← The World and Everything In It
The World and Everything In It
12.25.24 A classic presentation of the Nativity story, Janie B. Cheaney’s thoughts on the Incarnation, and Advent music celebrating the arrival of the Messiah
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- [00:05]
Lindsay Mast
Good morning and Merry Christmas. Today, a special Christmas day program that includes a classic presentation of the Nativity story.
- [00:13]
Nick Iker
We must be like shepherds who come to worship. We must be like wise men who kneel to adore. Such is the story of Christmas.
- [00:25]
Janie B. Cheney
Also today, world commentator Janie B. Cheney on how Christ's birth changes everything and world. Bonnie Pritchett ends our program with the music of Christmas.
- [00:42]
Lindsay Mast
It's Wednesday, December 25th. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Lindsay Mast.
- [00:50]
Janie B. Cheney
And I'm Nick Iker. Good morning.
- [00:53]
Lindsay Mast
Up next, Kent Covington with today's news.
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Kent Covington
A man accused of fatally setting a woman on fire inside a New York City subway train this week faced a judge in Brooklyn on Christmas Eve. 33 year old Sebastian Zepeta is charged with murder and arson. The Guatemalan national was deported from the United States in 2018, but later re entered the country illegally, though it is not clear when. The Texas Department of Public Safety is supporting the Border Patrol in combating illegal crossings. And DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez said Tuesday.
- [01:27]
Nick Iker
This tragedy, the census tragedy that took place in New York on the subway that's a prime example of a gotaway.
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Kent Covington
That'S been able to sneak into the country undetected. The apparently random attack occurred Sunday morning at the Coney island rail station in Brooklyn. The grisly crime has renewed calls by many to crack down on illegal immigration. And Republican Congresswoman Claudia Tenney of New York Tuesday called out the governor of her state.
- [01:49]
Nick Iker
Kathy Hochul is doing nothing about this. And by the way, she recently did.
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Kent Covington
A victory lap saying how safe it.
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Nick Iker
Is to ride on New York City subways.
- [01:57]
Kent Covington
President elect Donald Trump's incoming border czar, Tom Homan will be tasked with enforcing the border and deporting those in the country illegally. He also had strong words for Governor Hochul and other officials in so called sanctuary states and cities.
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Tom Homan
I want Hochul, I want the mayor of Chicago, the governor, all these sanctuary cities that are speaking out against President Trump and myself running this deportation operation, I want you to watch that video and know how this young lady suffered, what a heroic death she had. I want you to listen to the Lake and riley tape for 17 minutes. How she fought for her life.
- [02:29]
Kent Covington
The incoming administration says the early focus will be mainly on removing criminal elements that pose the greatest risk to public safety. And Homan is calling on Congress in advance to provide all necessary funds to carry out deportations.
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Tom Homan
I was asked that the other day. Is $86 billion enough? $86 billion is a start. We need at least that to do this operation. We got to buy beds, we got to have air, we got to do removal flights and ground transportation and medical care. The people who arrest $86 billion is.
- [03:00]
Kent Covington
A start, he said. The upfront price tag may be high, but long term it will save billions, billions of dollars in taxpayer money. Homan added that the monetary price of illegal immigration far outweighs the cost of enforcing immigration law and that the value of national security is immeasurable. The 119th Congress of the United States will be sworn in next week, and House Speaker Mike Johnson's job is in jeopardy. Republican Congresswoman Laura Lee certainly I know.
- [03:29]
Nick Iker
There have been a number of members.
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Bonnie Pritchett
Who have expressed interest in continuing the.
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Nick Iker
Conversation about Speaker Johnson and where we go from here.
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Kent Covington
She added that she believes Johnson is working hard to address the concerns of each member and the priorities of President Elect Trump. But the speaker is facing some pretty tough math. Republicans will have a razor thin majority in the new Congress and Johnson can really only afford to lose one Republican vote. And at least one GOP member is already a no on re electing Johnson, while others are undecided. But Congressman Eric Burleson says the speaker may only need to convince one person.
- [04:04]
Nick Iker
The American people gave him a mandate.
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Janie B. Cheney
We need to back President Trump, and.
- [04:09]
Nick Iker
If President Trump is going to back.
- [04:10]
Kent Covington
Johnson, I'm sure that he will be the speaker. Johnson's margin is especially slim because three GOP members are leaving seats vacant to accept jobs in the new Trump administration. Many Republicans are blasting President Biden's decision this week to commute the sentences of nearly every inmate on federal death row, changing their sentences to life in prison without parole. A Trump transition team released a list of those inmates to whom Biden granted a reprieve, and GOP Senator Bill Haggerty.
- [04:40]
Nick Iker
Remarked, the families that have been victimized in this way, I don't know how Joe Biden could ever look any of them in the eye and justify what he's just done.
- [04:47]
Kent Covington
President Elect Trump says soon after he's inaugurated he will direct the Justice Department to vigorously pursue the death penalty to protect American families and children from violent rapists, murderers and monsters. Biden has stated his belief that capital punishment is not consistent with American values. He cited the risk of executing innocent people as a key reason for opposing it. Christmas travel got off to a rough start on Christmas Eve, at least for many of those flying out of town. American Airlines had to ground all flights nationwide due to a technical problem. Fortunately, the interruption was only temporary. One traveler in San Francisco, told TV station kvtu.
- [05:28]
Nick Iker
I mean, it would have been a bummer for sure because we're traveling so last minute. So tonight's Christmas Eve. It would have definitely been a bummer.
- [05:36]
Lindsay Mast
If we would have missed our flight.
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Nick Iker
But thank goodness we didn't.
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Kent Covington
The Federal Aviation Administration cleared American flights to get airborne Tuesday, about one hour after it ordered the ground stop. The airline said the problem was caused by an issue with a vendor technology that maintains its flight operating system. I'm Kent Cuffington. And straight ahead, the greatest story ever told and how that story Changes everything. This is the World and everything in it.
- [06:22]
Lindsay Mast
It's Wednesday, 25th December. Glad to have you along for today's Christmas edition of the World and Everything in It. Good morning. I'm Lindsay.
- [06:32]
Janie B. Cheney
And I'm Nick Eichert. Next up, the greatest story ever told. Today we set aside our usual program format to bring you a special presentation of the Nativity story as told by one of the most recognized voices of.
- [06:48]
Nick Iker
His time, Roger Starbuck, An Officer and.
- [06:51]
Janie B. Cheney
A Gentleman, the late John Fasinda, the voice of NFL Films from the mid-1960s until he died in 1984.
- [07:01]
Lindsay Mast
Back in 1957, Facinda narrated a retelling of the Christmas story for manuscript records. The script is full of biblical allusions and it sticks closely to the scriptural record, though like most Christmas pageants, its scene at the manger is traditional and likely inaccurate.
- [07:17]
Janie B. Cheney
Our team has edited the original recording to fit the time available, and we'll just add one quick production note here. In order to make it flow a bit better for our format, we did reorder a few portions of the original recording. So here now John Fisenda's retelling of the Nativity, a story that begins centuries before the birth of the Christ child.
- [07:42]
Nick Iker
Long before the first Christmas, the arrival of the Messiah was foretold in prophecies, prophecies that have withstood the ravages of history and clearly indicate to us today that the birth of Christ was no accident, but part of a master plan. The prophecies are quite explicit as to time and place and circumstance and the words where the trumpet sounds to herald the arrival of the new king. I shall see him, but not now. I shall behold him, but not near. A star shall rise out of Jacob, and a scepter shall spring up from Israel. Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. For behold, a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel. And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah or not. The least among the princes of Judah. For out of thee shall come a king that shall rule my people. And his going forth is from the beginning, from the days of eternity. Oh, yes. Christmas didn't just happen, yet it took place for all people, for all times. It is a happy story, a story of faith, a story of promise. Here is the story of Christmas, the most beautiful story that's ever been told. Its greatest beauty is that it is true. And so it began a long time ago, that journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Three souls. Joseph, Mary, and her soon to be infant son, Jesus. And a donkey. This donkey, which must take some special place in the animal world, for the one was chosen to carry the Savior to his place of birth. Beast of burden, yes. Of low estate among all creatures, yet fit to transport the King of men. A crooked road this donkey trotted to make straight his path. The terrain was rugged and the weather harsh and there was need for speed. But travel in those days was a far cry from the conveniences of today. Joseph was rich in blessings, but among them was not the blessing of wealth. Fortunate was he that he could borrow the use of this tiny animal for Mary to ride. How many times must this thought have crossed his troubled mind? As finally they left the plains of Esdraelon behind and moved into the shadow of Mount Tabor, into Samaria, and at last, Judea. It was late afternoon when the family reached Jerusalem. They were now only five miles from Bethlehem. Weariness, however, forced their steps to where Joseph hoped would be rest and comfort. The winter sun had long since sunk behind the hill of Calvary. A chilling wind rustles the leaves in the garden of Gethsemane and shadows creep along the road to Bethlehem. Joseph turns his mind to thoughts other than the pressing problem at hand. Deliberately, he thinks of the pastures beside him in which Ruth long ago gleaned the wheat in the fields of Boaz. In that hollow to the right outside the gates, brave men had died to bring David a drink of water from the wells of Bethlehem. All around him, the ground where David had played as a child, where he had tended his flocks and where the prophet Samuel had anointed David King. Joseph's thoughts would be. But for a moment, with the past, for the present persisted with its own concern. Why had he not stayed in Jerusalem? It would have been easier there to find the quarters that Mary needed so sorely. Even now, life held heavy inside the body of his espoused wife. He must find a place for her to rest. Bethlehem will be filled with those making the journey just like he was. What if there was no shelter to be found? Joseph ignored that thought, but not the sight of the silhouetted families around small campfires beside the road. They too were people like themselves, who had come for the senses, and even now he has the scattered sounds that tell him that they soon will be there. He halts the donkey and turns as if to speak to Mary, but instead he smooths the shawl around her, yet a little closer. He clasps her hand and she turns her eyes toward him, eyes which hold a gentle entreaty. Hurry, Joseph, hurry. A sharp wind whips at the little family as they enter the gates of Bethlehem. All around them are the signs of a busy, overcrowded town. Though it's after dark, the streets pulsate with the noise of life. Roman soldiers walk in groups, their strange ways and language mingling with the cries and the sounds of the beggars and peddlers. Big rough looking men, their eyes flashing with the look of men hundreds of miles from home. Night has settled firmly and there seems to be even more confusion. The whole atmosphere has that particular urgency that mocks the behavior of large crowds away from home, that by shoving more forcefully or shouting more loudly, they may gain an advantage over others. Bethlehem this night will bring little rest to people crowded within its walls. Joseph tightens his grasp of the rein and moves closer to Mary's side as they guide themselves through the maze of people down the narrow streets. Streets that seemed strange to Joseph, yet he knew them, for his last visit was not that long ago. He did remember, for there is the courtyard that leads to the inn. His steps quicken as they pace, those of the tired animal. Here will they find rest. Here renew their strength, renew their spirits, for that which is to come. All thumbs are his efforts to tether the donkey among the other beasts that crowd the courtyard. But tenderly do the gnarled hands assure his young wife that everything will be all right now that they are at the end. By his side, weak and weary, is his wife. Her face and clothes are blended in one color, the gray grime of dusty roads. She has traveled much. Her mantle frames her face in pale loveliness. In the moonlight she is silhouetted with a round, tragic beauty of one who is about to bring life into the world. God has given her his greatest gifts, but now she's deprived of ordinary blessings. She who is to be remembered as blessed among women seems forgotten. God has willed that she be his mother, that her flesh and blood be his flesh and blood, that her body form his body now beneath her heart, the Son of God has shelter. She has none. Within her he rests, she no place to lay her head. He dwells in her. She has no dwelling place. She is the house of God. But she herself is homeless. Her name is Mary. Worn and worried, Joseph waits at other doors. He has knocked. He has seen them open. He has heard them close. The night is no longer young and lodging must be found. This is the final inn. There are no other doors on which to rap. This is the end of the search for a room. The door opens a tiny crack. Light and warmth ooze out into the dark, cold air. The request is again made. Please, a night's shelter, especially tonight. The reply is quick, almost curt. There is no room in the inn. So past the houses and inns walk the humble pair, two lonely figures casting lonely night shadows on a lonely street. Out of the city of David they go. Into the fields of David they come. Here there will be none to offer them shelter, but here none will refuse them. Through the meadows, down the hollows, along the hillsides, Mary and Joseph plod their weary, winding way. Time is a tyrant, time is intolerant. Who can delay death by two minutes or block a birth by one? Already the blessed lady feels the Lord of her life, the fruit of her womb, struggling within her in his search for birth. Then, suddenly and sadly, they see what is to become the most famous nursery in the whole world. Its fame would come from him who is to be born. There. In the kingdom of the blind, the one eyed are princes. To the homeless, any roof is a shelter. Joseph must hurry and prepare, for the hour is at hand. He cannot waste time in worries and wanderings. He cannot fret and frown with what might have been. He has to fix and furnish what has to be. A lantern is lighted, a fire started. A cleansed manger becomes a cradle. Fresh drawer, a mattress, swaddling bands, an infant's layet. All is ready. The stars have lighted the heavenly candles. The wind whispers the secret to the grass and trees, and they bow down in awe. All nature awaits the splendid moment when its maker will enter this world through a door of flesh. No other creature ever had so many and such reverent guardians. Angels anxiously watch this lovely bear. Heaven has eyes but for Mary and Joseph. These two and no more. Then the marvel of man, the miracle of birth. There are no longer two. There are three. For here in the manger, here on the straw, here wrapped snugly in swaddling clothes, lies the child. The face of the man is a Picture of prayer. We dress our thoughts and words, but not thoughts have outgrown their trappings. He kneels in the straw and adores. The face of the maid is a vision of bliss. Her hands reach out for her son, her fingers gently clasp his frail flesh. Her bosom becomes his pillow, her warm embrace his blanket of love. Truly, can it be said of this mother she holds heaven in her arms. The darkness of the night stretches out beyond the town and up into the hills above it. Here there is the calm of night, with only now and then a single softened sound to break the stillness. Us, there is no value to a moment here. Time has come and gone and will come and go again. The seasons bring their change, but the rhythm of the centuries long ago had subdued the land. All is at peace on this hillside. The evening air carries a haunting melody from a shepherd's reed, an ancient melody that lingers in echo as the player lays it aside to stir the small fire at his feet. As if by signal, another lonely shepherd merges into the firelight from the shadows around it. They know the night, these men. Nights without number have they spent just so as their fathers father before them. Night with its eternal waiting, waiting for the least disturbance among their flocks, Waiting for a storm to end as quickly as it arose, so that the gray cluster of sheep would be one again, waiting always for the dawn to come. They would talk, these men talk, of many things while they waited. How would they fare at Ewing time? Perhaps a change of grazing ground next year. Taxes being what they were, they would just have to raise more and heavier sheep, that's all. And then occasionally, they would banter back and forth on the merits of right and wrong in the way that men live and die. But not this night. Did the talk concern sheep and man's lot in this world? They were pensive. So, too, seem the sheep. Unusual, yes. But that star high in the heavens, that too, was most unusual. Never had one seen a star so bright, so near, so near and getting closer and closer. What is it, man? What is it? When the angel appeared, one of the shepherds had been dozing. He rubbed his eyes as if to erase the thin traces of a dream. But they would not erase it was an angel. Or surely what an angel must be. The angel was speaking now. Each looked in wonderment. Each looked about quickly to see if the other saw the vision. One look and they knew an angel was speaking to them. And then the dark sky closed about them. Except for that compelling star. If you had been there, you would have had no Question. This was a star so bright it almost took your hand and led you to the holy place. And the shepherds, accustomed to leading sheep were being led to the great shepherd. The master plan again. The all knowing, wanting the simplest of men to be the first to know the prophecies are falling one by one. Soon the world would stand still and start again, but never be the same. The world did stand still and started again, but it's never been the same since that moment in time when the Christian era began with his birth. If we no longer can thrill to the tale of Bethlehem, then it is we who have changed. The story of the Nativity has not the same then, the same now. Age perhaps, has cluttered up our lives with trivialities and selfishness. We perhaps are the crowded ends. Turn back we must always to the birth of that promise, the essential splendor and the real reason of the Nativity. Loveliness found in squalor, beauty discovered in ugliness, glory without pomp. The great gift of Christmas. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. That is the real meaning of Christmas, the real gift. It would not be complete until 33 years later, on a hilltop five miles to the north, on a spring afternoon when the world would tremble. But it began in Bethlehem. Now not our lips, but our hearts must speak. We must be like shepherds who come to worship. We must be like wise men who kneel to a door. Such is the story of Christmas. And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. And all went to be taxed, everyone to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be taxed, with Mary, his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them. And the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, fear not, for behold, I bring you tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord, and this shall be a sign unto you. Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a.
- [30:22]
Kent Covington
Additional support comes from Asbury University. Enrollment is now open for January online grad and undergrad classes Asbury where Christ is central and from season two of Eyewitness Silent Night, the student led podcast drama following time travelers to the first Christmas on podcast apps or at the letter I witnesspod.com.
- [31:00]
Janie B. Cheney
It is Christmas Day December 25th, and thank you for turning to World Radio to help start your day. Good morning, I'm Nick Icker.
- [31:16]
Lindsay Mast
And I'm Lindsay Mast. What world events do you remember most vividly? Perhaps the Challenger explosion or the fall of the Berlin Wall? The terror attacks on September 11? When EPIC events shake the ground, people often say things like this changes everything or the world will never be the same. And sometimes it's true.
- [31:37]
Janie B. Cheney
World commentator Janie B. Cheney says the birth of Christ, of course, did not make headline news at the time, but it is an event that altered the course of all history.
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Bonnie Pritchett
The event that really changed everything was remarkably undramatic. Except for angel sightings in the sky and a single wandering star, it looked like an ordinary birth. Movies and artwork almost always picture the scene at night, surrounded with a heavenly glow, but it just as likely occurred in the daytime, with the clamor of street vendors and the squeal of animals masking Mary's birth pangs. It was a world ruled by cycles. The turn of seasons, the rhythm of religious festivals, the rotation of stars. Empires rose and fell, and nothing really changed. The thin cry of a newborn baby registered not at all, but it signaled the birth of something new. Linear time, forward motion. Progress. Progress has brought us to a world bursting with prosperity but also greater potential for evil. What will it take, we wonder, to send us all sliding back to the law of the jungle? How deep must we scratch the veneer of any modern to the blue painted pagan beneath? Not very deep, I'm thinking. But dystopian anxiety isn't the true story. The universe may contract someday, but history will not. There is no going back to a pre Christian, cyclical pagan world. That world had a certain guileless ignorance about it. When Naaman the Syrian met the one true God, he was nevertheless allowed to continue escorting his pagan king to the temple of Rimmon. Even the sophisticated Athenian saw fit to build a monument to placate an unknown deity, which Paul turned into an object lesson in the past, he told the agnostics on Mars Hill. God overlooked their ignorance. But those times were over. No more groping after God. God has come to us, and he will judge the world in righteousness through the man whom he has appointed. Moderns may play at paganism, but the real pagan world is behind us, as distant and unreachable as the Garden of Eden. The ancient gods have dropped their masks to reveal the demons they really were. Christ has planted himself squarely in history like a bronze serpent on a post. The world is linear, beginning at creation by Christ, building to redemption in Christ, ending with the return of Christ. That's bad news for the unbeliever, but for those who look to him, it changes everything. We don't know what lies ahead, but it will not be a return to the endless cycles of expansion and decline, however difficult the future will be. Progress as God in Christ leads us in triumphant procession, silently and scarcely noticed, the infinite slipped into the bloodstream of history, and the world truly was never the same. I'm Janie Buchaney.
- [35:09]
Lindsay Mast
Up next, the music of Christmas. Throughout December, we've introduced you to some of the music of adventure, melodic meditations on God's promises, on waiting for prophecy to come to pass, and on hope. Today, Bonnie Pritchett brings us a few selections celebrating what we've been waiting for the birth of the promised Messiah, Jesus.
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Nick Iker
Sa.
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John Fasenda
The peeling bells of Christmas morning. Hymn writer Charles Wesley composed the poem Hymn for Christmas day, published in 1739. In today's hymnals, Hark the Herald Angels Sing represents the literary collaboration of Wesley and his friend and fellow preacher George Whitfield. A century later, the song was paired with a cantata by composer Felix Mendelssohn. This 2024 release features the choir of King's College and the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble. Wesley's Hymn calls the world to listen to the angel's proclamation. In their 2019 release, Sing we the Song of Emmanuel, songwriters Matt Boswell and Matt Papa call Christians to join the.
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Nick Iker
Angelic chorus, Sing we the song of Emmanuel.
- [38:33]
John Fasenda
And the proclamation leads to adoration at the staggering realization that God is with us.
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Nick Iker
God most high and amazing delay Lift your voices and now proclaim Great and glorious love has come to us Joy now with the host of heaven and.
- [38:58]
John Fasenda
Salvation stirs even more proclamation. We must go and tell glory Shining.
- [39:06]
Nick Iker
For all to see Hope alive that the gospel God has made a way he will have a praise to tell the world his name is Jesus.
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John Fasenda
The long promised Messiah finally came and he had the name Jesus, prophecies had described the Messiah, what he would be like, what he would do. The prophet Isaiah described him this there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from the roots shall bear fruit. The hymn Lo, How a Rose Air Blooming uses Isaiah's imagery to describe the birth of Jesus. The song begins, lo how a rose ere blooming from tender stem hath sprung of Jesse's lineage coming as those of old have sung. This 2012 instrumental version is courtesy of the London philharmonic orchestra. The two verse song was first published in a 1599 German hymnal. Its author unknown verses added since then continue the metaphor of Christ as a rose this flower, whose fragrance, tender with sweetness fills the air, Dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere. True man, yet fairy God. From sin and death he saves us and lightens every load. Full World I'm Bonnie Pritchett. Merry Christmas.
- [41:36]
Janie B. Cheney
As with the rest of this month's music, we will add today's features to our Spotify playlist. You can find a link to that in today's transcript and if you're listening on Spotify, search for World Radio Advent 2024 tomorrow a long running trend of NFL players overtly expressing faith. That and more tomorrow. Reminder it is our year end giving drive and we do need your help. If you haven't given your yet wng.org yearendgift I'm Nick Iger.
- [42:15]
Lindsay Mast
And I'm Lindsay Mast. The world and everything in it comes to you from World Radio. World's mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates and inspires. Worthy are you our Lord and God to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. Verse 11 of Revelation chapter 4 Go now in grace and peace.