The World and Everything in It - December 24, 2021

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Good morning, and happy Christmas Eve!

We have a treat for you today. The first ever WORLD Radio Christmas Pageant.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Plus we will share two of our favorite holiday dishes.

And a Christmas hymn to fill your day with peace and joy.

BROWN: It’s Friday, December 24th. This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

EICHER: And I’m Nick Eicher. Good morning!

BROWN: Time now for news. Here’s Kent Covington.

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: U.S. adds Merck pill as 2nd easy-to-use drug against COVID-19 » One day after the FDA OK’d Pfizer’s COVID-19 pill, Paxlovid, regulators have authorized another medication.

Merck’s pill, called molnupiravir, is now available for emergency use.

Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni is director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

CAVAZZONI: The available data that we have indicates that both paxlovid and molnupiravir are effective against omicron.

Pfizer's pill, Paxlovid, is likely to become the first-choice treatment. It was shown in trials to reduce hospitalizations among high risk patients by 90 percent, compared to 30 percent with Merck’s pill. Paxlovid also has milder side effects.

The federal government ordered 10 million treatments of Paxlovid. The problem is, for now, supplies are very limited. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki:

PSAKI: We know that just over 250,000 of those will be available in January. We will not get the full package of that, I think, until the Summer.

The FDA put out a statement effectively saying doctors should only prescribe Merck’s molnupiravir if the Pfizer pill is not available.

UK data suggest hospitalization is less likely with omicron » New data out of the U.K. provides further evidence that the COVID-19 omicron variant is less likely to land you in the hospital.

The U.K. Health Security Agency says its analysis shows that people infected with the omicron strain are 50-to-70 percent less likely to need hospitalization than those infected with the delta strain.

But British health officials add two notes of caution:

First, what omicron may lack in severity, it makes up for with its incredibly infectious nature. British Health Secretary Sajid Javid:

JAVID: If a much smaller percentage of people are at the risk of hospitalization, if that’s a smaller percentage of a much larger number, there could be still significant hospitalization.

They also note that data is preliminary and uncertain.

The agency’s research said the protection a booster shot of vaccine gives against symptomatic omicron infection appears to wane after about 10 weeks. But protection against severe illness is likely to hold up longer.

Consumer prices up 5.7% over past year, fastest in 39 years » U.S. consumer prices rose this year at the fastest rate in four decades. WORLD’s Leigh Jones reports.

LEIGH JONES, REPORTER: The Commerce Dept. reported on Thursday that consumer prices have risen 5.7 percent over the past year. That's the fastest pace in 39 years.

Consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of economic activity. It rose by 0.6 percent in November. That was a solid gain but below the 1.4 percent surge in October.

Higher prices may be partly to blame for the slower rise in November, but many economists say more Americans started their holiday shopping earlier this year.

The big jump in the Commerce Department's price gauge was similar to the rise in the consumer price index. That index was up 6.8 percent for the 12 months ending in November—also the biggest surge in 39 years.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Leigh Jones.

Potter convicted of manslaughter in death of Daunte Wright » After days of deliberation, a jury in suburban Minneapolis reached a verdict Thursday in the manslaughter trial of former police officer Kim Potter.

AUDIO: We the jury on the charge of manslaughter in the first degree, while committing a misdemeanor on or about April 11, 2021 in Hennepin County, state of Minnesota, find the defendant guilty.

Her conviction stems from an April traffic stop. During the stop, 20-year-old Daute Wright attempted to flee after officers discovered a warrant for his arrest.

Potter said she feared Wright would hurt another officer who was leaning into the passenger side door of the car. She attempted to use her Taser to stun him, but she mistakenly grabbed her gun instead and fired a fatal shot.

The jury also convicted the 49-year-old Potter of second-degree manslaughter. She faces up to 15 years in prison.

Most GOP-led states restrict telehealth abortion pills despite FDA rule change » The Biden administration recently changed federal rules to allow abortion pills to be prescribed without an in-person visit to a doctor. But many Republican-led states are not playing along. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has that story.

JOSH SCHUMACHER, REPORTER: The FDA last week updated its rules to allow doctors to prescribe abortion-inducing drugs in telehealth visits and to allow patients to receive them in the mail.

But a new analysis from the Washington Examiner notes that most GOP-led states will continue to limit access to the pills.

Five states explicitly bar providers from prescribing abortion drugs in telehealth visits. They are Arizona, Arkansa, Missouri, Louisiana, and West Virginia.

Fifteen other states have effectively banned telehealth abortion pill prescriptions. They don’t explicitly ban the practice, but they do require a physician to be present when a patient receives and uses the pills.

Of those 15 states, three of them, Kansas, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, have Democratic governors but Republican-majority legislatures.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

I’m Kent Covington. Straight ahead: the WORLD Radio Christmas Pageant.

Plus, the final installment in our series on holiday cooking traditions.

This is The World and Everything in It.

NICK EICHER, HOST: It’s Friday the 24th of December, 2021.

Glad to have you along for today’s edition of The World and Everything in It. Good morning, I’m Nick Eicher.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown. First up: the Christmas story.

Nativity plays are a Christmas Eve tradition in many churches. This year we wanted to put on a little pageant of our own. Most of it will sound very familiar to you. But there’s one part of our story that may come as a surprise.

Traditional accounts of the story of Jesus’ birth have Mary and Joseph wandering through Bethlehem looking for a place to stay.

But some scholars believe that is an inaccurate account of what likely happened.

EICHER: The traditional belief that Jesus was born in a stable is based on Luke 2:7. It says Mary placed the baby in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. When we think of an inn, we think of a place for travelers to stay. But the word can also be translated as upper room, like you would find in someone’s house. In fact, it’s the same word both Luke and Mark use to describe the place where Jesus and his disciples ate the Last Supper. We’ll link to an article explaining all this in today’s transcript.

BROWN: Alright, without further ado, here is the WORLD Radio Christmas pageant, featuring a beloved cast of Worldlings.

AUDIO: [Wooshing, flapping wings]

Narrator 1: In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee. He went to the house of a young virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph. He was a descendent of David.

The virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came to her and said:

Gabriel: Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.

Mary: What kind of greeting is this?

Gabriel: Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end.

Mary: How will this be, since I am a virgin?

Gabriel: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.

Mary: I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.

AUDIO: [Wooshing, flapping wings]

Narrator 1: Now, when Joseph found out Mary was pregnant, he was not happy. But because he was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he’d considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said:

Angel: Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

Narrator 1: All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means, God with us.

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him.

Joseph: I’m sorry I doubted you, Mary.

Mary: Oh, Joseph. I love you! I know this is all part of God’s plan.

Narrator 2: Now in those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

AUDIO: [Sounds of cart wheels, walking, people talking]

And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

Bethlehem was really busy!

AUDIO: [Sound of crowd]

But as was the Jewish custom, Mary and Joseph went straight to the home of relatives in the city. Of course, it was crowded, too!

Relative: I’m sorry we don’t have any more space in the upper room. But you can stay downstairs with us.

Mary: Thank you! I think it’s nearly time for the baby to be born!

Relative: Oh! Come over here and lie down in the hay.

Narrator 2: Most houses at that time had a space for animals at one end of the first floor. Kind of like the garages we have today! At night, the animals came inside, to protect them from predators.

AUDIO: [Sound of animals]

The animals ate out of small depressions dug into the ground called mangers.

AUDIO: [Baby cries]

When Mary’s baby was born, she wrapped him in cloths and placed him in one of the mangers, probably right next to where she was lying.

AUDIO: [Sound of sheep, voices]

Mary: He’s so beautiful!

Joseph: He’s perfect. Just like God promised.

Mary: It’s hard to believe one day he will sit on David’s throne.

Joseph: Or save us from our sins.

Relative: What are you going to name him?

Joseph: His name is Immanuel.

Mary: God with us.

Narrator 3: And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

AUDIO: [Wooshing, flapping wings]

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

Angel: Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David, a savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

AUDIO: [Wooshing, flapping wings]

Narrator 3: Suddenly, a great company of the heavenly host appeared, praising God.

AUDIO: [Singing]

Narrator 3: Then the angels left them and went back into heaven.

Shepherd 1: Did you see that?

Shepherd 2: That was amazing!

Shepherd 3: Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.

Narrator 3: So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

AUDIO: [Animal and crowd sounds]

Shepherd 1: Wow, he’s so tiny!

Shepherd 2: I know! And yet, this is our savior.

Shepherd 3: Everyone needs to know about this! Come on, let’s go spread the word!

Narrator 3: And they did. They told everyone about the baby and what the angels had said about him. And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. Then the shepherds returned to their fields, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

[Song: What Child Is This]

EICHER: In order of appearance, that was: Vivi Gaultney, Ford Gaultney, Keziah Jones, Courtney Peetz, Sam Gaultney, Anna Whitten, Daisy Gaultney, Rebecca Whitten, Ellie Peetz, and Jake, Luke, and Colt Williams.

BROWN: If you enjoyed that and would like to share it with friends and family, we’ve created a special way for you to do that. An animated video version perfect for emailing or social media! You can find it on our Instagram and Facebook feeds and we’ve also posted it to the WORLD News Group YouTube channel. We’ll put a link in today’s transcript.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Friday, December 24th. Christmas Eve! Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: The final installment in our series on holiday cooking traditions.

EICHER: Well, we sort of turn tradition upside down. We’re not so much for ham or turkey and dressing.

Tonight, it’s Christmas tacos. Our favorite thing.

Winter weather doesn’t keep me away from the grill. So today’s our day to share, Myrna.

BROWN: I’m interested in these Christmas tacos and I think you’re going to like what my family does for dessert. Lemon. Meringue.

But don’t spoil your appetite. Dinner first!

AUDIO: [turn signal sound + turn and accelerate]

We’re compressing an hour’s activities into, well, less than three minutes.

AUDIO: [Salvation Army bells]

So together we head to the grocery store and gather up all our ingredients, everything we need.

See, we’re just into our empty-nesters phase, so my wife and I needed a new hobby and we thought we’d turn dinner into a big production.

So for this recipe:

Some crunch, so: radishes. [beep]

Some tangy flavor, that’s: tomatoes. [beep]

For spicy sharpness and color: scallions. [beep]

Of course, some chicken. [beep]

Sweet peppers. Reds. [beep] Yellows. [beep]

Limes, important for the tacos.

The thinner the skin, the better the lime, that’s how I pick ’em.

[Apple Pay]

Pay and go.

[“Thank you very much”]

That’s right. I’m walking around with headphones and digital recorder and microphone. Yeah, that’s not weird, not at all.

All right, toss the stuff into the car, hop in—safety first.

[door shuts, beeps, seat belt]

Let’s roll.

Back at the ranch, it’s prep time.

There’s going to be lots of slicing and dicing and sizzling and tossing and flipping and you do have to economize where you can, so we use these little frozen cubes of garlic.

(“That is fancy”)

Recognize that voice, I’m guessing. That’s my daughter Kristen Flavin

(“Hey”)

…She and husband and baby are over here tonight—the tacos are a real draw.

She’ll work on the scallions, the green tops we’ll set aside for the Christmas-y garnish, the white bottoms go in the black bean mash, along with sour cream and lime, but first.

(“Oh, wow”) Yeah, I like gadgets. Cool little can opener.

I think the secret sauce for this dish is the tomato-and-radish salsa.

(“Zest the lime?”)

Yes, I can. That’ll go in the salsa—along with the red and white of the tomato and radish, you get the freshness of lime but also the beautiful green zest. We’ll make quick work of that.

But it’s time to light the grill.

While that’s heating up, we need to get the peppers softened.

Just toss those around and let ’em simmer.

I do the chicken in a heavy iron skillet, high heat, real high.

Four minutes a side.

We’ll let that rest, dice it up, mix it with the chile paste.

So now you have all the elements: flour tortillas, the bean mash, the chicken, the peppers, the salsa, cotija cheese, some salt and pepper, and the green garnish—delicious and decorated for Christmas.

(“Thank you in Christ’s name”)

Dig in, gang!

I took a picture, so visit the website and have a look. WNG.org.

MYRNA BROWN: My husband Stanley grew up in the 70’s. Back then, Sundays after church in Tennessee were meant for sharing laughs and recipes.

DARLENE: We hear you now...

Today members of the Brown clan are scattered all over the Southeast. But that’s nothing a good Zoom connection and the promise of homemade Lemon Meringue pie can’t overcome.

DARLENE: ...but when she first made it, she always called it Lemon Ice Box Pie.

That’s Stanley’s sister, Darlene. She was 8 years old when their mother, Bertha Mae Brown, began teaching her how to make the classic dessert.

DARLENE: It was in her head. She didn’t have it written down.

And now, that beloved family recipe lives on in Darlene, still wearing her Sunday best and gathering ingredients for her Lemon Meringue Zoom tutorial. Darlene is excited to share the family treasure with her two daughters, DeAndrea and Christy. Both live in Tennessee, about 30 minutes away from their mother. The family matriarch is also pleasantly surprised her three grandsons, Reinhold, KJ and Conley are within earshot. To round out the class, Stanley and I are ready in Alabama, along with our daughter Kelsey, listening and watching from her Georgia apartment. 

AUDIO: [FOOD PROCESSOR]

The afternoon begins with a chorus of food processors, transforming Vanilla Wafer cookies into pie crusts with just one touch. Darlene reminds us it wasn’t always this simple.

DARLENE: Remember, I was crushing these cookies by hand. (Stanley) You were her food processor. Oh yeah! I was her food processor because doing it by hand was almost like shelling peas. Oh Wow!

After drizzling a little butter over the cookie crust, we all reach for our lemons, about three of them. But Darlene picks up an antique-looking glass saucer instead. It has a tiny handle on the side and an egg-shaped hump in the center.

DARLENE: Everybody, I want y'all to see this. Everybody looking? This juicer was my mother’s juicer. Oh!! ….

As we slice, squeeze and strain using our own juicers, the fresh aroma of citrus is deliriously overwhelming—maybe a bit too much for Christy.

CHRISTY TO DARLENE: Can we buy the lemon juice instead of doing all of this? Well, I guess if you’re making it your own. But if you’re following my mother’s recipe, you won’t be buying lemon juice. It’s just so many steps!

Our juicing produces about ⅔ of a cup of fresh lemon juice for the pie filling. But before Christy can rest her fatigued lemon- squeezing arms, it’s time to start cracking eggs ... and jokes.

CHRISTY: The recipe just keeps getting more and more work for us to do. We hand squeezed lemons, now we’ve got to separate some eggs.

STANLEY: You need to go out to the backyard and get you some fresh eggs from the hen house… (giggling)

The egg whites, when beaten with a little sugar, produce the pie’s fluffy, creamy and sweet meringue. Then, we take the egg yokes and combine them with the lemon juice and the condensed milk.

DARLENE: My mom would say this milk costs too much money… we’re going to get a spoon and get as much of it out as we can.

The melodic sounds of spoons scraping the cans of milk sends Christy over the edge.

CHRISTY: Ok, can I just say something as a younger mom? So we’ve used a fork, now we’ve got to use a spoon to get the condensed milk. All I’m seeing is dishes, upon dishes, upon dishes. Do you feel me? Look at the ladies, everybody is shaking their heads yes and laughing.

Even with the moments of comic relief, disguised as despair, we all get our pies in our 350 degree ovens. And as we wait for the meringue to brown, we get an even sweeter treat, a few last words from Bertha Mae’s granddaughters.

DEANDREA: Reinhold says that the meringue looks like clouds

KELSEY: Last year I had reached out to my dad just like wanting to know more about his childhood and his experiences growing up and then learning more about my grandmother that I never met. I don’t really like lemon meringue, but I like knowing how to make it for my dad in the event that he ever asks me to make it for him.

AUDIO: Good job, good job! Kelsey bring yours over here again? Alright.. Oh yeah.. I see, I see the brown... Nice, Nice…

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Friday, December 24th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. Well, it is Christmas Eve, and to mark this special night, we have one last hymn for this season’s meditation, “Silent Night! Holy Night!”

BROWN: The backdrop to this song’s creation is poignant. World correspondent Bonnie Pritchett tells the story.

SINGING: In German.

BONNIE PRITCHETT, CORRESPONDENT: Josef Mohr, was an assistant priest in Oberndorf, Austria, when he wrote Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht! in 1816. The poem’s first of six stanza’s paints an idyllic portrait of Jesus’ birth: All is calm. Bright. Peaceful.

Peace was hard to come by in the Salzburg region where Mohr lived. The Napoleonic Wars had left the region in disarray. And 1816 became known as “The Year without Summer” as constant rain and even snow decimated crops.

All is calm? All is bright?

The lyrics of “Silent Night! Holy Night!” seem to conflict with reality.

But do they? In John’s Gospel, Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives.”

Singing in the original German is The St. Florian Boys Choir.

AUDIO: [ST. FLORIAN BOYS CHOIR]

Mohr asked his friend, Franz Gruber, to put his poem to music for the 1818 Christmas Eve services.

AUDIO: [THE SOUNDING JOY]

Rust, water, or rats had rendered the church organ inoperable. So, the melody was played on a guitar.

A broken organ was the least of the community’s troubles when they met Christmas Eve. That year, in nearby Salzburg, a fire had destroyed 93 buildings and, subsequently, the livelihoods of 1,000 people.

The English translation by John Freeman Young varies from the original German. And only 3 or 4 of Mohr’s six stanzas are found in most English hymnals.

American folk singer Elizabeth Mitchell performs in this 2003 compilation album, The Sounding Joy.

SINGING: Silent night, holy night. Son of God, loves pure light. Radiant beams from thy Holy face. With the dawn of redeeming grace. Jesus Lord at Thy birth. Jesus Lord at Thy birth…

In any translation, Mohr’s poem seems part praise, part supplication.

Belgian guitarist Jacques Stotzem performs this 2003 arrangement.

Two hundred years after worshippers first sang “Silent Night! Holy Night!” Christians still bring to Christmas Eve Vespers their joys, worries, heartaches. And, with candles illuminating darkened chapels, we are again reminded that peace is found not in circumstances but in the Prince of Peace.

I’m Bonnie Pritchett. Merry Christmas.

MYRNA BROWN: If you want to listen to any of these songs again, we’ve included them in a special WORLD Radio Christmas music playlist on Spotify and Apple Music. In addition to Bonnie’s selections, we asked the rest of our staff for their favorite Christmas songs and we’ve included those as well. So we have over 90 minutes of music collected for you and your families.

NICK EICHER: And as a reminder, if you enjoyed our series on Advent hymns, we’ve put together a playlist of all the songs we featured. You’ll also find that on Spotify and Apple music. Look for links in today’s transcript.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Time now to thank the dedicated team that made this week’s programs possible:

Kent Covington, Kristen Flavin, Mary Reichard, David Bahnsen, Harrison Watters, Lauren Dunn, Jenny Lind Schmitt, Whitney Williams, Kim Henderson, Onize Ohikere, Katie Gaultney, Janie B. Cheaney, Caleb Bailey, Sharon Dierberger, Emily Whitten, Jenny Rough, Bonnie Pritchett, and of course, our wonderful Worldlings.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Carl Peetz and Johnny Franklin are the audio engineers who stay up late to get the program to you early! Leigh Jones is managing editor. Paul Butler is our executive producer, and Marvin Olasky is editor in chief.

Please consider your part in our December Giving Drive—WNG.org/donate—and thank you.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Lord willing, we’ll meet you back here on Monday.

Go now in grace and peace. And Merry Christmas.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.