The following article by Pastor Rod Schorr is reprinted from the Covenant Community Church's weekly newsletter, "Covenant Messenger," Vol. 14, No. 50, Dec. 21, 2008.

The King Who Changed Places

I know this might be hard to believe, but there are themes of Christmas all through Mark Twain's novel, "The Prince and the Pauper."

And I mean, themes of the real Christmas!

Which is remarkable because... well... you could hardly call Mark Twain a Christian. I've always wished he were - I love his writings and his humor so much! - but there's very little hope of that. As far as we can tell, Samuel Clemens was a crusty old skeptic and atheist to the bitter end.

"The Prince and the Pauper" is not his most celebrated work, but it's an interesting one...

The story begins when a raggedy young beggar, named Tom Canty, sneaks onto the King's Royal grounds to have a look around. Immediately he is spotted by the Royal guard, handcuffed and led away.

But the young Prince of Wales, Edward, witnesses the incident and rescues the poor beggar. He sneaks Tom into his chambers for a visit, during which the two of them discover that they are exactly the same age, with the same birth-dates, and that, amazingly, they even look alike.

There's another interesting correlation: each one envies the life of the other! During their conversation, Tom explains that he has always dreamed of being a Prince. Edward has always longed for the normal, everyday life. So, on a whim, the two of them decide to exchange clothes. Tom puts on the garments or a royal prince, and Edward the filthy rags of a pauper.

Just at that moment, the Palace Guards burst in! Having finally located the intruding beggar, they grab him, haul him away, and toss into the streets outside the Palace gates.

But, of course, the trouble is that this 'pauper' is really Edward, the rightful Prince of Wales! And now, bereft of his royal trappings, not a soul in all of London will believe him when he tells the story of what has happened and who he really is.

Meanwhile, back at the Palace, Tom is too petrified to explain what has happened, so everyone thinks he is the Prince. When he fails to recall even the most memorable details of his royal past, rumor starts to circulate that the poor 'Prince' is going mad!

All of this comes to a head when King Henry dies. Edward is now the rightful King, but no one recognizes him as such. He wanders the streets in his beggar's rags, incapable of convincing anyone that he is who he says he is.

Well... I'll let you read the rest of the story of how he finally regains the throne.

But like I said, the parallels of Christmas are right there on the page.

The Story of Christmas is all about a King who changed places! When the Son of God came into this world, he didn't come in Royal garb! He came dressed in the humblest of circumstances: an infant in a manger; child of a carpenter, doubted by his people and even disowned by his family! "He was despised and rejected of men," we read, "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." Is. 53:3.

Of course, it would be a great mistake to think that all of this was just an 'accident' or a 'misunderstanding,' like the Mark Twain story.

It was nothing of the kind dear Christian! It was the fulfillment of God's purpose, planned from the beginning of Time.

Christ is our Immanuel, God With Us in human form. Scripture says that, when He came, "He emptied Himself and took upon Himself the form of a servant." Phil 2:7. "Though he was rich," we are told, "yet for our sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty, might become rich." 2 Cor 8:9.

What an amazing role reversal! What an astonishing act of love!

And that is the real story of Christmas! That's why we celebrate with humble mangers and lowly shepherds and all the rest! It's called the great 'Condescension,' if you want the technical term, but what it really spells is God's great love for you!

Keep Christ at the very center of this Season, dear ones! You'll be greatly blessed if you do. And do not hesitate, do no apologize for calling Him your King; your King of Kings and Lord of Lords; for when He comes the second time, there will be no doubt of that!

See you Sunday.

-Rod A. Schorr

The following article by Pastor Rod Schorr is reprinted from the Covenant Community Church's weekly newsletter, "Covenant Messenger," Vol. 14, No. 48, Dec. 7, 2008.

Toss Your Cloak

I wish it weren't so, but that delightful story about Sir Walter Raleigh throwing his cloak over the mud puddle is probably just a legend. If so, you can file it with all the other favorite legends that have been spoiled by historical puritanism: Washington chopping down the apple tree; Davy Crockett 'killing himself a bar when he was only three.'

Isn't reality irritating?

Not that the 'cloak-in-the-mud' story has been totally disproven. Its just that there's no valid historical evidence to support it. The legend first appeared in Thomas Fuller's ancient classic, "A History of hte Worthies of England," (1650s), and Fuller was not exactly the most cautious researcher on earth. It shows up later, in Sir Walter Scott's novel "Kenilworth," but that was fiction so... that's not much!

And I do wish it were true!

As the story goes, Raleigh was a brash young upstart at Queen Elizabeth's court, eager to make an impression, and one day when the Queen got ready to step down from her carriage, there was his chance! A nice big mud puddle, right there at her feet! While the rest of the Queen's Guard stood gawking at attention, Raleigh seized the moment: off went his expensive velvet cloak! - thrown right onto the mud, so that the Queen could pass by unsullied.

According to the legend, that cloak was the beginning of Raleigh's stardom. And the stardom part is true: he became the Queen's favorite; she showered him with titles and estates and licensures for enterprise; eventually he was even knighted and appointed Captain of the Royal Guard.

If the incident really happened, then Raleigh was no dummy. He understood a principle that all of us should learn. And even if it didn't happen, the principle stands true: Nothing is really lost that is given to a Sovereign!

And how true that is, especially, when it comes to a Soverign God! A God who loves us and sees our every gift!

May I ask you this, dear Christian: what have you given up as a follower of Jesus Christ? No matter what it is, it will be infinitely rewarded! Youll never out-give the magnificence of God!

I read something interesting about that Widow's mite some time ago. Remember that marvelous moment in the temple, when a sad little widow hobbled up to the offering box and tossed in her two cents worth? Jesus saw it (of course!) and announced to all the crowd, in so many words, that no one would ever out-give what she had given! It's a remarkable statement, actually, because people had been tossing generous gifts into that box all day long! You can read all about it in Luke 21.

But according to what I read, someone had actually made calculations and discovered that if the 'Widow's mite' - those two copper coins - had been deposited into the 'First National Bank of Jerusalem' to draw the usual 2% interest all these years, the account would now total: $2,400,000,000,000,000,000,000!

What is that? A Septillion? I'll let you figure it out! I haven't got all day here!

Think of it, dear Christian! If a chintzy man-made bank can pay that much over 2,000 years, imagine what the Lord's reward will be as it accrues for all eternity!

Toss you cloak, dear follower of the Cross, and never count the cost too high! What you give for your Soverign Lord will never be a loss! Scripture calls Him 'Rewarder,' remember? "He is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him!" Heb. 11:6.

That's why Jesus said those words: "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven!" Mt. 5:12.

-Rod A. Schor

Covenant Community Church will celebrate two Christmas Eve worship services on Wednesday, Dec. 24, in the chapel.

The first begins at 5 p.m. with a message from Pastor Gene Loeffler, "God with Us."

The second is at 7 p.m. with the message, "Who Brought the Myrrh?" by Pastor Rod Schorr.

All are invited for this beautiful reminder of the birth of our Savior.

The following article by Pastor Rod Schorr is reprinted from the Covenant Community Church's weekly newsletter, "Covenant Messenger," Vol. 14, No. 47.

Expecting the Best

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I love the story about Helen Hayes and the time she cooked Thanksgiving dinner for her family. Or didn't, I guess I should say.

I now, I know, I am waaaayyy to young to be talking about Helen Hayes. Thank you for that, I agree with you completely! She was especially in her element way back in the thirties and that does place her a bit before my time.

But she has actually been called America's First Lady of Theatre and her career does extend all the way into the '70s - admittedly a bit anti-climactically, I must say, with a role in 'Herbie Rodes Again' and a cameo appearance in 'The Loveboat.' It's sad how things turn out for 'stars,' don't you think?

Still, Helen Hayes was a beautiful, articulate actress in her day, and certainly quite the rage.

But she couldn't cook! Everybody knew it! Including her poor husband and son.

One year, as Thanksgiving rolled around, Helen reasoned to herself that she owed her family a dinner. So she made the shocking announcement that she would be cooking a turkey with all the trimmings.

Seeing the look of disbelief on her husband's face (it was Charles MacArthur, by the way) she said: "Now honey, I know this is the first turkey I've ever cooked, and so if it doesn't turn out, I don't want anybody to say a word! We'll just get up from the table, without comment, and go down to the hotel for the Thanksgiving special there."

Then she retired to the kitchen where she worked on it all day long.

As she would later tell the story, when dinner was finally announced and she came into the dining room bearing her work, there was her husband and son, seated at the table... wearing their hats and coats!

Now, men, that is not the way to respond to your darling's enterprises! Always expect the best, guys, and be thankful when it comes!

And that, come to think of it, is the very essence of Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is not just about being thankful for blessings past and present. It's about expecting the best in the days to come. Maybe that's not always easy when it comes to movie stars and fallible humans, but there's nothing hard at all about expecting the best from God!

The Pilgrim's held that very first Thanksgiving on the brink of a perilous, uncertain future. Yes, they'd ben delivered through a difficult winter, but there were more tough winters to come, and they gave thanks to God with all their hearts, expecting the best for the days ahead.

I believe all of us need to be reminded of that right now in these gloomy, uncertain times. We have so much to feel thankful for, do we not? Our health, our homes, our families, our jobs, our church, our faith and our assurance of eternal life.

And when health and homes and jobs are in jepoardy, then it's time to expect the best. That's part of Thanksgiving too! Here are two great reasons why...

1. God knows all about the adversity that comes your way. Remember that awesome thing God once said?



What an awesome thought! Nothing takes Him by surprise, especially the hard things that happen to come your way!

2. God is with you all the way! Here's another great reason why you can always expect the best. No matter what you might be going through, you never go it alone! God is with you, dear follower of the Cross: If He endures it with you, you can endure it well, and it will work out well in the end. There's another great verse in Isaiah that makes this very clear:



What a wonderful, iron-clad promise from the Most High God who loves us so! Happy Thanksgiving.

See you Sunday!

-Rod A. Schorr

The following letter is by Larry Dunne, a missionary in Ireland's whose work is supported, in part, by Covenant Community Church.

The work at Westport Town (Friday Night Street Outreach) is "testing!" These young people like to make their presence known by loud, verbal disagreements with what we are sharing (i.e., the 'sin' issue.) These youths are so needy. They sometimes do inappropriate things to us to get attention, at the expense of hearing the Word. However, those who are sober and near-sober often listen with great interest and questions. Sometimes we are not sure exactly what effect we are having on them, but recently we heard of an incident in one young man's classroom where the subject of religion came up, and he said, "The people from that shop down there (our Christian Book Shop) can answer all those questions." We are encouraged to hear this.

Pray for Deirdre in Kiltimagh town who is bound to a wheelchair and has requested a Bible. Larry is going to her today to give her one. Larry has given her literature before, but has not been able to speak with her. She made this request from reading our magazine! Also, Isaac read the invitation in the magazine and came to our Claremorris Bible Study last night!

Pray for the Grimes family (four kids, teen and adult) who were saved back in May and just recently started coming on Sunday mornings. Paudge, our Pastor, has started a Bible study with them. They are always excited and anxious to discuss the Gospel and a great encouragement to our work. Pray for their protection from the Devil's traps at this time and for the two older kids, which we are not totally sure where their hearts are as yet.

The following article by Pastor Rod Schorr is reprinted from the Covenant Community Church's weekly newsletter, "Covenant Messenger," Vol. 14, No. 46, Nov. 23, 2008.

That Scepter in Your Hand

I read the most interesting thing about David Livingstone. I hope everyone knows who I'm talking about. He was a missionary to Africa back when nobody went to Africa! David Linvingstone tromped his way through the very worst of the world's dense jungles to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in hundreds of primitive un-reached villages. He arrived in Africa in 1840, spent 33 years doing that work (intesting number) and died on the field in 1873.

He was very sucessful at his work and one incident in particular opened the door for that to happen. It started when he gave up one of his treasured possessions.

Livingstone didn't have many treasured possessions: his Bible of course, and a collection of books, a watch and a few other things.

And among the other things was a goat that he really could not live without. Livingstone suffered from a chronic stomach disorder that always got worse when he drank the local water. But this goat provided milk for him as a substitute every day. It was one of the most important things he had.

One day, arriving at the edge of a vast new territory, he was told by messengers that a great Tribal Chief wanted to meet him. There was protocol, however: the Chief would examine all of Livingstone's belongings and take one item, whatever struck his fancy. In exchange, the Chief would give him a gift, and then the two could meet as friends and allies.

Finally, when the two great men met face-to-face, the chief looked over Livingstone's things and, much to Livingstone's disappointment, took the goat. In return, Livingstone was given a hand-carved walking stick.

It was one of the few times Livingstone ever complained to God: stupid walking stick! What good would that do him, compared to the goat that kept him well? How would he survive to perform his work now?

But several days later, as Livingstone plunged into the depths of Central Africa, someone told him that something about that 'stick.' "That is no 'walking stick' Bwana! The King has given you his very own scepter and with it you will find entrance to every village in our land!"

And he was right! God opened up an entire continent to this man, and the work he began was carried on by thousands of missionaries after him.

May I ask you a question at this point? What have you given up in your decision to follow Christ? You are aware of the fact, I hope, that what you give up for your King brings a 'scepter' in return?

Some of you have given up a lot, I know! For some of you, the cost was friends and family, popularity and approval. For some the cost was a job, a reputation, even a spouse! Others faced the ridicule and spite of those who misconstrued their faith.

And of course, there is always the 'cost' of just giving to God's church, so that the work of His kingdom can go forth. I know many Christians who do not own a home but are tithing to God's work! Now that's a costly choice!

Jesus never said the cost would be cheap, if you'll recall. In fact He reeled off quite a list of things that we could lose by following Him:

"Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake..." Mt. 19:29.

Yes the cost can be painful.

But - my! - what a 'scepter' He gives us in return! God pours out His Spirit upon people who give like that! He opens up hearts and doors and communities and continents to churches that give like that!

God bless you for your giving, dear Christian! May you always be able to do it. Give when you see someone needy. Given when you see holy work! Given when you worship your Savior!

And you can expect great things from the 'scepter' in your hand!

I'm writing all this because the lobby is full of shoeboxes soon to be shipped around the world, and winter clothes fo the nation's poorest and neediest Sioux reservation, and there are coin cans for the Deacon Fund, and offerings every Sunday - even in times like these! - and... welll... I can't list it all, of course; I only have so much space here!

See you Sunday!

-Rod A. Schorr

The following letter is by Wes Brenneman, a missionary stationed in the Pacific Islands, along with his wife Suzie. Their ministry is supported, in part, by Covenant Community Church.

Dear Prayer Team:

Suzie and I will leave in a few days on a month-long trip that will take us to Nepal and New Zealand, and your prayers are needed! In Nepal we will be meeting with the South Asia Area Leadership Team as well as with the national directors and their wives of all the countries of South Asia, apart from India. For security reasons we cannot tell you which countries exactly. So this will be a very strategic time together. Apparently we will be meeting at a venue at an elevation of about 6,000 feet and at the base of the Himalayas, with Mount Everest in sight. So, we are looking for our warmer clothes right now!

George Mason, the Field Strategy Consultant of our team, will be with us at the conference. Please pray for all of us as we prepare to go. Because it is not easy to get some things shipped to this country we are taking some projection equipment with us. We are trying to make sure we don't forget anything.

Pray especially for Suzie since she will have some opportunities to meet with the women to discuss their unique needs as well as to plan together how to best minister to the women in their countries. She will particularly be talking with them about using the film, "Magdalena, Released from Shame."

Finally, please pray for our health. I have just picked up a cold and am in the misterable stage. Now Suzie just told me she is getting a sore throat. Pray that she does not come down with a cold or anything else and that I will be getting over mine by the time we leave next Wednesday.

Again, thanks for praying with us. I will keep you updated, provided we have internet service along the way.

We will be having our CCC Thanksgiving Dinner again this year at 2 p.m. in the Social Hall on Thanksgiving day.

Dan and Felicia Loya will be facilitating the dinner this year, with Judee Stapp assisting.

Toni Bridgman will be taking reservations again, so please call her at (714)779-9181.

Everyone is welcome and the event is free.