The World and Everything in It: December 25, 2024

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: Good morning! And Merry Christmas!

Today a special Christmas Day program that includes a classic presentation of the Nativity Story:

SOUND: 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…

NICK EICHER, HOST: Also today, WORLD commentator Janie B. Cheaney on how Christ’s birth changes everything.

And WORLD’s Bonnie Pritchett ends our program with the Music of Christmas.

MAST: It’s Wednesday, December 25th. This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Lindsay Mast.

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

MAST: Up next, Kent Covington with today’s news.

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Subway attack reax » A man accused of fatally setting a woman on fire inside a New York City subway train this week faced a judge in Brooklyn today. 33-year-old Sebastian Zepeta is charged with murder and arson.

The Guatemalan national was deported from the United States in 20-18, but he later re-entered the country illegally. It’s not clear when.

The Texas Department of Public Safety is supporting the Border Patrol in combating illegal crossings. And DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez said today:

OLIVAREZ: This tragedy, the census tragedy that took place in New York on the subway, that's a prime example of a gotaway 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 grizzly crime has renewed calls by many to crack down on illegal immigration.

Republican Congresswoman Claudia Tenney of New York Tuesday called out the governor of her state:

TENNEY:  Kathy Hochul is doing nothing about this, and by the way, she recently did a victory lap saying how safe it is to ride on New York City subways.

Tom Homan on immigration enforcement » 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 Gov. Hochul, and officials in other so-called sanctuary states and cities

HOMAN:  I want Hochul, I want the mayor of Chicago, the governor, all these sanctuaries and cities 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 horrific death she had.

The incoming administration says the early focus will be squarely on removing criminal elements that pose the greatest risk to public safety.

Homan is calling in advance for Congress to provide all necessary funds to carry out deportations.

HOMAN:  I was asked that the other day, is 86 billion dollars enough? 86 billion dollars is a start. We need at least that to do this operation. We gotta buy beds. We gotta do removal flights, ground transportion, and medical care of the people we arrest. $86 billion dollars is a start.

Homan said while the price tag is high right now, beyond the near term, it will “save billions of dollars of taxpayers money.”

He said, right now for immigrants, we're paying for free hotel rooms, free airline tickets, medical care, and more.

Speaker Johnson's fate » The 119th Congress of the United States will be sworn in next week, and House Speaker Mike Johnson’s job is in jeopardy. Republican Congressman Laurel Lee:

LEE:  Certainly, I know there have been a number of members who, uh, have expressed interest in continuing the conversation about Speaker Johnson and where we go from here.

She added that Johnson is working hard to address the concerns of each member and the priorities of President-elect Trump.

But he’s facing some pretty tough math.

Republicans will have a razor thin majority in the new Congress, and Speaker Johnson can really only afford to lose one Republican vote.

At least one GOP member is already a “no” on reelecting Johnson as speaker, and others are undecided.

But Eric Burlison says the speaker may only need to convince one person.

BURLISON: The American people gave him a mandate. We need to back President Trump and if President Trump is going to back Johnson, I'm sure that he will be the speaker.

Johnson’s margin is especially slim with three GOP members leaving seats vacant to take jobs in the new Trump administration,

Death penalty » 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.

The Trump transition team has released a list of those inmates to whom Biden granted a reprieve. And GOP Sen. Bill Hagerty remarked:

HAGERTY: 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.

President-elect Trump says soon after he's inaugurated, he'll direct the Justice Department to—quote—“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. And he has cited the risk of executing innocent people as a key reason for opposing it.

Travel / AA briefly grounds all flights » Christmas travel got off to a rough start this morning, at least for many of those flying out of town for Christmas.

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:

TRAVELER:  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 if we would have missed our flight. But thank goodness we didn't.

The Federal Aviation Administration cleared American flights to get airborne Tuesday about one hour after it ordered the ground stop.

American Airlines said the problem was caused by an issue with a vendor technology that maintains its flight operating system.

The flight-tracking site FlightAware reported that more than 3,200 flights entering or leaving the U.S., or serving domestic destinations, were delayed. Twenty-eight flights were canceled.

NATS (Starbucks strike)

Starbucks strike » A Starbucks worker strike that started last week had expanded as of Christmas Eve to dozens or perhaps even hundreds of stores, depending on who you ask.

A strike started by Starbucks Workers United in a few major cities closed at least 59 stores, including in the company’s hometown of Seattle…

MOS: We're not out here just fighting for ourselves, we're fighting for baristas nationwide

Workers are protesting a lack of progress in contract negotiation with the company.

The union claims the strike expanded to hundreds of stores, but Starbucks said only about 60 of its 10,000 U.S. stores, and that the strike has had “no significant impact” on its operations.

Only about 5 percent of Starbucks’ locations are unionized.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: the greatest story ever told. Plus, how that story changes everything.

This is The World and Everything in It.

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: It’s Wednesday the 25th of December. Glad to have you along for today’s Christmas edition of The World and Everything in It. Good morning, I’m Lindsay Mast.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. Up next: 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 one of the most-recognized voices of his time.

FACENDA: Roger Staubach, an officer and a gentleman...

The late John Facenda , the voice of NFL Films from the mid-1960s until he died in 1984.

MAST: Back in 1957, Facenda 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.

EICHER: Our team has edited the original recording to fit the time available, and we’ll add just a quick production note here: To make it flow a bit better for our format, we did reorder a few portions of the original recording.

Here is John Facenda’s retelling of the Nativity — a story that begins centuries before the birth of the Christ child.

JOHN FACENDA: 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 were 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, are 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. A 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 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 census. And even now he hears 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 marks 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 they will find rest. Here, renew their strength, renew their spirits, for that which is to come. All thumbs are his efforts to tell the donkey among the other beasts that crowd the courtyard. But tenderly do the gnarled hands assure his young wife that everything will be alright now that they are at the inn.

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 is 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 of 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 a prince is. To the homeless, any roof is a shelter.

Joseph must hurry and prepare, for the hour is at hand. He cannot waste time and 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 straw, a mattress. Swaddling bands, an infant’s layette. 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 in such reverent guardians. Angels anxiously watched this lovely pair. 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 now 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. 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 fire light from the shadows around it.

They know the night, these men. Nights without number have they spent just so. As their father's 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 inns. 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. He 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.

Luke 2:2-12 (KJV)

1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3 And all went to be taxed, every one to his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 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.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 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.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Wednesday, December 25th.

Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: 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 attack on September 11th.

When epic events shake the ground, people often say things like: “this changes everything,” or “the world will never be the same.” Sometimes it’s true.

EICHER: WORLD commentator Janie B Cheaney says Christ’s birth might not have made headline news at the time, but it is an event that altered the course of all history.

JANIE B CHEANEY: 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 brought us to a world bursting with prosperity, but also greater potential for evil. What will it take 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 innocence about it. When Naaman the Syrian met the one true God, he was allowed to capture, to escort his pagan king to the Temple of Rimmon. Even the sophisticated Athenians 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 endless cycles or expansion and decline. However difficult, the future will be progress, as God in Christ leads a 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 B. Cheaney.

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: Up next: the Music of Christmas.

Throughout December we’ve introduced you to some of the music of Advent…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 Christ.

HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING

SINGERS: Hark! The herald angels sing. Glory to the newborn king…

BONNIE PRITCHETT: Inspired by the pealing bells of Christmas morning, hymn-writer Charles Wesley composed the poem: “Hymn for Christmas Day” published in 1739.

HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING

SINGERS: Joyful all ye nations rise. Join the triumph of the skies. With angelic hosts proclaim Christ is born in Bethlehem...

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.

HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING

SINGERS: Mild he lays his glory by. Born that man may no more die. Born to raise the sons of earth. Born to give them second birth. Hark! The herald angels sing. Glory to the newborn king…

Wesley’s hymn calls the world to listen to the angels’ proclamation.

SING WE THE SONG OF EMMANUEL

SINGER: Sing we the song of Emmanuel…

In their 2019 release “Sing We The Song of Emmanuel” songwriters Matt Boswell and Matt Papa call Christians to join the angelic chorus.

SING WE THE SONG OF EMMANUEL

SINGERS: God Most High in a manger laid. Lift your voices and now proclaim. Great and glorious, Love has come to us. Join now with the hosts of heaven…

And proclamation leads to adoration at the staggering realization that God is with us.

SING WE THE SONG OF EMMANUEL

SINGERS: Come we to welcome Emmanuel. King who came with no crown or throne. Helpless he lay, the Invincible. Maker of Mary, now Mary’s son. O what wisdom to save us all. Shepherds, sages, before Him fall. Grace and majesty, what humility. Come on bended knee. Come adore him…

And salvation stirs even more proclamation. We must go and tell.

SING WE THE SONG OF EMMANUEL

SINGERS: Glory, shining for all to see. Hope alive, let the gospel ring. God has made a way. He will have the praise. Tell the world his name is Jesus…

The long-promised Messiah finally came. And he had the name: Jesus.

LO, HOW A ROSE E’ER BLOOMING

Prophecies had described the Messiah. What he would be like. What he would do.

The prophet Isaiah described him this way: “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from the roots shall bear fruit.”

MUSIC

The hymn “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” uses Isaiah’s imagery to describe the birth of Jesus. The song begins: “Lo, how a Rose e’er 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.

MUSIC

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 very God, from sin and death he saves us and lightens every load.”

For WORLD, I’m Bonnie Pritchett. Merry Christmas.

EICHER: As with the rest of this month’s music, we’ll add today's features to our Spotify playlist. You can find the link in today’s transcript. And if you’re listening on Spotify: search for WORLD Radio Advent 2024.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Tomorrow: A long-running trend of NFL players overly expressing faith.

That and more tomorrow.

Reminder, it’s our Year End Giving Drive and we do need you if you haven’t given yet. WNG.org/YearEndGift

I’m Nick Eicher.

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.” Revelation 4:11

Go now in grace and peace.

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.