SIX - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Messages of Easter hope from local pastors
Carried
Along
Acts 27:14-15, “But
before very long there
rushed down from the land
a violent wind, called Eu-
raquilo; and when the ship
was caught in it and could
not face the wind, we gave
way to it and let ourselves
be carried along.”
This is a snippet of the
journey Luke records about
Paul’s journey to Rome
where he was to stand trial
before Caesar. During that
voyage, Paul and all those
upon that ship encountered
a storm. That tempest raged
to the point of forcing the
crew to stop fighting the
storm, and instead be at
the mercy of it, to let them-
selves “be carried along.”
Life in this fallen world
has a knack for throwing us
into storms such as these;
to where we have not the
wisdom, nor the strength,
to fight it. We get thrown
about, tossed to and fro,
and battered by the harsh
and unforgiving waves of
this life—not in control, but
rather, “carried along.” It
may even get to the point
where it seems as if all
hope is lost and death is
imminent.
Such was the case for
Paul and his companions.
But there was something
the crew did that saved their
lives. Acts 27:17 tells us,
“…they used supporting
cables in undergirding the
ship.” The “supporting ca-
bles,” were literally called
“helps.” They were cables
that were passed around
the ship’s hull to hold it
together while it was be-
ing ravished by merciless
waves. The “helps” would
literally hold the structure
together. Without them, the
ship would be ripped apart,
and all would be lost.
What is interesting
about this word translated
“supporting cables” in Acts,
is that it is the same word
translated as “helps” in
Heb. 2:18 and 4:16. Con-
sider how it is used in those
two places. Heb. 2:18, “For
since He Himself [speaking
of Jesus] was tempted in
that which He has suffered,
He is able to come to help
[there is that same word
in the Greek] those who
are tempted.” Heb. 4:16,
“Therefore let us draw
near with confidence to the
throne of grace, so that we
may receive mercy and find
grace to help [there it is
again] in time of need.”
I think it no accident
the Holy Spirit inspired
the author of Hebrews and
Luke to use the same word
in these three places. As
“supporting cables” hold
ships together in storms,
so does Christ become the
“help” to the Christian to
hold him together during
the storms of life. Jesus
wraps Himself around us,
so to speak, so that we
might be saved in the most
severe trials of life.
But all this is possible
because of what He “suf-
fered” (Heb. 2:18). Jesus
lived the perfect life, so
that He might become the
substitute for His people.
Instead of them suffering
the wrath of God, He did
it in their place. Then He
conquered death and rose
the third day. He lived,
died and rose again. And
all those who turn from
sin and place their faith in
Him will also conquer death
one day. How? Because
He clothes them with His
perfectly righteous life. He
wraps them up in Himself.
No longer can the wrath
of God harm them. They
become changed from those
who have the bull’s eye of
God’s righteous indignation
on their backs, to targets of
His love and mercy.
Though there are se-
vere storms in this life,
none compare to what
is on the horizon. Death
awaits us all. The only
way to pass through that
storm unscathed is to have
the “supporting cables”
(“helps”) of Christ holding
you together. Without Him,
you will be torn apart as
wave after wave of God’s
wrath is brought against
you. The choice is to be
“carried along” by Christ
or the wrath of God in hell.
Choose Christ. Turn from
sin and trust in Him, for He
is your only true “help” in
this life and the next.
Eric Schonbachler
Pastor, Lexington Re-
formed Baptist Church
www.lexrefbc.org
Worship service: 10:45
a.m., 210 Water St., Lex-
ington.
‘Is it nothing
to you, all you
who pass by?’
It will be Easter this
Sunday, a day celebrated
by many as a welcoming of
Spring, anticipated through
long, cold winter months.
But this day carries
a joy infinitely beyond a
season.
It is Resurrection Day,
the most joyful day of the
year because it is the day
that Jesus walked out of the
tomb, overcoming death!
We can celebrate this
most wonderful day be-
cause we see the harsh
reality of the Good Friday
before, the day that Jesus
was nailed to a cross.
More than 600 years
before, the prophet Isaiah
told us about this day:
“Who has believed our
message? To whom has
the Lord revealed His
powerful arm?
My Servant grew up in
the Lord’s presence
like a tender green
shoot, like a root in dry
ground.
There was nothing
beautiful or majestic about
His appearance, noth-
ing to attract us to Him.
He was despised and
rejected, a man of sorrows,
acquainted with deep-
est grief.
We turned our backs on
Him and looked the other
way.
He was despised, and
we did not care.
Yet it was our weak-
nesses He carried,
it was our sorrows that
weighed Him down.
And we thought His
troubles were a punishment
from God.
But He was pierced for
our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we
could be whole” (Isaiah
53:1-5 NLT).
Because we understand
that a love beyond our un-
derstanding compelled Je-
sus to die in such a way for
us, we can celebrate His
victory over death with
an infinite joy! This is the
rebirth that is Easter – Res-
urrection Day! God, “in His
great mercy… has given us
new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the
dead!” (I Peter 1:3 NIV)
Come celebrate this
love with us!
Pastor Joann Dickson
Hopeful Saints Min-
istry
Corner of Gale and
Church St., 541-676-9970
Maundy Thursday 6
p.m.; Good Friday 6 p.m.;
Son Rise Community
Service 7 a.m. at the fair-
grounds; Sunday Easter
Service at Hopeful Saints
And so, he came and
10 a.m.
lived as one of the original
inhabitants of the garden.
He loved. He never did
wrong to anyone or any-
thing. And because of that,
Are you one of those he should not have died.
people who enjoy watching Why? Because he alone
the previews before a mov- did not deserve death, but
ie? Or, are you squirming in yet he chose death. And by
your seat, trying to decide if choosing to die when he did
you have enough time to go not have to die, his death
grab a Coke and a bucket of was offered as a substitute
butter-laden popcorn before death for anyone who was
the movie you came to see willing to receive it as such.
starts?
And so he died.
Previews are just that;
But the story does not
a preview of something yet end there, and this is where
to come. Properly called the significance of the pre-
trailers, these five-minute view of Lazarus’ death
montages of clips give us comes into focus. When
just a taste of what the full- Jesus raised Lazarus from
length movie will be like, in the dead, that was just the
the hopes we will return to foreshadowing of the ul-
see their film.
timate resurrection from
I love movies. I love the dead. Because you see,
going to the movies. There Jesus did not just die, he
is nothing like the experi- came back from the dead
ence of smelling the pop- three days later.
corn and seeing the lights
No one had ever raised
darken as the screen pops themselves from the dead,
and the story unfolds.
and no one has ever done it
As exciting as that may since. Jesus rose from the
be, there is an even greater dead. It is a fact of history.
story you must see. That Many people testified about
story actually had a preview it. Hundreds of witnesses
as well. A real-life trailer saw Jesus alive again. Some
that began in black and of them were even willing
white before shifting into to die to tell other people
Technicolor.
about it.
Allow me to briefly
What about you? Have
tell you this story as you sit you seen the movie? Do
back in your comfy velvet you believe it is true? Or are
chair and adhere your shoes you stuck in the previews,
to the sticky soda-stained watching the trailer, want-
floor beneath you.
ing more?
But first, the preview.
Come worship with us
There was a man named on Easter morning at 10
L a z a r u s . J e s u s l o v e d a.m.!
Lazarus. In fact, Jesus
Tripp Finch
was very close to Lazarus’
Pastor, Willow Creek
whole family. But Lazarus Baptist Church
got sick. He was so sick
560 Minor Street, Hep-
that his sisters went to get pner,
Jesus for help. But Jesus
Also, streaming live at:
delayed in coming to see https://www.facebook.com/
Lazarus, and Lazarus died. wcbcheppner & https://
Lazarus’ sisters were pretty www.youtube.com/@WC-
upset with Jesus about this BCHeppner.
and told him as much. The
moment became so emo- Easter and the
tional that Jesus, overcome
Real Jesus: Hope
with sorrow over the reality
of death, wept. With tears Is Alive—and We
steaking down his face, Need Each Other
Jesus ordered others there
to open Lazarus’ tomb. to Live It Out
When the stone was rolled
Let’s be real: the world
away, Jesus shouted into the feels heavy.
tomb, “Lazarus, come out!”
Division is every-
And at once, a man, once where—on our news feeds,
dead, came walking from in our families, even inside
the grave.
our own hearts. War, heart-
That’s the preview. The break, anger and anxiety
taste of the real story. The have become part of the
real story is not just a story daily background noise.
about a regular guy, like People are exhausted, over-
Lazarus, coming back to whelmed and silently won-
life at the behest of Jesus. dering, “Is this all there
The real story began in is?”
a garden. A perfect place
But it doesn’t have to
named Eden, without dan- stay this way.
ger or disease or death. Two
Since the time of Jesus,
people lived in this garden, there has always been an-
made their home in this other path - a better one. A
garden, and it was good.
life full of purpose, peace,
But something hap- and actual hope. And Eas-
pened, something terrible. ter reminds us why that’s
The man and woman in the possible: the tomb is empty.
perfect garden walked away Jesus is alive. Hope is alive.
from it all and chose a dif-
At the Ione Community
ferent life. They abandoned Church, we’re launching
the garden because they a four-week sermon se-
falsely believed they had a ries about Resurrecting
better offer elsewhere than Hope. It’s all about how
in the place the garden own- the resurrection of Jesus
er had freely given them. So Christ still speaks directly
they abandoned him and all into our struggles today.
he had given them.
For generations, followers
For many, many, many of Jesus have faced grief,
years they regretted their loss and injustice—and still
choice. They and their de- held onto joy. Why? Be-
scendants suffered the con- cause resurrection changes
sequences of that choice everything.
for generations. Theft
In our darkest days, it
happened. War happened. gives us light.
Disease happened. Death
In overwhelming
happened.
discouragement, it gives
But the garden owner us faith.
saw, and he was filled with
In the midst of devas-
great compassion. And so, tating loss, it gives us joy.
he began his merciful plan
In times of deep divi-
to restore it all back to the sion, it offers something
way it should be. To get powerful: unity.
back to the beauty of the
That kind of hope
beginning, death had to doesn’t come from more
be dealt with forever. And money, better habits or a
the only way to face death really good self-help book.
would be to die himself.
And it definitely doesn’t
The Feature
Film
come from the version of
Jesus found in Cultural
Christianity—where Jesus
is more of a cosmic good
luck charm than a risen
Savior.
You know that ver-
sion—He’s “the big man
upstairs,” the one who’s
good for a quote here or
there or a song at a funeral.
A Jesus who’s admired but
not followed. A Jesus who
“takes the wheel” only
when we’re skidding on ice.
He’s sentimental, but He’s
not transformative. And
honestly, that Jesus can’t
help us.
But the real Jesus—the
one who walked out of the
tomb and invites us to fol-
low Him? He can transform
everything.
Galatians 5 paints the
contrast. We see what hap-
pens when we try to run
life on our own: hatred,
division, jealousy, selfish-
ness, fits of rage (sound like
your last group text or post
on Facebook?). But when
we walk with the Spirit of
God, something beautiful
begins to grow: love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gen-
tleness and self-control.
Here’s the thing—we
weren’t meant to walk this
road alone.
That’s why it matters
to show up. To gather. To
worship. To grow. Whether
it’s at the Ione Community
Church or another local
church, we need each other.
Life by the Spirit is deeply
personal—but it’s never
meant to be private.
Church is more than a
building or a Sunday thing.
It’s a group of real people
learning to live with real
hope, together. It’s where
we remember who Jesus
really is—and who He’s
calling us to be.
So this Easter, don’t
just admire Jesus from a
distance. Don’t settle for
empty faith or cultural com-
fort.
Come meet the risen
Christ. Come be part of a
community where hope is
alive—and growing.
Because hope spreads
faster when we walk in
it together.
Jeff Clabaugh
Minister, Ione Commu-
nity Church
www.ionecommunity-
church.org
Peace be
with You!
After six weeks of
spiritual renewal, we have
reached the desired goal
of Easter. I wish you all a
“Happy Feast of Easter!”
E a s t e r ’s t h e m e i s
“Peace” (shalom), remind-
ing us that peace isn’t some-
thing we find on the outside;
rather it is a blessing we
can experience on the in-
side. What we notice in all
the post-resurrection scenes
is that the first words when
Jesus appears to His dis-
ciples are “peace be with
you”…Something we and
the world are looking for
and longing to have.
As I was preparing my
Easter message, something
from the Bible struck me in-
tensely from the Gospel of
John, an apt message for the
occasion: “Jesus answered
them, ‘Do you believe now?
The time is coming and is
already here when all of you
will be scattered, each of
you to your own home, and
I will be left all alone. But I
am not really alone, because
the father is with me. I have
told you this so that you will
have peace by being united
to me. The world will make
you suffer. But be brave! I
have defeated the world!”
(John 16:31-33).
Easter reminds us that
peace is available to us at
any time, even in the most
difficult of circumstances,
because of Christ and His
sacrifices made for each
of us. We need to shout,
“Alleluia, God is with us!”
Much before His death, just
as a movie director knows
what is going to happen or
how things should happen
in the next scene, Jesus was
able to predict what was
going to take place after His
death: “In this world, you
will have trouble. But take
heart! I have overcome the
world” (John 16:33).
The evening vigil ser-
vice has seven readings
from the Old Testament. All
of them describe the love
of His fidelity to humanity:
The creation of the world
out of nothingness, and
then the creation of human
beings put in control of
the whole world. Through
disobedience and sin, hu-
mans’ loss of friendship
with God, but His not leav-
ing mankind like that. How
God protects His chosen
people of Israel through
various experiences, from
the slavery in Egypt and
His leading them through
the mighty waters of the
Red Sea. But man kept on
ignoring God and continued
the path of sin.
In Paul’s Letter to the
Romans, (6:3-11), Paul
reminds us of an important
element: We who were bap-
tized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into His death.
Through these six weeks
of Lenten observances, we
were preparing ourselves to
be crucified with Christ so
that our sinful bodies might
be done away with, that
we might no longer be in
slavery to sin. Paul’s epistle
constantly reminds each
one of us that we should
not fall into sinful situations
but keep ourselves pure and
holy.
The Gospel of the day
is from Luke (24:1-12).
The Evangelist describes
the Risen Lord’s encounter
with one of His beloved fol-
lowers, Mary Magdalene,
and a few other women.
Mary Magdalene loved
Him, since He freed her
from the clutches of sin.
That is why, even after His
death, these women contin-
ued to show their fidelity
and love towards the Lord.
We need to examine our
own consciences occasion-
ally and realize what the
Lord has done for you and
me every day in our lives.
Are we grateful to Him for
all we receive daily from
Him? Like Mary of Mag-
dala, do we love Him with
our whole hearts and do we
look for Him daily in our
troubled moments?
The risen Lord also
mentions, “Peace is what
I leave with you; it is my
own peace that I give you.
I do not give it as the world
does. Do not be worried
and upset; do not be afraid”
(John 14:27). This Easter
season reminds us all to
come closer to the Lord,
who is caring for us, who
continues to protect us from
all threatening events. The
Lord invites everyone to
come closer to Him and
trust Him more.
Let the words of Christ
resonate in our minds and
hearts. I think that is the
real message of Easter: “Be
brave, I have conquered the
world.” If you remain in
Him and His words remain
in you, surely we can con-
quer with our faith anything
and everything that chal-
lenges us every day. The
gift of peace is available
to us because Christ is
the Prince of Peace. Jesus
Christ is the light that dis-
pels darkness and ushers
lasting peace and joy.
Father Thankachan
Joseph