Transcript

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch.56-60, Ch. 61 GNT

Podcast Introduction

This is Prophecy Friday. We’ll read Isaiah 56-61. And the episode title is “Time To Wake up.”

Comments on Isaiah 56 and 57

In our reading today, the first eight verses chapter 56 explain that God wants to welcome all people, not just the Jews into His house. And then the last verses of the chapter chastise Israel’s leaders…those who should be closest to God and able to lead people to Him. Verse 10 says: “The leaders who are to guard the people are blind; they don’t know what they are doing. All of them are like quiet dogs that don’t know how to bark. They lie down and dream and love to sleep.”

Remember that last sentence. We’re going to come back to it. Here it is again: “They lie down and dream and love to sleep.”

Chapter 57’s first 13 verses chastises the people of Israel. Since their religious leaders were asleep, is it any surprise that they were so far from God? And yet, He calls them to account, because their behavior was abhorrent to Him. In the final verses, 14-21, God promises that He will not always be angry with them, and He will in fact guide them and comfort them. He says in verse 19, “I will give peace, real peace, to those far and near, and I will heal them.”

What reason does God give for this? Verse 16 tells us, “I will not accuse forever, nor will I always be angry,

because then human life would grow weak. Human beings, whom I created, would die.”

Despite our sin, God does not want us to die. That’s what His plan of salvation is all about. That is why Jesus gave up the glories of Heaven to be born in a stable, and lived a sinless life, was crucified on a Roman cross and was resurrected on the third day. Because unless He did this, “Human beings, whom I created, would die.” 

God loves us, beloved. He has made a way for you and me to be forgiven, despite our many failures, if we will just accept His gift.

When I read chapter 56, I was reminded of a song by Keith Green called Asleep In The Light. The first part of the song is very much like chapters 56 and 57 where God is chastising the leaders and the people. But the end of the song is a reminder of how it can be if we turn to him. 

We need to wake up, beloved. I want to be ready when Jesus comes for me.

How about you?

Links from James Cooper

Mince Pies

Christmas Crackers

Swedish Christmas Customs

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Isaiah 56-61: Time to Wake Up (LSFAB S13E069)

[TEASER – 0:00]
All of them are like quiet dogs that don’t know how to bark.

[INTRO S13E069 – 0:11]
Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is a daily podcast and together we’re reading the entire Bible in a year. The website is lifespringmedia.com. How’s your day going? We’re in the busy Christmas season and I hope you’re finding or making some time to relax and reflect on what all the hubbub is really all about, the birth of the Messiah, the Savior, who gave up the glories of heaven to embark on the most important mission in all of eternity.

This is Prophecy Friday. We’ll read Isaiah 56 through 61. And I’m calling the episode “Time to Wake Up.”

We’ll have Christmas question number nine today and the Lovely Lady LeeAnn, curious as always, has a question about James Cooper’s favorite Christmas traditions. Of course, our Christmas expert James Cooper of whychristmas.com has an answer for her.

And on yesterday’s show, I went on a bit of a rant about music copyrights and music that can and cannot be played on a podcast. At the end of today’s show, I’ll have a song that was written and performed specifically for play on podcasts. And I’ll tell you how it came about. And as a pre-emptive announcement, during my commentary, today, I’m going to be playing a song that will be for educational and illustrative purposes, which is covered by the Fair Play aspect of copyright law.

And now before we read, let’s pray.

[OPENING PRAYER – 1:37]
Our gracious and loving heavenly Father, we thank you so much for your word. And we thank you for calling us to gather around your word every day on the show here. I pray, Lord, you’d bless our time together and that you would open our eyes, open our hearts and touch our minds as we read. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Okay, let’s begin.

[ISAIAH 56 (NCV) – 2:00]
Isaiah, chapter 56.

(1) This is what the Lord says:
“Give justice to all people,
and do what is right,
because my salvation will come to you soon.
Soon everyone will know that I do what is right.
(2) The person who obeys the law about the Sabbath
will be blessed,
and the person who does no evil
will be blessed.”
(3) Foreigners who have joined the Lord should not say,
“The Lord will not accept me with his people.”
The eunuch should not say,
“Because I cannot have children, the Lord will not accept me.”
(4) This is what the Lord says:
“The eunuchs should obey the law about the Sabbath
and do what I want
and keep my agreement.
(5) If they do, I will make their names remembered
within my Temple and its walls.
It will be better for them than children.
I will give them a name that will last forever,
that will never be forgotten.
(6) Foreigners will join the Lord
to worship him and love him,
to serve him,
to obey the law about the Sabbath,
and to keep my agreement.
(7) I will bring these people to my holy mountain
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
The offerings and sacrifices
they place on my altar will please me,
because my Temple will be called
a house for prayer for people from all nations.”
(8) The Lord God says—
he who gathers the Israelites that were forced to leave their country:
“I will bring together other people
to join those who are already gathered.”

(9) All you animals of the field,
all you animals of the forest, come to eat.
(10) The leaders who are to guard the people are blind;
they don’t know what they are doing.
All of them are like quiet dogs
that don’t know how to bark.
They lie down and dream
and love to sleep.
(11) They are like hungry dogs
that are never satisfied.
They are like shepherds
who don’t know what they are doing.
They all have gone their own way;
all they want to do is satisfy themselves.
(12) They say, “Come, let’s drink some wine;
let’s drink all the beer we want.
And tomorrow we will do this again,
or, maybe we will have an even better time.”

[ISAIAH 57 (NCV) – 3:59]
Isaiah, chapter 57.

(1) Those who are right with God may die,
but no one pays attention.
Good people are taken away,
but no one understands.
Those who do right are being taken away from evil
(2) and are given peace.
Those who live as God wants
find rest in death.
(3) “Come here, you magicians!
Come here, you children of prostitutes and those who take part in adultery!
(4) Of whom are you making fun?
Whom are you insulting?
At whom do you stick out your tongue?
You turn against God,
and you are liars.
(5) You have sexual relations under every green tree
to worship your gods.
You kill children in the ravines
and sacrifice them in the rocky places.
(6) You take the smooth rocks from the ravines
as your portion.
You pour drink offerings on them to worship them,
and you give grain offerings to them.
Do you think this makes me want to show you mercy?
(7) You make your bed on every hill and mountain,
and there you offer sacrifices.
(8) You have hidden your idols
behind your doors and doorposts.
You have left me, and you have uncovered yourself.
You have pulled back the covers and climbed into bed.
You have made an agreement with those whose beds you love,
and you have looked at their nakedness.
(9) You use your oils and perfumes
to look nice for Molech.
You have sent your messengers to faraway lands;
you even tried to send them to the place of the dead.
(10) You were tired from doing these things,
but you never gave up.
You found new strength,
so you did not quit.
(11) “Whom were you so afraid of
that you lied to me?
You have not remembered me
or even thought about me.
I have been quiet for a long time.
Is that why you are not afraid of me?
(12) I will tell about your ‘goodness’ and what you do,
and those things will do you no good.
(13) When you cry out for help,
let the gods you have gathered help you.
The wind will blow them all away;
just a puff of wind will take them away.
But the person who depends on me will receive the land
and own my holy mountain.”

(14) Someone will say, “Build a road! Build a road! Prepare the way!
Make the way clear for my people.”
(15) And this is the reason: God lives forever and is holy.
He is high and lifted up.
He says, “I live in a high and holy place,
but I also live with people who are sad and humble.
I give new life to those who are humble
and to those whose hearts are broken.
(16) I will not accuse forever,
nor will I always be angry,
because then human life would grow weak.
Human beings, whom I created, would die.
(17) I was angry because they were dishonest in order to make money.
I punished them and turned away from them in anger,
but they continued to do evil.
(18) I have seen what they have done, but I will heal them.
I will guide them and comfort them and those who felt sad for them.
They will all praise me.
(19) I will give peace, real peace, to those far and near,
and I will heal them,” says the Lord.
(20) But evil people are like the angry sea,
which cannot rest,
whose waves toss up waste and mud.
(21) “There is no peace for evil people,” says my God.

[ISAIAH 58 (NCV) – :10]
Isaiah, chapter 58.

(1) The Lord says, “Shout out loud. Don’t hold back.
Shout out loud like a trumpet.
Tell my people what they have done against their God;
tell the family of Jacob about their sins.
(2) They still come every day looking for me
and want to learn my ways.
They act just like a nation that does what is right,
that obeys the commands of its God.
They ask me to judge them fairly.
They want God to be near them.
(3) They say, ‘To honor you we had special days when we fasted,
but you didn’t see.
We humbled ourselves to honor you,
but you didn’t notice.’”
But the Lord says, “You do what pleases yourselves on these special days,
and you are unfair to your workers.
(4) On these special days when you fast, you argue and fight
and hit each other with your fists.
You cannot do these things as you do now
and believe your prayers are heard in heaven.
(5) This kind of special day is not what I want.
This is not the way I want people to be sorry for what they have done.
I don’t want people just to bow their heads like a plant
and wear rough cloth and lie in ashes to show their sadness.
This is what you do on your special days when you fast,
but do you think this is what the Lord wants?
(6) “I will tell you the kind of fast I want:
Free the people you have put in prison unfairly
and undo their chains.
Free those to whom you are unfair
and stop their hard labor.
(7) Share your food with the hungry
and bring poor, homeless people into your own homes.
When you see someone who has no clothes, give him yours,
and don’t refuse to help your own relatives.
(8) Then your light will shine like the dawn,
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your God will walk before you,
and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
(9) Then you will call out, and the Lord will answer.
You will cry out, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
“If you stop making trouble for others,
if you stop using cruel words and pointing your finger at others,
(10) if you feed those who are hungry
and take care of the needs of those who are troubled,
then your light will shine in the darkness,
and you will be bright like sunshine at noon.
(11) The Lord will always lead you.
He will satisfy your needs in dry lands
and give strength to your bones.
You will be like a garden that has much water,
like a spring that never runs dry.
(12) Your people will rebuild the old cities that are now in ruins;
you will rebuild their foundations.
You will be known for repairing the broken places
and for rebuilding the roads and houses.
(13) “You must obey God’s law about the Sabbath
and not do what pleases yourselves on that holy day.
You should call the Sabbath day a joyful day
and honor it as the Lord’s holy day.
You should honor it by not doing whatever you please
nor saying whatever you please on that day.
(14) Then you will find joy in the Lord,
and I will carry you to the high places above the earth.
I will let you eat the crops of the land your ancestor Jacob had.”
The Lord has said these things.

[ISAIAH 59 (NCV) – 10:08]
Isaiah, chapter 59.

(1) Surely the Lord’s power is enough to save you.
He can hear you when you ask him for help.
(2) It is your evil that has separated
you from your God.
Your sins cause him to turn away from you,
so he does not hear you.
(3) With your hands you have killed others,
and with your fingers you have done wrong.
With your lips you have lied,
and with your tongue you say evil things.
(4) People take each other to court unfairly,
and no one tells the truth in arguing his case.
They accuse each other falsely and tell lies.
They cause trouble and create more evil.
(5) They hatch evil like eggs from poisonous snakes.
If you eat one of those eggs, you will die,
and if you break one open, a poisonous snake comes out.
People tell lies as they would spin a spider’s web.
(6) The webs they make cannot be used for clothes;
you can’t cover yourself with those webs.
The things they do are evil,
and they use their hands to hurt others.
(7) They eagerly run to do evil,
and they are always ready to kill innocent people.
They think evil thoughts.
Everywhere they go they cause ruin and destruction.
(8) They don’t know how to live in peace,
and there is no fairness in their lives.
They are dishonest.
Anyone who lives as they live will never have peace.

(9) Fairness has gone far away;
goodness is nowhere to be found.
We wait for the light, but there is only darkness now.
We hope for a bright light, but all we have is darkness.
(10) We are like the blind feeling our way along a wall.
We feel our way as if we had no eyes.
In the brightness of day we trip as if it were night.
We are like dead men among the strong.
(11) All of us growl like the bears.
We call out sadly like the doves.
We look for justice, but there isn’t any.
We want to be saved, but salvation is far away.
(12) We have done many wrong things against our God;
our sins show we are wrong.
We know we have turned against God;
we know the evil things we have done:
(13) sinning and rejecting the Lord,
turning away from our God,
planning to hurt others and to disobey God,
planning and speaking lies.
(14) So we have driven away justice,
and we have kept away from what is right.
Truth is not spoken in the streets;
what is honest is not allowed to enter the city.
(15) Truth cannot be found anywhere,
and people who refuse to do evil are attacked.
The Lord looked and could not find any justice,
and he was displeased.
(16) He could not find anyone to help the people,
and he was surprised that there was no one to help.
So he used his own power to save the people;
his own goodness gave him strength.
(17) He covered himself with goodness like armor.
He put the helmet of salvation on his head.
He put on his clothes for punishing
and wrapped himself in the coat of his strong love.
(18) The Lord will pay back his enemies for what they have done.
He will show his anger to those who were against him;
he will punish the people in faraway places as they deserve.
(19) Then people from the west will fear the Lord,
and people from the east will fear his glory.
The Lord will come quickly like a fast-flowing river,
driven by the breath of the Lord.
(20) “Then a Savior will come to Jerusalem
and to the people of Jacob who have turned from sin,”
says the Lord.
(21) The Lord says, “This is my agreement with these people: My Spirit and my words that I give you will never leave you or your children or your grandchildren, now and forever.”

[ISAIAH 60 (NCV) – 13:39]
Isaiah, chapter 60.

(1) “Jerusalem, get up and shine, because your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord shines on you.
(2) Darkness now covers the earth;
deep darkness covers her people.
But the Lord shines on you,
and people see his glory around you.
(3) Nations will come to your light;
kings will come to the brightness of your sunrise.
(4) “Look around you.
People are gathering and coming to you.
Your sons are coming from far away,
and your daughters are coming with them.
(5) When you see them, you will shine with happiness;
you will be excited and full of joy,
because the wealth of the nations across the seas will be given to you;
the riches of the nations will come to you.
(6) Herds of camels will cover your land,
young camels from Midian and Ephah.
People will come from Sheba
bringing gold and incense,
and they will sing praises to the Lord.
(7) All the sheep from Kedar will be given to you;
the sheep from Nebaioth will be brought to you.
They will be pleasing sacrifices on my altar,
and I will make my beautiful Temple more beautiful.
(8) “The people are returning to you like clouds,
like doves flying to their nests.
(9) People in faraway lands are waiting for me.
The great trading ships will come first,
bringing your children from faraway lands,
and with them silver and gold.
This will honor the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
who does wonderful things for you.
(10) “Jerusalem, foreigners will rebuild your walls,
and their kings will serve you.
When I was angry, I hurt you,
but now I want to be kind to you and comfort you.
(11) Your gates will always be open;
they will not be closed day or night
so the nations can bring their wealth to you,
and their kings will be led to you.
(12) The nation or kingdom that doesn’t serve you will be destroyed;
it will be completely ruined.
(13) “The great trees of Lebanon will be given to you:
its pine, fir, and cypress trees together.
You will use them to make my Temple beautiful,
and I will give much honor to this place where I rest my feet.
(14) The people who have hurt you will bow down to you;
those who hated you will bow down at your feet.
They will call you The City of the Lord,
Jerusalem, city of the Holy One of Israel.
(15) “You have been hated and left empty
with no one passing through.
But I will make you great from now on;
you will be a place of happiness forever and ever.
(16) You will be given what you need from the nations,
like a child drinking milk from its mother.
Then you will know that it is I, the Lord, who saves you.
You will know that the Powerful One of Jacob protects you.
(17) I will bring you gold in place of bronze,
silver in place of iron,
bronze in place of wood,
iron in place of rocks.
I will change your punishment into peace,
and you will be ruled by what is right.
(18) There will be no more violence in your country;
it will not be ruined or destroyed.
You will name your walls Salvation
and your gates Praise.
(19) The sun will no longer be your light during the day
nor will the brightness from the moon be your light,
because the Lord will be your light forever,
and your God will be your glory.
(20) Your sun will never set again,
and your moon will never be dark,
because the Lord will be your light forever,
and your time of sadness will end.
(21) All of your people will do what is right.
They will receive the earth forever.
They are the plant I have planted,
the work of my own hands
to show my greatness.
(22) The smallest family will grow to a thousand.
The least important of you will become a powerful nation.
I am the Lord,
and when it is time, I will make these things happen quickly.”

[ISAIAH 61 (GNT) – 17:16]
Isaiah, chapter 61.

(1) The Sovereign Lord has filled me with his Spirit.
He has chosen me and sent me
To bring good news to the poor,
To heal the broken-hearted,
To announce release to captives
And freedom to those in prison.
(2) He has sent me to proclaim
That the time has come
When the Lord will save his people
And defeat their enemies.
He has sent me to comfort all who mourn,
(3) To give to those who mourn in Zion
Joy and gladness instead of grief,
A song of praise instead of sorrow.
They will be like trees
That the Lord himself has planted.
They will all do what is right,
And God will be praised for what he has done.
(4) They will rebuild cities that have long been in ruins.

(5) My people, foreigners will serve you.
They will take care of your flocks
And farm your land and tend your vineyards.
(6) And you will be known as the priests of the Lord,
The servants of our God.
You will enjoy the wealth of the nations
And be proud that it is yours.
(7) Your shame and disgrace are ended.
You will live in your own land,
And your wealth will be doubled;
Your joy will last forever.

(8) The Lord says,

“I love justice and I hate oppression and crime.
I will faithfully reward my people
And make an eternal covenant with them.
(9) They will be famous among the nations;
Everyone who sees them will know
That they are a people whom I have blessed.”

(10) Jerusalem rejoices because of what the Lord has done.
She is like a bride dressed for her wedding.
God has clothed her with salvation and victory.
(11) As surely as seeds sprout and grow,
The Sovereign Lord will save his people,
And all the nations will praise him.

[COMMENTARY – 18:54]
In today’s reading, Beloved, the first eight verses of chapter 56 explain that God wants to welcome all people, not just the Jews into his house. And then the last verses of that chapter, chastise Israel’s leaders, those who should be closest to God and able to lead people to him. Verse 10 says “The leaders who are to guard the people are blind; they don’t know what they are doing. All of them are like quiet dogs that don’t know how to bark. They lie down and dream and love to sleep.”

Remember that last sentence we’re going to come back to it here it is again, “They lie down and dream and love to sleep.”

Now, chapter 57’s first 13 verses chastise the people of Israel, not the leaders, but the people. Well, since the religious leaders were asleep, it’s not really a surprise that they were so far from God is it? And yet God calls them to account because their behavior was abhorrent to him. In the final verses, verses 14 through 21, though, God promises that he’ll not always be angry with them and he will in fact guide them and comfort them. He says in verse 19, “I will give peace, real peace, to those far and near, and I will heal them.”

Well, what reason does God give for this? Verse 16 tells us, “I will not accuse forever, nor will I always be angry, because then human life would grow weak, human beings whom I created, would die.”

Beloved, despite our sin, God does not want us to die. That’s what the whole plan of salvation is all about. That’s why Jesus gave up the glories of heaven to be born in a stable, and why he lived his sinless life and was crucified on a Roman cross and was resurrected on the third day because unless he did this human beings whom he created would die.

God loves us, Beloved. He has made a way for you and for me to be forgiven, despite our many failures, if we’ll just accept his gift.

When I read chapter 56, I was reminded of a song by Keith Green called “Asleep in the Light.” Remember that sentence I asked you to remember? “They lie down and dream and love to sleep.” That’s what made me think about this song “Asleep in the Light.” The first part of the song is very much like chapters 56 and 57, where God is chastising the leaders and the people. But the end of the song is a reminder of how it can be if we turn to him. Listen carefully to the words

[KEITH GREEN SINGS “ASLEEP IN THE LIGHT” – 21:37]
Do you see? Do you see?
All the people sinking down?
Don’t you care? Don’t you care?
Are you gonna let them drown?
How can you be so numb?
Not to care if they come
You close your eyes and pretend the job’s done

“Oh, bless me, Lord, bless me, Lord”
You know, it’s all I ever hear
No one aches, no one hurts
No one even sheds one tear
But, He cries, He weeps, He bleeds
And He cares for your needs
And you just lay back and keep soaking it in

Oh, can’t you see it’s such sin?
‘Cause He brings people to your door
And you turn them away
As you smile and say
“God bless you, be at peace”
And all Heaven just weeps
‘Cause Jesus came to your door
You’ve left Him out on the streets

Open up, open up
And give yourself away
You see the need, you hear the cries
So how can you delay?
God’s calling and you’re the one
But like Jonah, you run
He’s told you to speak but you keep holding it in

Oh, can’t you see it’s such sin?
The world is sleeping in the dark
That the church just can’t fight
‘Cause it’s asleep in the light
How can you be so dead
When you’ve been so well fed?
Jesus rose from the grave
And you, you can’t even get out of bed
Oh, Jesus rose from the dead
Come on, get out of your bed

How can you be so numb
Not to care if they come?
You close your eyes and pretend the job’s done
You close your eyes and pretend the job’s done
Don’t close your eyes, don’t pretend the job’s done

Come away, come away
Come away with me, my love
Come away from this mess
Come away with me, my love
Come away from this mess
Come away with me, my love
Come away, come away, oh
Come away with me, my love

[COMMENTARY (CONT’D) – 25:45]
We need to wake up, Beloved, I want to be ready when Jesus comes for me. How about you?

[THE BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT – 25:55]
Are you awake, Beloved? Or are you asleep? If Jesus returned today, would you be ready? Maybe you’ve been listening to the Lifespring Family Audio Bible out of curiosity, or because you think you should read the Bible through just to know what it’s all about. Or maybe you believe that the Bible is true, but you’ve never asked Jesus to be your Lord and your Savior. Well, let me propose something to you. How about giving yourself the greatest Christmas gift ever? If you have never asked Jesus into your life, into your heart, if you’ve never stepped up and said, I believe the claims he made, and I want to put my faith in Him, then how about doing that, right now?

Scripture says that today is the day of salvation. If you want to be sure that you’ll be ready when he calls your name, either at His return or at the moment of your death. Why not seal the deal right now? Jesus said, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father, but by me.” You see, all of us need salvation. The Bible says that no one is righteous, no, not one. Jesus came so that any who believe in Him would be made clean. He came to take my sins and yours upon himself so that our sins would be forgiven. He gave his earthly life so that you and I could have eternal life. Today could be the day that your eternal destiny, your eternal address could be changed. Will you accept his gift now? I’m gonna pray a prayer. And if you want to have the most meaningful Christmas ever pray with me. You can pray out loud right where you’re at. Or pray silently. Are you ready? Pray with me.

Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I have broken your commandments and fallen short of your standard. Right now I turn from that sin and ask you to come into my life. Jesus, be my Lord, my Savior, my friend, and my God. I put my faith in you and you alone to save me from my sins. Thank you for loving me and calling me. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Beloved, if you prayed that prayer and you meant it, then congratulations, you are forgiven. You are a new creation, and you’re now a child of God. This is a new beginning for you. You belong to Jesus and no one can take you away from him. The Bible says that when one sinner is saved, all Heaven rejoices. There’s a party going on in heaven right now because of your decision. This is why Jesus came to earth all those years ago. Now, I have a gift for you, if you prayed that prayer. It’s free. I want to send you a very special Bible called “The New Believer’s Bible.” It’s a New Testament that has hundreds of notes in it to help you get a great start in your walk with the Lord. The notes are written by Greg Laurie. And if you’ll send me an email telling me you prayed that prayer. I’ll mail it to you right away. Tell me where to send it, and it’ll be in the mail. And I won’t put you on any sort of list or share your information with anybody. I just want you to have this Bible, no charge, and I’ll pay the postage. Send me an email at st***@*************ia.com, and tell me you prayed with me and that you’d like a copy of “The New Believer’s Bible.”

Well, do you have a comment? Call the Lifespring Family Hotline at +1-951-732-8511 and also you can comment at comment.lifespringmedia.com, or send an email to me. I read every comment and I respond.

Tomorrow is Gospel Saturday and we’ll begin the book of Mark with the reading of chapters 1 and 2.

[CHRISTMAS QUESTIONS – 29:56]
It’s time for Christmas question number nine. Every morning as the Lovely Lady LeeAnn is getting ready for work, she listens to the show. And as she drives to work, which takes about a half an hour, sometimes she makes a phone call or two.

[LEEANN WEBB – 30:10]
Hey, Sweetie, it’s your wife again. And I have a couple of questions for James. First one is what is his favorite holiday celebration or tradition in the UK? And also, if you have a favorite from another country. That’s all and Happy Christmas. Bye, James.

[STEVE WEBB – 30:29]
Well, Sweetheart, I’m glad you asked that. I’m curious to hear James’s answer.

[JAMES COOPER ANSWERS – 30:33]
Ah, a good old British Christmas, now, that is something I do know about. And yes, we have some special Christmas customs over here which certainly aren’t really a thing on the other side of the Pond. And the first are wonderful little sweet treats called mince pies. These are small, round pastry pies that are filled with something called mincemeat. But mincemeat doesn’t contain any meat. Although it did. When mince pies were first made in the Middle Ages, yes, they contained ground-up lamb or beef or minced meat, as well as dried fruit, sugar, and other spices like nutmeg and cinnamon, and having them prove that you were really rich because you could afford the ingredients to put in them. Over the years, the meat came out as sugar became cheaper. And now they’re just filled with mincemeat. But it just doesn’t have any meat in it. In fact, you can even get vegan mincemeat which is just odd. Mince pies are the traditional goodie left out for Santa or Father Christmas by children here in the UK. There’s an old tradition that says if you eat a mince pie every day from Christmas to Twelfth Night or the evening of the fifth of January, you’ll have happiness for the twelve months of the year. And that sounds like a plan to me.

Another must-have Christmas goodie here in the UK is a Christmas cracker. Now this sits alongside your plate on your dinner table on Christmas Day. And yes, it’s called a Christmas cracker. It’s about a foot long in three sections in pretty paper and two people at the table, hold each end of it and pull it and it goes bang. And out of it comes a paper hat or crown, a normally rubbish little cheap plastic toy, and a terrible Christmas joke.

So why on earth are these things associated with Christmas in the UK? Crackers were first made between 1845 and 1850 by a London sweetmaker called Tom Smith. He’d been over to Paris in 1840 and seen some of the way they presented their posh sweets. They tried selling his sweets over here in the UK in a similar way, but they didn’t really catch on. So he thought he’d put an explosive in them. And in 1861, he launched his new range of what he called “Bangs of Expectation.” Legend says that one night he was sitting in front of a log fire and he became very interested by the sparks and the crackles and pops that came from it. He thought it’d be a fun idea if his sweets could be opened with a crack or a bang. However, looking into the history of the cracker company, it looks like he probably bought the recipe for the cracks and the bangs from a firework company who were about two doors down the road from him.

When Tom died, the expanding cracker business was taken over by his three sons, another Tom, Walter, and Henry. It was Walter who introduced the hats into crackers. And he also traveled around the world looking for new ideas to put on and in the crackers. In fact, they built up a huge range during the Victorian time. You could get ones for bachelors and spinsters, single men and women, where the gifts were things like false teeth and wedding rings. There were also crackers for suffragettes, war heroes, and even a Charlie Chaplin set. They also made crackers for special occasions like coronations. And the British Royals Family still has special crackers made by Tom Smith’s company today. Crackers are popular not only in the UK but in places like Australia, New Zealand, and some parts of Canada. And I know you can get them in the USA because I’ve had some friends over there tell me that they’ve got some. So if you see some in the shops over there, give them a go, have them with your Christmas dinner, and have a bit of a British Christmas.

LeeAnn also asked if I had a favorite Christmas tradition from around the world. Well, I’ve got quite a few, but my favorite has to come from Sweden. And it’s that Christmas Eve afternoon at 3 pm, 40 to 50% of the Swedish population sit down to watch Disney cartoons. Yes, really. Every year since 1959, at three o’clock on Christmas Eve afternoon, the TV station TV One has shown a 1958 Disney special called “From All of Us to All of You.” But in Sweden, it’s known as “Donald Duck and His Friends Wish You a Merry Christmas.” Every year the format changes slightly. But there are a hard core of the same cartoons that have been shown every year since 1959. And they’re interspersed with clips of Disney classics. And now every year you get clips of upcoming and recent Disney films as well. It not only happens in Sweden. Variations of the same cartoon are shown every Christmas Eve afternoon in Denmark, Norway, and Finland, but it’s most popular in Sweden. So if you want to put your feet up on Christmas Eve afternoon, why not put some Disney cartoons on the TV and pretend you’re in Sweden?

[STEVE WEBB – 35:13]
Well, now I’m going to have to keep an eye out for Christmas crackers. Those do sound fun, don’t they? Thank you, LeeAnn, for giving James a chance to tell us a little bit about what he enjoys in his Christmas festivities. And James, thank you for sharing them with us. James has all kinds of Christmas information over at whychristmas.com. If you haven’t gone over there yet, go take a look.

Now, have you sent in your Christmas question yet? I still have some spots open. I want to do a Christmas question every day from now to Christmas, and I need your questions. And here’s something to add to the fun. For every Christmas question you send in, you’ll have an entry to a drawing. What’s the drawing? Well, I’m gonna give away two pairs of tickets for the movie “Jesus Revolution,” which will be released in February of 2023. I’ve seen the movie at a pre-screening and believe me, it really is a good movie. It truly, truly is. And there’s another drawing too. For every question that makes it onto the show, I will enter the questioner’s name in a second drawing. And that drawing will be for a signed copy of my book “Webb’s Easy Bible Names Pronunciation Guide.” Both drawings will take place on Christmas Day. And we will therefore have three winners, two winners for a pair of tickets each to the movie, and one winner who will get that signed copy of my book. There’s a catch though. You have to send a question in. Send them to st***@*************ia.com and put “Christmas question” in the subject line. Or you can call the Lifespring Family Hotline at +1-951-732-8511 to submit your question as well. I still have a few slots open so get ’em in here.

[SUPPORT THE SHOW – 36:52]
Well, it is the Christmas season and part of the Christmas season is giving and if the Lifespring Family Audio Bible has been a blessing for you, please pray about making a Christmas donation to the show. Where do you do that? You do it right here:

[JINGLE SINGERS – 37:05]
lifespringmedia.com/support

[SUPPORT THE SHOW (CONT’D) – 37:09]
And one more thing if I may, the Lovely Lady LeeAnn and I will be celebrating our thirty-third wedding anniversary on December 31. Yeah, New Year’s Eve. Thirty-three. And for you “No Agenda” producers thirty-three is the magic number. Maybe you could help us celebrate. Just a suggestion, lifespringmedia.com/support.

[OUTRO S13E069 – 37:38]
Back when podcasting was still new, specifically around late October or early November 2005, Adam Curry on his podcast, “The Daily Source Code” was bemoaning the fact that we couldn’t play Christmas music on podcasts because of the copyright issues I mentioned on yesterday’s show. And he said something like we have such great musicians in the podcasting community. Wouldn’t it be great if one of them would write a Christmas song we could play on our shows? And then a songwriter by the name of Slau took up the challenge. He wrote a great song called “If Every Day Were Christmas,” which Adam played on his show. And someone I don’t remember who it might have even been Slau, they had the idea of getting a bunch of musicians and singers to do a collaboration where they would all use Slau’s music track and sing the song and then send their vocal tracks in and create the song that you’re about to hear. There are thirty-two different musicians who contributed from nine different countries and the song was offered for sale with all proceeds going to UNICEF. I play this song every year on my show and I also play it in my home. I like it that much. It’s in the same rotation as all the other Christmas music I play. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. Thank you for inviting me to be a part of your day. My name is Steve Webb. Bye.

[PODSAFE FOR PEACE SINGS “IF EVERY DAY WERE CHRISTMAS” – 39:09]
First winter snow outside my window
Feels like that time again to me
The mistletoe
A Christmas show
And lighting of that famous Christmas tree

People are shopping for their loved ones
And making plans for a Christmas feast
Then it all goes by
In the blink of an eye
Then we have to wait another year

What if every day were Christmas
What a wonderful world this would be
We would never feel blue
We’d make all our dreams come true
If Christmas were every day

This time brings out the good in people
Just look around now and you will see
Everybody’s nice
And full of light
And they give to those who are in need

What if every day were Christmas
What a wonderful world this would be
We would never feel blue
We’d make all our dreams come true
If Christmas were every day

So throughout the year
From the summer to the spring
I’ll take yuletide cheer
Until then, it’s Christmas again

What if every day were Christmas
What a wonderful world this would be
We would never feel blue
We’d make all our dreams come true
If Christmas were every day

What if every day were Christmas
What a wonderful world this would be
We would never feel blue
We’d make all our dreams come true
If Christmas were every day

If Christmas were every day…

It brings the good out in people
Merry Christmas

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Transcript corrected by Denise