Lifespring! WhyChristmas Advent Calendar – Day 10

On Day 10 of the Lifespring! WhyChristmas Advent Calendar, Steve and James focus on the most important book in the Christian faith, the Bible.
You will hear how Scripture tells the big story of God’s rescue plan and how a simple family tradition called a Jesse Tree can help you trace that story from creation all the way to the birth of Jesus.

If you are following along with the Advent series, you can always find episodes and show notes on the
Lifespring! WhyChristmas Advent Calendar page.
To explore even more Christmas customs and their meanings, visit
WhyChristmas.com.

Today’s door in the Advent Calendar represents the Bible. Steve explains that Scripture is not a single book but a library of sixty-six books, written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek over roughly fifteen hundred years.
The Old Testament tells the story of God’s creation, the calling of Israel, and the promise of a Messiah. The New Testament announces that Jesus is that promised Messiah and records the lives of his first followers.

James then introduces the idea of a Jesse Tree, rooted in Isaiah’s prophecy: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse, from his roots a branch will bear fruit.”
Because Jesus is a descendant of King David, Christians see him as that new branch of life and hope. In the Middle Ages, churches used Jesse Tree carvings, tapestries, and stained glass to teach the Bible to people who could not read.
Today, families can use a Jesse Tree as a kind of Advent calendar that walks through the story of Scripture.

You can use a regular Christmas tree or a banner shaped like a tree. Each day in Advent, you hang a new ornament that tells a different Bible story.
Over the weeks, your tree becomes a visual timeline that leads your family toward Bethlehem and the manger.
For more ideas, James points you to the
Jesse Tree page in the Christmas Customs section at WhyChristmas.com.

James shares several simple symbols you can use on a Jesse Tree:

These simple ornaments can be crafted from paper, felt, wood, or whatever you have on hand.
The goal is not perfection, it is to let Scripture shape your Advent conversations and to help children (and adults) see how the whole Bible leads to Jesus.

Near the end of the episode, Steve echoes James’s reminder that the Bible is far more than a dusty old book filled with rules.
It is a great read, a real manual for life, and the best-selling book in history.
In the Advent season especially, opening Scripture keeps us grounded in God’s story rather than getting lost in the rush of shopping, schedules, and noise.

If this episode nudges you to read the Bible more regularly, consider starting with one of the Gospels or using a simple Advent reading plan.
Let the Word of God shape your view of Christmas and draw your heart toward Christ.

Links for the artists and tracks featured in this episode will be listed on the show notes page at
LifespringMedia.com.

If you have a favorite Jesse Tree tradition, a Scripture that has shaped your Advent, or a creative way your family keeps the Bible central at Christmas, Steve would love to hear from you.

Thank you for listening to Day 10 of the Lifespring! Advent Calendar.
Come back tomorrow, because you never know what will be behind the next door.

On Day 5 of the Lifespring! WhyChristmas Advent Calendar, Steve Webb and James Cooper turn their attention to something almost everyone associates with Christmas: carols. From a playful burst of O Come All Ye Faithful on the zither harp to stories from church history and village life, this episode traces how Christmas carols grew from ancient songs into one of the most loved parts of the season.

Steve kicks things off by having a little fun with a musical intro, then points out that Christmas Carols really do help many of us feel that Christmas has arrived. He explains that the word carol originally meant a dance or song of praise and joy. That means carols were not always tied to Christmas. You could have a carol about anything that deserved praise. In fact, the earliest carols were connected to pagan winter solstice celebrations, long before they were used to sing about the birth of Jesus.

As the early Christians began to shape worship around the coming of Christ, they took over some of these winter celebrations and replaced pagan songs with Christian ones. Over time, these songs became part of the way believers told and remembered the story of Jesus coming into the world.

James shares that one of the first recorded Christmas carols dates back to the year 129, when a Roman bishop encouraged the singing of a piece called Angel’s Hymn at Christmas services in Rome. Many early carols were written in Latin, so ordinary people could not understand them well. That kept them from spreading widely outside of formal church settings.

As the Middle Ages rolled on, carols started to appear in local languages. James mentions a carol from 1410 about Mary and Jesus meeting people in Bethlehem, although only a fragment survives. Many songs from this period and from the Elizabethan era were loosely based on the Christmas story and leaned more toward entertainment than formal worship. They were usually sung in homes and streets instead of churches and were considered too common for use in services.

Travelling singers and minstrels helped carols spread from place to place. They often adjusted the lyrics so the songs connected with local people. One carol that changed in this way is I Saw Three Ships, which now exists in many different versions around the world. For more background and examples, you can visit the carols section at

James then moves into a dramatic chapter of history. When the Puritans under Oliver Cromwell came to power in England in 1647, they banned carol singing along with most other Christmas celebrations. Some carols survived as folk songs, but many disappeared from public worship for a time.

A fresh wave of interest came in the Victorian era. Two Victorian men collected old Christmas music from villages across England, and carols found their way back into public life. Official carol singers, called waits, would sing on Christmas Eve, sometimes known as Watch Night or Wait Night, recalling the shepherds who were watching their flocks when the angels appeared. As more choirs and orchestras formed in the cities, people wanted music to sing, and carol services became popular again. New carols were written, including Good King Wenceslas. If you want to know the surprisingly intense story behind that carol, you can read more in the customs section at

James closes by talking about what carols mean for him personally. He loves carols by candlelight and feels that Christmas officially starts in his home when the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s College, Cambridge, comes on the radio. Steve wraps up the episode by pointing you to the artists whose music you heard today, including Jill Parr’s version of O Come All Ye Faithful and the theme This Christmas by Brian Duncan and the NehoSoul Band.

Christmas carols have travelled a long path, from ancient dances and Latin hymns to the songs we sing today by candlelight, in church, around the piano, or in the car. As you listen this year, remember that you are joining a long line of believers and seekers who have used music to tell the story of Jesus with joy.

You can explore more about carols and other Christmas customs at

Transcript

It’s the Christmas Eve edition of the 2022 encore of the 2009 season of the Lifespring! Why Christmas show, hosted by James Cooper, creator of whychristmas.com, and me the OG Godcaster, Steve Webb, of lifespringmedia.com.

I will be recording the Christmas Day episode today at 6pm Pacific time, so if you would like to be included in the drawing to win the autographed copy of Bryan Duncan’s A NehoSoul Christmas CD, that is the deadline. For details, go to lifespringmedia.com/day9 to see how to enter. It could be you!

If you would like to hear more of the Lifespring Why Christmas show next year, cast you affirmative vote by making a donation right here.

See you tomorrow!

It’s Christmas Eve! That means one thing, Santa has started his run around the world! Follow where he’s got to at: http://santaupdate.com

James also reads a poem about Christmas Eve written by his Grandmother.

On Christmas Eve my mother read
The story once again
Of how the little child was born
And of the three Wise men

And how by following the star
They found Him where he lay
And brought Him gifts; and that is why
We keep our Christmas day

And when she read it all, I went
And looked across the snow
And thought of Jesus coming
As He did so long ago.

I looked into the East and saw
A great star blazing bright;
There were three men upon the road
All black against the light

I thought I heard the angels sing
Away upon the hill
I held my breath… it seemed as if
The whole great world were still

It seemed to me the little child
Was being born again
And very near… and THEN somehow
Was NOW… or NOW was THEN.`

This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT.

Download .txt file.

Steve Webb 0:01
It’s the Christmas Eve edition of the 2022 encore of the 2009 season of the Lifespring Why Christmas show hosted by James Cooper, creator of whychristmas.com. And me the OG Godcaster Steve Webb of Lifespringmedia.com. I’ll be recording the Christmas Day episode today at 6pm. Pacific time so if you’d like to be included in the drawing to win the autographed copy of Bryan Duncan’s A NehoSoul Christmas CD, that’s the deadline today 6pm pacific time to see the details on how to enter the drawing go to Lifespringmedia.com slash day nine to see how that’s Lifespringmedia.com slash d ay y numeral nine no spaces. Somebody’s going to win. It could be you. If you’d like to hear more of the Lifespring Why Christmas show next year cast your affirmative vote by making a donation at Lifespringmedia.com slash support. Tomorrow is Christmas day in the final episode of this year’s Lifespring Why Christmas podcast. We’ll see you then.

James Cooper 1:10
Hello, and welcome to the Christmas Eve edition of the 2009 Lifespring Why Christmas show. Yes, it’s nearly the big day, folks. It’s Christmas Eve, which means one thing that means Santa has left the North Pole. And he’s on his way around the world to delivering presents to girls and boys in his sleigh. Now, if you’d like to keep an update on him, that is a great site that you can go over to that it’s hosted by Ernest elf who gets updates from Santa all the time, and he puts them on there. And the site you need to go to is Santa update.com, that Santa update.com.

James Cooper 1:44
And I’ve also got something very special to share with you on this Christmas Eve. Back in October. Sadly, my grandmother died. And when we were sorting through some of her things, we came across a poem written on a scrap of paper called Christmas Eve. Now no one’s actually sure when she wrote this, but it’s a lovely poem. And I thought it was very appropriate for me to read it to you today. Christmas Eve by Mary Cooper.

James Cooper 2:07
On Christmas Eve, my mother read the story once again, of how the little child was born, and of the three wise men, and how by following the star, they found him where he lay and bought him gifts. And that is why we keep our Christmas Day.

James Cooper 2:22
And when she read it all I went and looked across the snow and thought of Jesus coming as he did so long ago.

James Cooper 2:30
I looked into the eastern saw a great star blazing bright. There were three wise men upon the road, or black against the light.

James Cooper 2:38
I thought I heard the angels sing away upon the hill, I held my breath. It seemed as if the whole great world was still it seemed to me the little child was being born again. And very near and then somehow was now or now was then

James Cooper 2:58
the words of the poem are on the show notes at Lifespring Why christmas.com And also the Why Christmas blog.

James Cooper 3:06
Whatever you’re up to for the rest of the Christmas Eve I hope you have a great one. And remember to come back tomorrow for the Christmas Day. The show you can’t miss when we’ll be announcing the winner of the Bryan Duncan Christmas CD.

James Cooper 3:18
Thanks for listening to the Christmas Eve edition of the Lifespring Why Christmas show and means Steve, we’ll see you tomorrow.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Transcript

This is Day 10 of the 2022 encore of the 2009 season of the Lifespring! Why Christmas show, hosted by James Cooper, creator of whychristmas.com and me, the OG Godcaster, Steve Webb.

If you’d like to win the autographed copy of Bryan Duncan’s A NehoSoul Christmas CD, be sure to go to lifespringmedia.com/day9 to see the questions and how to enter the drawing.

Every day from now to christmas day, you’ll hear an episode from the 2009 season. If you’re  not yet subscribed or following the show, you can do that at lifespringwhychristmas.show.

And if you’re enjoying the show and would like to give some value back, you can do so at lifespringmedia.com/support. And if you have one of the new, modern podcast apps you can stream support as you listen, and you can boost the show. It took a bit to get that working, but it’s full steam ahead now. Any questions, email me at st***@*************ia.com

Today Steve will be explaining some more connections of Christmas plants: the Holly and the Ivy.

Find out more at: http://yxmas.com/holly-ivy

This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT.

Download .txt file.

“Sponsored by Steve Webb Voiceovers”

Cat Jahnke: Scorpion

My Machine: Mix It Up

Abel: Saints

Mike Herrera’s Tumbledown: Dead Man Walking

Gunn: A Night In Milan

JJ Heller: Love Me

Common Ground ….Drive

Small Town Sleeper…Song For The Summer

Jimmie Bratcher…Drive

Asleep At The Wheel featuring Willie Nelson…Truck Driver’s Blues

Matthew Ebel…Drive Away

Brett Mikels….Drive

Kelly’s Lot…Drive

Johnny Rawls And The Rays…Long Black Car

Kevin Bilchik…Long Ride

John Mayall And The Bluesbreakers…Road Dogs

Greg Federico…Pacific Coast Highway

Border Song…Elton: The Early Years

The world is just a little bit poorer, and Heaven just a bit richer, with the passing of Kevin Thomson this past Sunday, May 30, 2010.

Who was Kevin Thomson, you ask? He’s the guy playing the bass on the music you’ll be hearing on the show today. He’s one of the founders of the Sweet Comfort Band. He was, according to all accounts, one of the most solid believers you would ever want to meet.

If you’re not familiar with the Sweet Comfort Band, or SCB as they were sometimes called, let me give you a very brief synopsis of their history. SCB was formed in 1972, and played their first gig right here in Riverside, I believe the venue was what was then called Calvary Chapel of Riverside, now known as Harvest Fellowship, with Greg Laurie being the Pastor then and now. This was during the Jesus Movement, and they brought a new style of Christian music…a sort of mixture of rock, jazz and funk that had never been heard in this context. The Jesus music, up to this point, was sort of a folk rock or soft rock, with the likes of Love Song, Children of the Day, Mustard Seed Faith and others. SCB’s tight instrumentation and energy set them apart. By the time they played their last concert, also here in Riverside, 1984, they had sold millions of albums, and Contemporary Christian Music had been forever changed.

If you’ve been a listener for a while to the Lifesping shows, you know that one of my good friends is Bryan Duncan, who was one of the lead vocalists with Sweet Comfort. It was from Bryan that I learned of Kevin’s passing. I thought it would be good to hear from him his memories of Kevin, so I asked him to come into the studio. Then I thought how cool it would be if he would call the other Sweet Comfort Band members, drummer Rick Thomson (Kevin’s brother), and guitar player and vocalist Randy Thomas, to see if we might be able to do a conference call and get their input as well. It was short notice, and Randy couldn’t join us on the phone from Nashville, but Rick, who I just learned lives right here in Riverside, was able to come into the studio.

Here’s Bryan’s post about Kevin.

Music on today’s show:

Let It Go

On this 100th episode, I’ve got lots of great music for you!

Manic Bloom…”Running From The Scene”

Callaghan…”It Was Meant To Be”

Josh Woodward…”Morning Blue”

Joe Roy…”Out On A Limb”

Natalie Nicole Gilbert…”Better Than This Life”

Blind Pilot

.Dean Krippaehne…”Don’t You Worry”

Check In The Dark…”Running From The Sum”

Nina Landis…”Day To Day”

Bryan Duncan…”Things You Bring”

Pamela Martin…”Butterfly”

SAMM…”Lord Save Us”

Some great Christmas music for your Christmas season enjoyment. Podcasting has been around long enough that we really do have some “classic” songs, some of which are on this episode. Plus, we have some new songs!

Please support these wonderful artists by going to their websites and buying their music!

Jill Parr: Do You Hear What I Hear

Jimmie Bratcher: Man It’s Christmas

Cat Jahnke: Rise Up Shepherd, And Follow

David Phelps: Hallelujah!

Aaron Neville: Please Don’t Forget.

Natalie Brown: Jingle Bells

Podsafe for Peace: If Every Day Were Like Christmas

Bryan Duncan: Christmas Comes But Once A Year

The Swingle Singers: The Christmas Song

Christmas Song: Greener

Karmyn Tyler: (I’ll Be There) On Christmas Day

We Three Kings of Orient Are: etypejazz

Christmas In Malibu: The Rad Dudes

Today is a very special show!

You’ll learn how you can get the chance to win a signed copy of Bryan Duncan’s “A NehoSoul Christmas” CD!

To enter. email the answers of the Christmas Trivia questions below to st***@*************ia.com or in**@**********as.com

1. What famous Christmas Classic did Bing Crosby record in 1942?

2. What was the name of Mary’s cousin she went to visit when she was pregnant?

3. Who invented electric lights for Christmas trees?

4. What’s the name of the Jewish festival that’s celebrated around the same time as Christmas?

5. How many other reindeer help Rudolph pull Santa’s sleigh?

6. What sweet bread is eaten for Christmas day breakfast in some parts of Belgium?

7. What town was Jesus born in?

8. What coin is it traditionally lucky to find in your portion of Christmas Pudding?

9. In what country would you sing the carol ‘Sambasamba Zanahary’?

10. What ancient religion might have the Wisemen belonged to?