easter as you
celebrate the emergence
of fresh flowers from the
earth, as you exit the home
that has entombed you for
over a year, and as you think
of all the deprivation of din-
ners, events or gatherings,
I pray that you will ponder
this even greater bursting
forth…the resurrection of
Jesus…a promise of liber-
ation for us from the claws
of death forever.
Tripp Finch
Willow Creek Baptist
Church
Old
Country
Church
All Are
Welcome
-The Saint Patrick
Holy Week schedule will
be Thursday-Holy Mass at
Ione at 5 p.m., Holy Mass
at Heppner at 7 p.m.; Good
Friday, The Way of the
Cross in Ione at 5 p.m.,
Stations of the Cross in
Heppner at 6:30, The Way
of The Cross at 7 p.m.;
Holy Saturday Mass at 7:30
p.m. in Heppner; and Easter
Sunday Mass at 8:30 a.m. in
Ione and Mass in Heppner
at 11 a.m.
Victory through the
Resurrection
The Apostle Paul once
declared in 1 Corinthians
15:50-56 “50 Now I say
this, brethren, that flesh
and blood cannot inherit the
kingdom of God; nor does
the perishable inherit the
imperishable. 51 Behold,
I tell you a mystery; we
will not all sleep, but we
will all be changed, 52 in a
moment, in the twinkling of
an eye, at the last trumpet;
for the trumpet will sound,
and the dead will be raised
imperishable, and we will
be changed. 53 For this
perishable must put on the
imperishable, and this mor-
tal must put on immortality.
54 But when this perishable
will have put on the im-
perishable, and this mortal
will have put on immortal-
ity, then will come about
the saying that is written,
‘Death is swallowed up in
victory. 55 O death, where
is your victory? O death,
where is your sting?’ 56 The
sting of death is sin, and the
power of sin is the law; 57
but thanks be to God, who
gives us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(NASB)
I bring this scripture
to your attention because
April 4, 2021 is the day in
which Christians all over
the world will celebrate the
day that Jesus Christ victo-
riously rose from the grave
giving us the validation of
each and every word Paul
spoke in these verses. With-
out the victory of Christ’s
resurrection, none of these
amazing promises would be
available for us to embrace
today. It’s because of the
resurrection of Christ that
each and every person, re-
gardless of the sins one has
committed, all now have
the opportunity to choose to
place your faith in Jesus. All
have the option to embrace
His forgiveness and grace
by joining in His victory
over sin and death.
What a wonderful Sav-
ior we have. A Savior who
willingly took on all our
sins upon Himself in order
to free us from such a state
of slavery. I encourage you
to take the time to truly re-
flect on the implications of
Paul’s words for your own
life. Do you truly realize
just how much you need
Jesus? He is the hope of the
world, He is the Lord our
God, and He is the only way
to true Salvation. So, I en-
courage you to let go of the
perishable things and ac-
cept eternity through Christ
Jesus our Risen King.
Pastor Quentin Byers
Heppner Christian
Church
A View from the Green
WCCC men hold
first activity of year
Twenty men participat-
ed in men’s play on Sunday,
March 28 at Willow Creek
Country Club in the first
activity of the year.
In special events,
Duane Disque got KP on
number 4/13 with 14’ 8”
and Dennis Peck got KP
with 12’ 8” on number 16.
In the two-man blind
ball scramble, Rod Wilson
and Greg Greenup took first
in net with 44. Gene Orwick
and Rick Johnston came in
second with a score of 47.
The first-place winners
in gross were the team of
Jim Swanson and Steve
Marlatt. Second was Kelly
Fox and John Edmundson.
There will be no Sun-
day play on Easter, with
the next scheduled event to
take place on April 11. Rod
Wilson, Tim Wright and
Bill Canady will be hosting.
Wednesday night play will
begin on April 14, with the
deadline for signing up on
April 11.
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