Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, December 21 , 2022 -- THREE
Christmas Messages From Area Churches
Two Kings! Two
Evangelions!
“Truth to Christ cannot be treason to Caesar.” -Samuel
Rutherford, 17 th Century Pastor/Theologian
The birth of our Lord Jesus Christ not only gives us
a day on our calendar to celebrate God becoming man,
but it marks the start of the calendar itself. As it was God
who spoke time into existence, it seems only fitting to
number the years on our calendars with the birth of this
God becoming man. What is interesting, however, is at the
time of Christ’s birth, there was another Lord on scene,
Caesar Augustus. There was an attempt to make his birth
the start of the calendar year. Here is part of an inscription
found chiseled on the ruins of an old government building
in Asia Minor (date 9-6 BC):
“It is a day which we may justly count as equiva-
lent to the beginning of everything, … the most perfect
consummation for human life … as it were, a saviour …
and whereas the birthday of the God [Augustus] was the
beginning for the world of the glad tidings [in the original
Greek evangelion] that have come to men through him …
the reckoning of time for the course of human life should
begin with his birth.”
The deification of Caesar did not stop there, for it
was said, “Salvation is to be found in none other save
Augustus, and there is no other name given to men in
which they can be saved.” Ethelbert Stauffer, a German
historian, said this was the religious principle of the Ro-
man Empire from Augustus Caesar on.
Within the historical context of the beginning of our
calendar, we recognize then, there were two kings in
conflict. There were two evangelions. The Greek word
evangelion is where we get “gospel, good news, and
glad-tidings.” The evangelion was one who came to herald
a message of victory (often political or military in nature).
The term can be used to denote the person heralding the
message or the message itself.
The real question then, and now, is who has the wis-
dom and power to authoritatively declare “good news”?
There was an evangelion of Jesus Christ and one of Au-
gustus Caesar in the early years of our calendar. The rub,
however, came with the fact that both kings demanded
undivided allegiance. To believe one evangelion meant the
other must be resisted when the two came into conflict.
Both kings proclaimed good news, demanded complete
allegiance and promised punishment if resisted.
In Acts 4:12, Peter recognized men’s eternal destinies
were in jeopardy if anyone were to obey Caesar. So, under
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he chose the specific
words Caesar was using in his evangelion, to apply them
to Jesus Christ, “And there is salvation in no one else;
for there is no other name under heaven that has been
given among men by which we must be saved.” This
statement made Peter an enemy of the state. But it was a
declaration worth heralding, for God’s honor and men’s
souls were at stake.
What is the point then? Let us not forget the King
who reigns. For over 2,000 years Jesus Christ, through
the power of His evangelion, has been bringing His en-
emies under His feet. He will continue to do so until He
comes in glory to raise His people up with Him. In the
end, He wins and so do all those who have their faith in
Him alone! Christ’s birthday, not Caesar’s, is celebrated
by billions of people across the globe. This year, 2022,
marks over two millennia of Christ’s rule. Caesar and his
empire were crushed under the power and authority of
the King of kings. This should act as a warning to those
governments (and individuals) who will not bow the
knee to their King Jesus Christ. For those who will not
rule righteously and justly, they will “perish” (Ps. 2). As
demonstrated by Peter, it is not those men attempting to
become God we should fear, but the God who became
man. “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable
to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy
both soul and body in hell” (Mt. 10:28).
There is much to celebrate this Christmas season and
to give thanks for. The current rebellion against God in our
day will be crushed … it is promised! “For a child will be
born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government
will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince
of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His gov-
ernment or of peace, on the throne of David and over his
kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and
righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal
of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this” (Is. 9:6-7).
Pastor Eric Schonbachler
Lexington Reformed Baptist Church
www.lexrefbc.org
Carry Generosity to
Christmas and Beyond
Advent is upon us! People everywhere are busier than
ever with the activities and expectations of the season.
What a fun time it can be! We find ourselves shopping
for gifts for just about everyone; some out of a sense of
obligation, but many out of a pure desire to bless others.
This season seems to bring out the generosity in all of us.
But what is generosity? To the Lakota Indians, it’s
one of seven values. To them, it means, “To contribute to
the well-being of one’s people and all life by sharing and
giving freely (The Dreamer, November newsletter of St.
Joseph’s Indian school).
That certainly goes beyond things with price tags. We
can be generous in other ways, as well. For instance, we
can freely share emotions such as sympathy, compassion
and kindness. We can be generous with our personal
time. The great writer of the 19 th century, Ralph Waldo
Emerson, expressed it a bit graphically when in his essay,
“Gifts,” he wrote, “A gift is a portion of thyself. Thou must
bleed for me.” Done any “bleeding” lately?
Sometimes we get so carried away with the spirit
of generosity, we forget the reason for the season in the
first place. In Isaiah chapter one we read of a people
caught up in the excitement and festivity of one of their
religious festivals. God says some stark things about
their celebration through the prophet Isaiah. In chapter
one verse 11, He says, “I have had enough….” But verse
14 is the real attention-getter. Here God says, “I hate your
new moons and prescribed festivals. They have become a
burden to me. I am tired of putting up with them.” Wow!
When Christmastime rolls around on our calendars, does
God think, “Oh no, here we go again?” I hope not. But it’s
a thought worth pondering.
God enjoys a good time as much as any of us, but he’s
apparently not into empty frivolities from people who do
the right things on holy days but forget to be generous
the rest of the year. So, enjoy this holiday season to its
fullest, include God in every part, and take His generous
spirit with you wherever He leads you in the weeks and
months to come.
Neva DeMayo-Mahon
Hopeful Saints Ministry
The Greatest Gift Ever
Given
When a royal is born, even in our world today, there
are great cries of celebration all across the world. The
new infant is put on display for all to see and those high
enough in the courts may even get to interact with the
new royalty.
However, when the greatest King of all existence
came into this world, none of the famous and powerful
were called to gather to welcome their King. Instead,
God brought angels to the meek and lowly shepherds.
Shepherds in our world today are commonly known as
good, hardworking people. However, back in Jesus’s time,
this was not simply the case. They were viewed more as
outcasts of society because of their work of caring for the
lambs. While everyone else was able to participate in the
festivals, the shepherds were given the job that nobody
else wanted to do. This reminds me of the scripture from
Mark 2:17, “And hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is
not those who are healthy who need a physician, but
those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous,
but sinners.’”
Though Jesus was not praised by great kings of this
world, it’s interesting to see that the first people who were
invited to praise our Lord were the very same people who
embody the definition of what this scripture paints for
us. The shepherds were the ones that tended their lambs,
both day and night. It didn’t matter the toll or burden it
placed upon the shepherd; caring for his sheep was most
important. If a lamb wandered away, they would go for
miles to find it and bring it back to the flock.
Jesus, our Lord and Savior, not only came as our King.
He came to shepherd us. There are so many who are lost
and desperately need to be found. Jesus is in the business
of restoring our relationship with God. Christmas is the
time in which we stop and praise our Lord for entering
into this world, so that the broken-hearted sinner can be
redeemed, welcomed into a relationship with God that
is free from sin and death, and offered everlasting life.
This Christmas, I encourage everyone to remember
the greatest gift ever given, Jesus, our Lord, our Savior,
our King, our Good and Faithful Shepherd.
Pastor Quentin Byers
Heppner Christian Church
God is with Us
Christmas: Time Of
Sharing & Caring
As I prepare this message, Heppner is celebrating
a program called “Searching for Christ in Christmas.”
Immanuel means “God is with us,” and the Babe who
was born in Bethlehem two thousand years ago wanted
to be with us always. That is the reason He says He is
Emmanuel. He wants to be with us to alleviate and take
away all our sin and shame. The Gospel of Matthew
concludes with, “I am with you always; yes, to the end
of time” (Mt. 28:20). He is with us always, as part of
our personal life and our family, ready to share all our
anxieties, difficulties and problems. I always experience
His closeness any time I need Him.
God sent His only Son among us to spread the love,
empathy and compassion of the Heavenly Father among
the people who were undergoing a terrific time of suffering
and shame due to their sins. God became a little Babe
bringing peace, joy and happiness to a suffering humanity.
In the Gospel of Luke, we see Mary, immediately after
the annunciation, wherein she consents to be the mother of
God. She goes out of her way to be with her cousin Eliza-
beth, to help her, and God calls us to share ourselves with
others, not only during the time of Christmas alone, but
always and every time when to the least of my brothers,
you are doing it for me. I was reminded of the beautiful
words of Christ at the last judgement scene: “In truth I
tell you, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the
least of these, you neglected to do it to me” (Mt. 25:45).
We are called to re-enact the miracle of sharing of
the first Christmas. Just as the Father shared His own Son
with us and dispelled our gloom, sin, shame and suffering,
so, too, we are called to dispel the gloom, suffering, and
shame of others. The Church gives us the beautiful exam-
ple of Mary, who prepared herself for the first Christmas
by sharing, by reaching out and being a source of joy to
her cousin. We, too, can thus prepare for Christmas by
sharing and reaching out to those in need. The miracle of
Christmas is the miracle of sharing. I wish you all a merry
Christmas and a grace-filled new year of 2023.
Fr. Thankachan Joseph
St. Patrick’s Catholic Church
Christmas is for Seekers
Reflections on Christmas past flood our minds many
times in December. No doubt memories of a childhood
gift or recollection of an experience as a teenager or
young adult percolate up, bubbling into our mind’s eye.
One hopes only the positives memories are the ones that
replay in our thoughts, but quite often it’s the disappoint-
ments that play out in full cinematic color before quickly
vanishing as we push them back down, buried as ghosts,
unwelcome visitors.
Intense emotions are often sparked, especially as we
find ourselves without someone at Christmas who was
once dear to us. This spark which sets aflame our sorrow
could be rooted in the passing of a spouse, the loss of a
father or mother, or simply a friend who is no longer there.
We wonder how we will go on without this person. How
will we ever fill the void and deep gorge they have left
empty inside our heart? Compounded atop these emo-
tions, exasperating our forlorn condition, are shortened
days and a barren winter landscape.
When you don’t have many Christmases under your
belt, it’s easy to write off such thoughts as the domain
of old men or just downright distasteful and contrary
to merry cheer and holiday spirit. However, the older
a person gets, the more prevalent and visible death and
disappointment become. Besides, it doesn’t take an in-
credibly thoughtful person to just stop and see the tragedy
of our human condition.
This past year our community has experienced
new births, weddings, opportunities and many things to
celebrate. Likewise, we have also suffered losses, some
visible, some invisible. One visible loss I can’t help but
think about this Christmas is the recent passing of Billy
Gentry. Billy was such a likable guy, always telling stories
and making people laugh with his humor and smile. This
was without a doubt a big part of his identity which came
to the fore at his celebration of life service. The hundreds
who attended were a testament to the positive influence
Merry Christmas
Isaiah 40 is a powerful Old Testament chapter in the
Bible and a must-read during the Christmas season.
It begins with, “Comfort, comfort my people, says
your God.” He later says, “Do you not know? Have you
not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?...
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends
of the earth.”
Isaiah 7:13, “Therefore the Lord himself will give
you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a
son, and will call him Immanuel.”
Immanuel means, “God with us.” Can you believe it?
God came on Christmas morning to be with us… to be
with you. In fact, He’s still with us. He still desires to be
with everyone in this crazy, mixed-up world.
Isaiah 9:6, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is
given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And
he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Luke 2:4-7, “Joseph also went up from Nazareth in Christmas Messages CONTINUED PAGE NINE
Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem,
since he was from the house and line of David. He went
there to register with Mary, who was pledged to him in
marriage and was expecting a child. While they were
there, the time came for her Child to be born. And she
gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in
swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there
A free throw shooting contest for girls and
was no room for them in the inn.”
boys ages eight through 13 will be held at the
This Christmas Eve I hope you will find a church to
worship the baby Jesus. If you don’t have a home church,
Heppner Elementary School gym on Sunday,
ask a friend if you can sit with them at their church. Or
Dec. 18 at 1 p.m. Girls and boys must be
know you are welcome to join us a Trinity Lutheran
within that age group as of Apr. 1, 2023 and
Church, Hermiston, where you can enjoy singing Christ-
live in the Heppner, Lexington and Ione area.
mas carols, hear a message of love and hope, participate
in Holy Communion (The Lord’s Supper), and end the
The contest is sponsored by the Heppner
service with singing Silent Night by candlelight.
Elks and is free for participants. Girls and
Merry Christmas!
boys will compete separately in three age
See you in church.
groups: 8 to 9 years old, 10 to 11 years old
Rev. Dr. Pat Hall
Trinity Lutheran Church, Hermiston
and 12 to13 years old. Each competitor will
Elks Free Throw Shooting Contest
Sunday, December 18th
1:00 p.m. - FREE
shoot 10 free throws, then rest and shoot 15
more, for a total of 25. Winners from each
age group will advance to
the district Hoop Shoot in Heppner on Jan. 8.
For additional information, contact
Corey Sweeney at 541-256-0355.
HEPPNER ELKS 358
"WHERE FRIENDS MEET"
541-676-9181 142 N MAIN ST