Podcasts about wenceslas

On this in-between season break special episode of Royally Screwed, we're going to talk about the man behind the Christmas Carol "Good King Wenceslas". Who was Wenceslas? Was he even a king? And how did he become enshrined into the season of Christmas? Surprisingly, it actually has to do with Easter and Finland.Subscribe for more episodes as they come.Twitter: @Denim_CreekInstagram: denimcreekproMusic:Intro/Outro: “Life O' the Lavish” - Jules Gaia, “Magical Christmas Background” - Dreamnote Music, “A Snowflake's Tale” - Howard Harper-Barnes, “Christmas Swing” - WorldMusicCopyright 2024, Denim Creek Productions

Josef Suk - Meditation on old Bohemian Chorale St. WenceslasWihan QuartetMore info about today's track: Nimbus 6322Courtesy of Naxos of America Inc.SubscribeYou can subscribe to this podcast in Apple Podcasts, or by using the Daily Download podcast RSS feed.Purchase this recordingAmazon

 In this interview, Maria Theisen talks about her work on the Making of the Wenceslas Bible.  This great bible was written in German in the late fourteenth century, and although it was never completed, it still contains 2,000 folios and over 650 illuminations.  Maria sets the creation of the bible into the context of the times, particularly the reforms within the church and the power struggles between the Catholic church and King Wenceslas IV.  Maria also explains the complex  iconography of the period and the symbolism of the images in the great first letter of Genesis. As the bible was not finished, there remain notes in the margins for the illuminators which give clues to the process of making the bible and the lives of the scribes and illuminators.This podcast is part of a series of interviews covering central Europe in the medieval period for MECERN and CEU Medieval Studies.

Ebben az adásban nyílt napot tart a Boldogságkutató Központ: az érzelmek a téma. Hogyan vitatkoztak a reneszánsz Itáliában a gyereknevelésről? Miért kapott sírógörcsöt Kun Béla? Na és te vennél haragot egy főzőműsortól? Filmekkel is készültünk: amíg az Agymanók 2. egyre azt kérdezgeti, sorsa felől mért aggódik az ember, addig A boldogság ügynöke rákontráz, hogy úgyis csak az lesz, aminek lenni kell. Tartsatok velünk! Ez itt a Semmi kóla, a Partizán kultúrtörténeti podcastja.Kövessétek a Semmi kólát az Instagramon!https://www.instagram.com/semmikolapodcast/ Hivatkozott tartalmakHosszan tárgyalt filmek:Agymanók (Inside Out, 2015)Agymanók 2. (Inside Out 2., 2024)A boldogság ügynöke (2024)Röviden említett filmek, sorozatok:A Konyhafőnök (2014–)Csizmás, a Kandúr – Az utolsó kívánság (Puss in Boots – The Last Wish, 2022)Hal a tortán (2008–)István, a király (1983)Vacsoracsata (2008–)X-Faktor (2010–)Ajánlott irodalom:Thomas Dixon: The History of Emotions (2023)Richard Firth-Godbehere: Az emberi érzések története (2023)Az érzelmek története. Szerkesztette: Lukács Anikó, Tóth Árpád (2019)Barbara H. Rosenwein: Worrying about Emotions in History (The American Historical Review, 2002)Cikkek, egyebek:Csunderlik Péter: Kun Béla-legendák. Sikkasztás, sírógörcsök és egy rejtélyes doktor (BBC History, 2023/9)Bhutánban a boldogság csak kartotékadat, mégis lenne mit tanulnunk tőlük – Interjú Zurbó Dorottyával (Fidelio, 2024)Norbert Elias: A civilizáció folyamata (2004)Fáber Ágoston: A pozitív pszichológia indiszkrét bája (Új Egyenlőség, 2019)Frizbi különkiadás: Varga Judit exkluzív interjú (Frizbi TV, 2024)Arnold van Gennep: Átmeneti rítusok (2007)Johan Huizinga: A középkor alkonya (1996)Kaiser Orsolya: A gólyatáboroknak a közösségépítésről kellene szólniuk, nem az újoncok megalázásáról (Telex, 2024)Komoly sérülést szerezhetett volna Gigi a hozzávágott mikrofontól (RTL, 2018)Kőszeghy Ferenc: Szorongás, depresszió, önsértés, kényszer: a járvány hatására megtelt a gyermekpszichiátria (Mérce, 2021)Nagy Dániel: Úgy tűnik, az érzelmek megint kezdenek divatba jönni (2024)George L. Mosse: Férfiasságnak tüköre. A modern férfieszmény kialakulása (2001)Ondřej Schmidt: Assessing the Luxembourgs. The Image of Wenceslas and Sigismund in the Correspondence of Italian Ambassadors. In: Luxembourg Court Cultures in the Long Fourteenth Century. Szerkesztette: Karl Kügle, Ingrid Ciulisová, Václav Žůrek (2024)Szegő Iván Miklós: Hat alapérzelem: melyek ezek, mire használhatók és mire nem? (HVG, 2011)Szily László: Ágybavizelő Ferenc miniszterelnök lett a nemzet új színésze (Index, 2008)Juliann Vitullo: Negotiating the Art of Fatherhood in Late Medieval and Early Modern Italy (2019)

Sid gets a very forward proposition, Bren takes to the skies, and the Band have their most metal fight ever! It's 3 weeks to go until our live show, we can't wait to see you there! Make sure you have your tickets! Voting is also over very soon for the CRIT awards, where we have been nominated for "Best Series"!!! Any and all votes are greatly greatly appreciated for this! We are in with some very prestigious other finalists, and we need all the support you can give!! And as always, you can also show your support by checking out our Patreon, where you too can get your name called out by Conn, get exclusive merch, and access to secret channels in our Discord server! All the links to everything mentioned are in our Linktree!

This week we are continuing our 40 days with the Martyr's Lenten Series! Join us in saying this prayer each day: ST PETER'S CHAINS PRAYER: O God, Who caused St. Peter, the apostle, to depart, loosed from his chains and unhurt, loose, we beg You, the chains of our sins, and graciously keep all evils far from us. Bless us this Lent and give us the faith of the martyrs. We ask this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. AMEN   + MONDAY: Sts. Wenceslas and Ludmila, 900s, Bohemia + TUESDAY: St. Margaret Clitherow, 1500s, England + WEDNESDAY: Sts. Maria and Flora of Cordoba, 800s, Spain + THURSDAY: St. Maximilian Kolbe, 1900s, Poland + FRIDAY: Bl. Miguel Pro, 1900s, Mexico + SATURDAY: St. Oscar Romero, 1900s, El Salvador   We will be doing something special for Lent on the Catholic Sprouts Podcast. Join us for Lent with the Martyrs. Purchase this fun PDF guide and create a chain that will count down to Easter and remind you to strive to let God break the chains of sin and death this Lent. It's just $7--and your purchase is a GREAT way to support the Catholic Sprouts Podcast! https://shop.catholicsprouts.com/products/lent-with-the-martyrs-digital-download   Join us this Thursday for our Virtues Study with Sir Roland. We will be discussing the virtue of JUSTICE. hoping to see you there! Head here to log into the clubhouse or join if you aren't already a member: https://catholicsprouts.com/join-the-clubhouse/    Check out the Catholic Sprouts Podcast ARCHIVES! https://catholicsprouts.com/podcast-archives/    Find fun, meaningful, faith-filled projects for your own family in the Catholic Family Resource Library. https://catholicsprouts.com/catholic-family-resource-library-signup/    Catholic Sprouts is a production of Spoke Street Media. For more great Catholic podcasts, check out spokestreet.com 

This week we are continuing our 40 days with the Martyr's Lenten Series! Join us in saying this prayer each day: ST PETER'S CHAINS PRAYER: O God, Who caused St. Peter, the apostle, to depart, loosed from his chains and unhurt, loose, we beg You, the chains of our sins, and graciously keep all evils far from us. Bless us this Lent and give us the faith of the martyrs. We ask this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. AMEN   + MONDAY: Sts. Wenceslas and Ludmila, 900s, Bohemia + TUESDAY: St. Margaret Clitherow, 1500s, England + WEDNESDAY: Sts. Maria and Flora of Cordoba, 800s, Spain + THURSDAY: St. Maximilian Kolbe, 1900s, Poland + FRIDAY: Bl. Miguel Pro, 1900s, Mexico + SATURDAY: St. Oscar Romero, 1900s, El Salvador   We will be doing something special for Lent on the Catholic Sprouts Podcast. Join us for Lent with the Martyrs. Purchase this fun PDF guide and create a chain that will count down to Easter and remind you to strive to let God break the chains of sin and death this Lent. It's just $7--and your purchase is a GREAT way to support the Catholic Sprouts Podcast! https://shop.catholicsprouts.com/products/lent-with-the-martyrs-digital-download   Join us this Thursday for our Virtues Study with Sir Roland. We will be discussing the virtue of JUSTICE. hoping to see you there! Head here to log into the clubhouse or join if you aren't already a member: https://catholicsprouts.com/join-the-clubhouse/    Check out the Catholic Sprouts Podcast ARCHIVES! https://catholicsprouts.com/podcast-archives/    Find fun, meaningful, faith-filled projects for your own family in the Catholic Family Resource Library. https://catholicsprouts.com/catholic-family-resource-library-signup/    Catholic Sprouts is a production of Spoke Street Media. For more great Catholic podcasts, check out spokestreet.com 

This week we are continuing our 40 days with the Martyr's Lenten Series! Join us in saying this prayer each day: ST PETER'S CHAINS PRAYER: O God, Who caused St. Peter, the apostle, to depart, loosed from his chains and unhurt, loose, we beg You, the chains of our sins, and graciously keep all evils far from us. Bless us this Lent and give us the faith of the martyrs. We ask this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. AMEN   + MONDAY: Sts. Wenceslas and Ludmila, 900s, Bohemia + TUESDAY: St. Margaret Clitherow, 1500s, England + WEDNESDAY: Sts. Maria and Flora of Cordoba, 800s, Spain + THURSDAY: St. Maximilian Kolbe, 1900s, Poland + FRIDAY: Bl. Miguel Pro, 1900s, Mexico + SATURDAY: St. Oscar Romero, 1900s, El Salvador   We will be doing something special for Lent on the Catholic Sprouts Podcast. Join us for Lent with the Martyrs. Purchase this fun PDF guide and create a chain that will count down to Easter and remind you to strive to let God break the chains of sin and death this Lent. It's just $7--and your purchase is a GREAT way to support the Catholic Sprouts Podcast! https://shop.catholicsprouts.com/products/lent-with-the-martyrs-digital-download   Join us this Thursday for our Virtues Study with Sir Roland. We will be discussing the virtue of JUSTICE. hoping to see you there! Head here to log into the clubhouse or join if you aren't already a member: https://catholicsprouts.com/join-the-clubhouse/    Check out the Catholic Sprouts Podcast ARCHIVES! https://catholicsprouts.com/podcast-archives/    Find fun, meaningful, faith-filled projects for your own family in the Catholic Family Resource Library. https://catholicsprouts.com/catholic-family-resource-library-signup/    Catholic Sprouts is a production of Spoke Street Media. For more great Catholic podcasts, check out spokestreet.com 

This week we are continuing our 40 days with the Martyr's Lenten Series! Join us in saying this prayer each day: ST PETER'S CHAINS PRAYER: O God, Who caused St. Peter, the apostle, to depart, loosed from his chains and unhurt, loose, we beg You, the chains of our sins, and graciously keep all evils far from us. Bless us this Lent and give us the faith of the martyrs. We ask this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. AMEN   + MONDAY: Sts. Wenceslas and Ludmila, 900s, Bohemia + TUESDAY: St. Margaret Clitherow, 1500s, England + WEDNESDAY: Sts. Maria and Flora of Cordoba, 800s, Spain + THURSDAY: St. Maximillian Kolbe, 1900s, Poland + FRIDAY: Bl. Miguel Pro, 1900s, Mexico + SATURDAY: St. Oscar Romero, 1900s, El Salvador   We will be doing something special for Lent on the Catholic Sprouts Podcast. Join us for Lent with the Martyrs. Purchase this fun PDF guide and create a chain that will count down to Easter and remind you to strive to let God break the chains of sin and death this Lent. It's just $7--and your purchase is a GREAT way to support the Catholic Sprouts Podcast! https://shop.catholicsprouts.com/products/lent-with-the-martyrs-digital-download   Join us this Thursday for our Virtues Study with Sir Roland. We will be discussing the virtue of JUSTICE. hoping to see you there! Head here to log into the clubhouse or join if you aren't already a member: https://catholicsprouts.com/join-the-clubhouse/    Check out the Catholic Sprouts Podcast ARCHIVES! https://catholicsprouts.com/podcast-archives/    Find fun, meaningful, faith-filled projects for your own family in the Catholic Family Resource Library. https://catholicsprouts.com/catholic-family-resource-library-signup/    Catholic Sprouts is a production of Spoke Street Media. For more great Catholic podcasts, check out spokestreet.com 

This week we are continuing our 40 days with the Martyr's Lenten Series! Join us in saying this prayer each day: ST PETER'S CHAINS PRAYER: O God, Who caused St. Peter, the apostle, to depart, loosed from his chains and unhurt, loose, we beg You, the chains of our sins, and graciously keep all evils far from us. Bless us this Lent and give us the faith of the martyrs. We ask this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. AMEN   + MONDAY: Sts. Wenceslas and Ludmila, 900s, Bohemia + TUESDAY: St. Margaret Clitherow, 1500s, England + WEDNESDAY: Sts. Maria and Flora of Cordoba, 800s, Spain + THURSDAY: St. Maximillian Kolbe, 1900s, Poland + FRIDAY: Bl. Miguel Pro, 1900s, Mexico + SATURDAY: St. Oscar Romero, 1900s, El Salvador   We will be doing something special for Lent on the Catholic Sprouts Podcast. Join us for Lent with the Martyrs. Purchase this fun PDF guide and create a chain that will count down to Easter and remind you to strive to let God break the chains of sin and death this Lent. It's just $7--and your purchase is a GREAT way to support the Catholic Sprouts Podcast! https://shop.catholicsprouts.com/products/lent-with-the-martyrs-digital-download   Join us this Thursday for our Virtues Study with Sir Roland. We will be discussing the virtue of JUSTICE. hoping to see you there! Head here to log into the clubhouse or join if you aren't already a member: https://catholicsprouts.com/join-the-clubhouse/    Check out the Catholic Sprouts Podcast ARCHIVES! https://catholicsprouts.com/podcast-archives/    Find fun, meaningful, faith-filled projects for your own family in the Catholic Family Resource Library. https://catholicsprouts.com/catholic-family-resource-library-signup/    Catholic Sprouts is a production of Spoke Street Media. For more great Catholic podcasts, check out spokestreet.com 

This week we are continuing our 40 days with the Martyr's Lenten Series! Join us in saying this prayer each day: ST PETER'S CHAINS PRAYER: O God, Who caused St. Peter, the apostle, to depart, loosed from his chains and unhurt, loose, we beg You, the chains of our sins, and graciously keep all evils far from us. Bless us this Lent and give us the faith of the martyrs. We ask this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. AMEN   + MONDAY: Sts. Wenceslas and Ludmila, 900s, Bohemia + TUESDAY: St. Margaret Clitherow, 1500s, England + WEDNESDAY: Sts. Maria and Flora of Cordoba, 800s, Spain + THURSDAY: St. Maximillian Kolbe, 1900s, Poland + FRIDAY: Bl. Miguel Pro, 1900s, Mexico + SATURDAY: St. Oscar Romero, 1900s, El Salvador   We will be doing something special for Lent on the Catholic Sprouts Podcast. Join us for Lent with the Martyrs. Purchase this fun PDF guide and create a chain that will count down to Easter and remind you to strive to let God break the chains of sin and death this Lent. It's just $7--and your purchase is a GREAT way to support the Catholic Sprouts Podcast! https://shop.catholicsprouts.com/products/lent-with-the-martyrs-digital-download   Join us this Thursday for our Virtues Study with Sir Roland. We will be discussing the virtue of JUSTICE. hoping to see you there! Head here to log into the clubhouse or join if you aren't already a member: https://catholicsprouts.com/join-the-clubhouse/    Check out the Catholic Sprouts Podcast ARCHIVES! https://catholicsprouts.com/podcast-archives/    Find fun, meaningful, faith-filled projects for your own family in the Catholic Family Resource Library. https://catholicsprouts.com/catholic-family-resource-library-signup/    Catholic Sprouts is a production of Spoke Street Media. For more great Catholic podcasts, check out spokestreet.com 

Catholic Drive Time - 877-757-9424 Date – Thursday, September 28th, 2023 – St. Wenceslas INTRO – Happy Thursday When someone uses the OH MY GOD statement. I say Praise be His Holy Name. I dare you to say it. And – at 15 past the hour, Matt Aujero with Fight Club will be on to talk fighting pornography on college campuses Also – at 30 past the hour, Joe Biden Received Money from Communist China Oh Yeah – at 45 past the hour, California first state to implement a gun and ammo tax Plus – in the next hour, Alan Smith with Bishop Sheen today will be on with us As always – we have the fear and trembling game show with a prize from My grandfather's cancer Adrian Social Media IG: @ffonze Twitter: @AdrianFonze Facebook: Adrian Fonseca YouTube: Adrian Fonseca YouTube: Catholic Conversations Visit our website to learn more about us, find a local GRN radio station, a schedule of our programming and so much more. http://grnonline.com/

The world beyond seems to only grow darker and more desperate. Will Ernest and Alister have anything left to save? Starring Aubrey Lidden, Bejae Ingate and Chester Lidden Thank you to our amazing patrons who bring this show to you twice a month! Patreon - patreon.com/darktides Dark Tides is a biweekly improvised audio drama series, set in the Hookba Archipelago. The show follows Ernest Marsh, a newly commissioned Park Ranger arriving in the Archipelago. And Allister Stern, a local conspiracy theorist and aspiring cryptozoologist. Together these young investigators unravel a twisted mystery of disappearances and fatal encounters with the uncanny as they search for the truth. Can you trust the voices in your head? Can you survive the troubled waters? Beware the Dark Tides. If you can't wait for the next episode of Dark Tides, or would like to support us and help us to keep making the show, head over to the Dark Tides Patreon for heaps of bonus content. A post show where we chat about the show. A Prequel series that expands the universe. Extra Ernest and Allister adventures and a bustling discord, full to the brim with dead memes! Head over to patreon.com/darktides for all the Dark Tides content you could desire!

Laura Freeman, chief art critic at The Times and author of Ways of Life: Jim Ede and the Kettle's Yard Artists, and Kettle's Yard Director Andrew Nairne take us back to Cambridge in this follow-up to Episode 30 of the Foxed pod. Jim Ede was a man for whom art, books, beauty, friendship and creativity were essential facets of a happy and fulfilled life and, in her acclaimed group biography of Jim and his artists, Laura casts new light on the men and women who gently shaped a new way of making, seeing and living with art for the twentieth century. Laura and Andrew join Slightly Foxed Editors Gail and Hazel at the kitchen table to draw us deeper into Jim and his wife Helen's way of life at Kettle's Yard: a domestic home-cum-gallery where pausing to sit is encouraged and artworks, furniture, ceramics, books and found objects from the natural world live side by side in delicious harmony. We follow Laura upstairs to Helen's sitting-room to meet Constanin Brâncuşi's cement-cast head of the boy Prometheus, we pause in the light-filled Dancer Room to take in Henri Gaudier-Brzeska's bronze ballerina and we pass Barbara Hepworth's strokable slate sculpture Three Personages on the landing before leafing through the bookshelves to discover hand-bound early editions of Virginia Woolf's Orlando and works by Henry James. We hear how Jim believed that art was for everyone and wasn't just for looking at but also for touching, hearing and engaging with: a belief so central to his ethos that he would lend pieces to Cambridge University students to place in their own living spaces.   Books mentioned We may be able to get hold of second-hand copies of the out-of-print titles listed below. Please get in touch with Jess in the Slightly Foxed office for more information. Subscribe to Slightly Foxed magazine Laura Freeman, Ways of Life: Jim Ede and the Kettle's Yard Artists (0:55) Virginia Woolf, Orlando (18:30) Henry James, ‘The Great Good Place' (19:46) Richard Cobb, A Classical Education (45:34) Adrian Bell, A Countryman's Summer Notebook (46:00) Lionel Davidson, The Night of Wenceslas (46:15) Lionel Davidson, The Rose of Tibet (46:29) Lionel Davidson, Kolymsky Heights (46:32) Eric Carle, The Very Hungry Caterpillar (48:40) Ann Pratchett, The Dutch House (49:18) Osman Yousefzada, The Go-Between (50:59) Related Slightly Foxed articles & podcast episodes Episode 30 of the Slightly Foxed podcast: Jim Ede's Way of Life Living Art, Mark Haworth-Booth on Jim Ede, A Way of Life: Kettle's Yard, Issue 42 The Pram in the Hall, Laura Freeman on Barbara Hepworth, A Pictorial Autobiography, Issue 69 Russian Roulette, Anne Boston on Lionel Davidson, Kolymsky Heights, Issue 60 High Adventure, Derek Robinson on Lionel Davidson, The Rose of Tibet, Issue 32 Other links Kettle's Yard, Cambridge Jim Ede, A Way of Life: Kettle's Yard is available from the Kettle's Yard shop King Charles, the then Prince of Wales, on Kettle's Yard at their inaugural concert Kettle's Yard House Tour Opening music: Preludio from Violin Partita No.3 in E Major by Bach   The Slightly Foxed Podcast is hosted by Philippa Lamb and produced by Podcastable

durée : 00:47:35 - On va déguster - Paris, théâtre des grandes réceptions, depuis le Banquet offert par Charles V à l'empereur Charles IV et à son fils Wenceslas, au palais de la Cité, jusqu'au déjeuner de la COP21 en 2015, durant lequel François Hollande a reçu les dirigeants de 147 États.

Pour ce nouvel épisode, je reçois un jeune diplômé en management immobilier. Ce diplôme, qui lui permet d'envisager sereinement la suite après une fin de carrière sportive bientôt achevée, bien remplie par 15 saisons en Top 14, était d'ailleurs la condition pour qu'il participe à ce podcast. Car même si tout à été très vite dans son parcours de rugbyman, Wenceslas Lauret n'a jamais été du genre à mettre la charrue avant les boeufs.  Venu au rugby sur le tard au coeur du terroir bigourdan, ce Réunionais d'origine a pris le temps de se construire malgré une éclosion rapide au sein de l'équipe professionnelle du Biarritz Olympique en 2008, à seulement 19 ans. Après 5 saisons passées au BO et un trophée européen en poche, "Wen" a décidé de changer de vie en 2013 en migrant en région parisienne pour rejoindre les rangs du Racing 92, club ambitieux avec lequel il soulèvera le Bouclier de Brennus en 2016. Figurant parmi les meilleurs troisième ligne du championnat, il a logiquement eu les honneurs de la sélections, avec 27 capes, la toute dernière étant le quart de finale de Coupe du monde entre la France et le pays de Galles à la Coupe du monde 2019 au Japon. À 34 ans, "Wen" tire ses dernière cartouche de joueur avec le Racing avant de rentrer s'installer au pays basque, là où il a développé son activité immobilière avec sa société LIDEP. 

In 1396 Philip the Bold was the most powerful man in France, but his nephew Louis Duke of Orleans was coming for his position. The turn of the 15th century saw a number of political upheavals in Europe and Louis hoped that the new political landscape would favor him over his uncle. While over the past few years Philip's dominance was unchallenged, the Duke of Orleans was maturing and his ambitions were growing to match. Time Period Covered: 1396 - 1401 Notable People: Philip the Bold, Louis Duke of Orleans, King Charles VI, Queen Isabeau of Bavaria, John Duke of Berry, Joan Duchess of Brabant, William I of Guelders and Julich, John of Bavaria, Waleran of Luxembourg Count of Saint-Pol, King Richard II of England, King Henry IV of England, Wenceslas of Luxembourg, Rupert of the Palatinate Notable Events/Developments:  French Expansion into Genoa, Guelders-Brabant War (1397-1399), French Withdrawal from Avignon, Overthrow of Richard II, Deposition of Wenceslas of Luxembourg Check out The Siecle! Cover Art by Brandon Wilburn Music by Zakhar Valaha

The three Vicars celebrate Christmas. Ian Myerscough enjoys a poem by Christina Rosetti. Mary Haddow talks about "The Peace Child". Ian Rose looks into the history of Wenceslas. Philip Noble takes an illustration from people's pets. MUSIC 1. Joy to the World - Cambridge Singers conducted by John Rutter. 2. For unto us a child is born - Academy of St Martin in the Fields conducted by Neville Marriner.

Click here to vote for Gone Medieval at the Signal Awards.At this time of year, many of us will find ourselves singing about a royal personage who braves the snow on the Feast of Stephen – the Second Day of Christmas – so that he can distribute alms to a poor peasant. But who was the real Good King Wenceslas and was he as pious and saintly as the Christmas song suggests?In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman is joined by Czech historian Dr. David Kalhous to learn about the tenth-century Bohemian Duke, posthumously declared to be a king and patron saint of the Czech state.This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe to History Hit today!Download History Hit app from the Google Play store.Download History Hit app from the Apple Store. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're traveling to bitter-cold Bohemia to dig deep into the story of a 10th-century duke turned king turned saint: Good King Wenceslas. The legend of Wenceslas' generosity and faith has reverberated throughout time, but it wasn't until 1853, that the prolific Victorian hymn writer, John Mason Neale, wrote the lyrics and paired them with a jaunty 16th-century festival song: Tempus Adest Floridum. We're joined by two modern day music legends: Catholic liturgical music composer, Christopher Walker, and Terre Roche of The Roches! Fr. James Martin, S.J., also joins the podcast to offer his theological take on his favorite version of Good King Wenceslas—performed by The Roches.  Special thanks to Terre Roche of the Roches for her exclusive acoustic version of our featured carol, and to Molly Cahill, Francis Tuson, Fae Tuson and Ricardo da Silva, S.J., who recorded vocals especially for this episode.  We would like to thank Nancy Dahn and Timothy Steeves of Duo Concertante (featuring Christine Carter), Matt Isaac, Firjii, OCP and The Ignatian Schola for providing snippets of “Good King Wenceslas” heard in this episode. Support “Hark!” Become a digital subscriber of America Magazine at: www.americamagazine.org/subscribe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Saints du jour 2022-09-28 Saint Wenceslas et Saint Laurent Ruiz by Radio Maria France

THE DOOMED & STONED SHOW ~Season 8, Episode 17~ This week, Bucky Brown is back from Ripple Effect to discuss the May edition of the Doom Charts. Don't worry, we plan on reviewing the June edition (just published) this month, too! Meanwhile, episode 17 will definitely call you, featuring brand new music from Wo Fat, Black Lung, Wucan, and tons more in this nearly 3-hour broadcast! Become a patron and get access to the show early, download in crystal clear HD audio, and get access to the past 7 season of the show: https://patreon.com/doomedandstoned. PLAYLIST: INTRO (00:00) 1. Red Sun Atacama - "Echoes" (00:31) HOST SEGMENT I (06:32) 2. Rumours - "The Impetuous Glory of Terror" (16:06) 3. Womack - "Back on the Hooch" (20:32) 4. Wucan - "Far and Beyond" (25:06) HOST SEGMENT II (31:24) 5. Electric Mountain - "Outlanders" (41:39) 6. Birdstone - "Madness" (45:32) 7. Church of the Cosmic Skull - "Now's the Time" (49:58) HOST SEGMENT III (54:32) 8. Blue Heron - "Push the Sky" (1:04:01) 9. Gnome - "Wenceslas" (1:08:40) 10. Perth - "Dwarvanaught" (1:11:50) HOST SEGMENT IV (1:16:19) 11. Geezer - "Logan's Run" (1:29:31) 12. Cave In - "Heavy Pendulum" (1:34:24) 13. Black Lung - "Hollow Dreams" (1:39:34) HOST SEGMENT V (1:45:55) 14. Ecstatic Vision - "Elusive Mojo" (2:23:01) 15. Gypsybyrd - "The Fog" (2:29:12) 16. Besvarjelsen - "House of the Burning Light" (2:32:33) 17. Wo Fat - "The Unraveling" (2:38:01) OUTRO (2:45:44) 18. Terror Cosmico [BONUS] - "Alguien Vendr Desde el Fondo del Mar" (2:46:45) CREDITS: Theme Song: Dylan Tucker Incidental Music: Hellvetika (https://akitevlleh.bandcamp.com/) Thumbnail: Electric Mountain

On An Overgrown Path, Leoš Janáček's 15 pieces-spanning piano cycle, is here presented in a reshaped guise, arranged for string orchestra, and interpreted by the Camerata Zürich under lead violinist Igor Karsko's direction. This is the premiere recording of the orchestral adaption. In this program, Janáček's cycle is bookended by Josef Suk's Meditation on the Old Czech Chorale St. Wenceslas and Antonín Dvořák's Notturno – pieces that are thematically connected to the folkloric elements found in Janáček's composition. French writer Maïa Brami wrote poems to accompany the new arrangement of On An Overgrown Path, and their recorded versions, spoken by the writer herself, are included on the album, contextualizing the cycle with inventive analogies to Janáček's life.Purchase the music (without talk) at:On An Overgrown Path (classicalsavings.com)Your purchase helps to support our show! Classical Music Discoveries is sponsored by La Musica International Chamber Music Festival and Uber. @CMDHedgecock#ClassicalMusicDiscoveries #KeepClassicalMusicAlive#LaMusicaFestival #CMDGrandOperaCompanyofVenice #CMDParisPhilharmonicinOrléans#CMDGermanOperaCompanyofBerlin#CMDGrandOperaCompanyofBarcelonaSpain#ClassicalMusicLivesOn#Uber Please consider supporting our show, thank you!http://www.classicalsavings.com/donate.html staff@classicalmusicdiscoveries.com This album is broadcasted with the permission of Crossover Media Music Promotion (Zachary Swanson).

Episode 159This week's episode is addressed to 70% of the Catholics in America. So you need to do everything you can to get your Catholic family and friends to listen to this episode, because I'm willing to bet dollars to donuts that many of your loved ones are in that 70% group. ResourcesIn an effort to provide you with the best, most helpful experience we can, any resource mentioned in The Cantankerous Catholic podcast will always be listed in this section. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases on links that are for purchases made from Amazon. This costs you nothing, but Amazon pays me a small commission on purchases made through those links. This helps to support this apostolate. https://wwb.gr8.com/ (Sixpack System Bulletin Inserts) https://hop.clickbank.net/?vendor=javaburn&affiliate=joesixpack&lid=6100&tid=148620 (Java Burn)—I want to lose weight! Simon Rafe's https://www.churchmilitant.shop/?product=7 (Case Files) on DVD. The Wanderer Catholic Newspaper. Get one month for one dollar by texting the word “news” to 830-331-5729. https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=85YEDSUJHVN42&source=url (Help Keep the Joe Sixpack—The Every Catholic Guy Apostolate Alive) FOR CHECKS: make checks payable to Cassock Media, P.O. Box 41, Villa Ridge, Missouri 63089 https://app.getresponse.com/site2/joe_sixpack_answers/?u=BhGUM&webforms_id=YZQe (I Want To Learn More About The Catholic Church!) https://mariancatechist.com/product/basic-catholic-catechism-course/ (Marian Catechist Apostolate Basic Course) https://www.avoicelikebutter.com/ (Rick Stender)—Official Voice of The Cantankerous Catholic SubscribeMake sure you never miss an episode of The Cantankerous Catholic by subscribing through one of these links, or wherever else you get your podcasts. https://thecantankerouscatholic.captivate.fm/listen (Subscribe to The Cantankerous Catholic here) Catholic News Notes#5 https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/patriotism-unity/youngkin-signs-executive-orders-banning-critical-race-theory-and-mask-mandates-on-first-day-as-governor (Yongkin signs executive orders banning critical race theory and mask mandates on his first day as governor) #4 https://www.foxnews.com/us/uk-police-arrest-two-people-investigation-connected-hostage-taking-synagogue-texas (Texas synagogue hostage-taking: UK police arrest two people in connection to investigation) #3 https://townhall.com/tipsheet/scottmorefield/2022/01/15/rasmussen-poll-reveals-astonishing-percentage-of-democrats-support-unparalleled-covid-tyranny-for-the-unvaccinated-n2601911 (Poll Reveals Astonishing Percentage Of Democrats Support Unparalleled Covid Tyranny For Unvaccinated) #2 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59979408 (Canada: Unvaccinated father loses right to see his child) #1 https://www.axios.com/electoral-reform-bipartisan-support-0b1ffd06-2c17-4460-b96e-f69f43a9786f.html (Electoral act reform picks up growing bipartisan support) Catholic BootcampThis week Joe Sixpack—The Every Catholic Guy's Catholic Bootcamp is titled SINE QUA NON. Catholic QuotesThis week's quote is from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Catholic StoriesThis episode features a story about St. Wenceslas. Joe Sixpack's Stuffhttps://www.joesixpackanswers.com/ (JoeSixpackAnswers.com) https://cantankerouscatholic.com/product/secrets-of-the-catholic-faith/ (Secrets of the Catholic Faith) by Joe Sixpack—The Every Catholic Guy https://cantankerouscatholic.com/product/the-lay-evangelists-handbook-how-any-catholic-can-evangelize-anyone/ (The Lay Evangelist's Handbook) by Joe Sixpack—The Every Catholic Guy https://cantankerouscatholic.com/product/the-best-of-what-we-believe-why-we-believe-it-volume-one/ (The Best of What We Believe... Why We Believe It)https://cantankerouscatholic.com/product/the-best-of-what-we-believe-why-we-believe-it-volume-one/ (—Volume One) by Joe Sixpack—The Every Catholic Guy...

Who was King Wenceslas - Why do we care when we could be boxing?

The Feasthood of All BelieversMerry Christmas Eve, friends. For much of my early adulthood, my father and one of my sisters had jobs that prevented us from celebrating Christmas together on December 25. The day after was much easier to request off, and the arrangement left me and my other sister free to garner favor with our own sets of future and present in-laws by handing the traditional holiday over to them. So, the day after Christmas, we Smiths typically reserve the day to cook and consume an elaborate breakfast feast before my siblings, parents, and a few grands watch the rapidly multiplying crop of cousins joyfully destroy wrapping paper and reveal the secrets within. The best gift, of course, has been that for the last couple of years we've had five generations present! My eccentricities are established enough in the family that they sometimes become ritualized even when there's almost no intentionality to them. I think I started calling our holiday Boxing Day simply because that's what was printed on the calendar in the space where I wrote in the even more obscure “Smithmas.” Now we all refer to the event interchangeably as both. There had been speculation as to the origin of the holiday known as “Boxing Day,” but no one ever bothered looking it up, since in those days the internet was not a thing one kept in one's pocket. Speculations ranged from it being the traditional Canadian day for a formalized fight with siblings over the rightful ownership of contested gifts, to a postal service holiday after the grueling season. In fact, even looking it up doesn't offer much more clarity. It does, however, add a theory we hadn't considered, and which seems to be the more likely origin. All over the world from time out of mind, December 26 is designated as the Feast of St. Stephen: the first martyr for the faith, and first recorded deacon of the church. His task, along with six other faithful men, was to justly administrate the distribution of food to widows in the church. So, for generations, the day after Christmas has offered a perfect opportunity for faithful to box up the excess from the previous day of feasting and deliver it to the poor. Boxing Day is properly a very practical celebration of St. Stephen's Day. As December 26 falls on a Sunday this year, before I head to my parents' house for Boxing Day I'll be in worship considering the life and death of St. Stephen. We'll also remember Wenceslas, the man who honored Stephen's feast day so faithfully, we still sing a carol about him a thousand years later. Both were simply following in the footsteps of the greatest table-setting King of them all. So, I hope you can be with us this Sunday as we all continue to stretch our imagination of what a good and godly feast can and ought to look like, regardless of its name or date. - josh

The carol "Good King Wenceslas" talks about how Wenceslas went out to give help to a poor person on the feast of Stephen. 26th December is the day when churches around the world remember Stephen who was the first martyr to die for his faith. Find out more about Stephen and why we remember him still today.

The Feasthood of All Believers Merry Christmas Eve, friends. For much of my early adulthood, my father and one of my sisters had jobs that prevented us from celebrating Christmas together on December 25. The day after was much easier to request off, and the arrangement left me and my other sister free to garner favor with our own sets of future and present in-laws by handing the traditional holiday over to them. So, the day after Christmas, we Smiths typically reserve the day to cook and consume an elaborate breakfast feast before my siblings, parents, and a few grands watch the rapidly multiplying crop of cousins joyfully destroy wrapping paper and reveal the secrets within. The best gift, of course, has been that for the last couple of years we've had five generations present! My eccentricities are established enough in the family that they sometimes become ritualized even when there's almost no intentionality to them. I think I started calling our holiday Boxing Day simply because that's what was printed on the calendar in the space where I wrote in the even more obscure “Smithmas.” Now we all refer to the event interchangeably as both. There had been speculation as to the origin of the holiday known as “Boxing Day,” but no one ever bothered looking it up, since in those days the internet was not a thing one kept in one's pocket. Speculations ranged from it being the traditional Canadian day for a formalized fight with siblings over the rightful ownership of contested gifts, to a postal service holiday after the grueling season. In fact, even looking it up doesn't offer much more clarity. It does, however, add a theory we hadn't considered, and which seems to be the more likely origin. All over the world from time out of mind, December 26 is designated as the Feast of St. Stephen: the first martyr for the faith, and first recorded deacon of the church. His task, along with six other faithful men, was to justly administrate the distribution of food to widows in the church. So, for generations, the day after Christmas has offered a perfect opportunity for faithful to box up the excess from the previous day of feasting and deliver it to the poor. Boxing Day is properly a very practical celebration of St. Stephen's Day. As December 26 falls on a Sunday this year, before I head to my parents' house for Boxing Day I'll be in worship considering the life and death of St. Stephen. We'll also remember Wenceslas, the man who honored Stephen's feast day so faithfully, we still sing a carol about him a thousand years later. Both were simply following in the footsteps of the greatest table-setting King of them all. So, I hope you can be with us this Sunday as we all continue to stretch our imagination of what a good and godly feast can and ought to look like, regardless of its name or date. - josh

Welcome to The Interesting Bits.For this Christmas edition of The Interesting Bits, we will be looking at the origins of Christmas, why Good King Wenceslas wasn't necessarily good, or a king, or called Wenceslas, and how an accident on a battleship led to the creation of one of the world's most popular toys. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christmas greetings! Mr. James is likely off stuffing his face and drinking a few sherries so here is a festive poem he's recorded earlier. Merry Christmas to you and yours.Support the show

In our final Christmas-themed episode, Lindsay keeps it festive by offering up three urban legends tied to actual historical events. To get us started, we learn about the murder of the martyr behind the Good King Wenceslaus Christmas carol, then dive right into the legend of Hans Trapp - one of Saint Nick's twisted companions. We end our evening with a delicious slice of Mincemeat Pie, sans long pig. If you're looking to have your Christmas ruined, this is the episode for you — Happy Holidays! To stay on top of all the latest from Pineapple Pizza Podcast, be sure to check out our website at http://www.pineapplepizzapodcast.com (www.pineapplepizzapodcast.com) where you will find links to merch, Patreon and a variety of ways to support the show, as well as detailed episode descriptions and regional specials. Help our show grow by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pineapple-pizza-podcast/id1543640038 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pineapple-pizza-podcast/id1543640038)Or on Podchaser at https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/pineapple-pizza-podcast-1568165 (https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/pineapple-pizza-podcast-1568165)You can also send mail to: Pineapple Pizza PodcastPO Box 341Wyoming, MN 55092Remember, no matter how you slice it, you're awesome and we love you.Sources:2020 Insider article titled “From hanging stockings to caroling, these 10 holiday traditions have surprisingly bizarre origins” by Sophia Mitrokostas https://www.insider.com/origins-of-christmas-traditions-2018-12#good-king-Wenceslas-was-a-real-person-who-was-stabbed-and-dismembered-1 (https://www.insider.com/origins-of-christmas-traditions-2018-12#good-king-Wenceslas-was-a-real-person-who-was-stabbed-and-dismembered-1)2018 Classic FM article titled “The real story behind the carol Good King Wenceslas” by Elizabeth Davis https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/real-story-good-king-Wenceslas-carol/ (https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/real-story-good-king-Wenceslas-carol/)Bartleby website https://www.bartleby.com/210/9/281.html (https://www.bartleby.com/210/9/281.html)Storynory website https://www.storynory.com/king-Wenceslas/ (https://www.storynory.com/king-Wenceslas/)Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenceslaus_I,_Duke_of_Bohemia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenceslaus_I,_Duke_of_Bohemia)2021 Farmers' Almanac article titled “7 Scary Christmas Characters That Will Haunt Your Dreams” by Amy Grisak https://www.farmersalmanac.com/scary-christmas-characters (https://www.farmersalmanac.com/scary-christmas-characters)2020 Fodors Travel article titled “7 Spooky Christmas Legends From Around the World” by Jesse Tabit https://www.fodors.com/news/photos/7-spooky-christmas-legends-from-around-the-world (https://www.fodors.com/news/photos/7-spooky-christmas-legends-from-around-the-world)2020 Ripley's article titled “The Terrible Tale of Hans Trapp, The Christmas Scarecrow” by Chris Littlechild https://www.ripleys.com/weird-news/hans-trapp/ (https://www.ripleys.com/weird-news/hans-trapp/)2019 CTV News article titled “Scary Christmas: A look at the world's most unusual, creepy and odd holiday traditions” by Christy Somos https://www.ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/scary-christmas-a-look-at-the-world-s-most-unusual-creepy-and-odd-holiday-traditions-1.4726583 (https://www.ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/scary-christmas-a-look-at-the-world-s-most-unusual-creepy-and-odd-holiday-traditions-1.4726583)2019 The Guardian article titled “The seven most terrifying Christmas traditions around the world” by J Oliver Conroy https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/dec/18/the-seven-most-terrifying-christmas-traditions-around-the-world (https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/dec/18/the-seven-most-terrifying-christmas-traditions-around-the-world)2018 Patheos blog post titled “The Child-Eating Scarecrow of Christmas” by Mat Auryn https://www.patheos.com/blogs/matauryn/2018/12/11/hans-trapp/...

I had a lot of fun talking with friends about these Holiday tunes - these episodes were so nice, I'm'a post 'em twice!   (originally episode 14)

Boris Nabokov is a man out of time. He was selected seemingly by random to be launched into the far future among our heroes. This is a small glimpse into his life before he came out of the card. Boris is a person, and being in Fillmore's Crossing has not been easy for him, but he makes the best of a bad situation.Thank you so much to all of our patrons and listeners. You are all the reason this stuff has become so meaningful, the reason why our silly antics get weight. From the bottom of our hearts thank you so much for coming on this journey with us thus far. Its been a wild ride and I hope I can continue to keep you all on your toes as my players have done to me. Be nice to each other. You never know what people are carrying with them in their day to day! ----------------------Website:http://timetodierpg.com/ Support us by making a pledge on Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/TimeToDieRPGOr you can donate money through Ko-Fihttps://ko-fi.com/timetodierpgCheck out our merch at SoNerdWear.com! (Use the promo code TimeToDie at checkout for 10% off your entire purchase.)https://sonerdwear.com/timetodieWant to hang out and even play D&D with us? Join our Discord server!https://discord.gg/j9EaDRVYou can also follow us on Twitter:https://twitter.com/TimeToDieRPGInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/timetodierpg/And YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVaj0OGnO8neV_9ErNYuVGw 

TOUR - David Černý in Prague For images of all the works mentioned here, see the video version out our YouTube channel. Sculptor David Černý is perhaps the most notorious Czech artist today, with a sarcastic and sardonic wit that informs his large-scale, often kinetic, works. Subtle, he ain't. He's got 22 works here in Prague, and we'll take a tour of them all in this episode, going all the way back to beginning of his career through works from 2020. You can try to see them all in one day (takes about six hours) or in separate sections. Includes directions and area info as well. SECTIONS 01:46 - The tour layout 02:29 - PART ONE - Outlying Areas (3) 02:31 - In Utero (2009) 04:10 - London Booster (2012) 06:11 - Beetle (Brouk) (2020) 06:58 - PART TWO - The City Centre (12) 07:07 - Babies on Žižkov Tower (2000, 2019) 10:12 - Horse (St. Wenceslas) (1999) 11:58 - "K" (Head of Franz Kafka, K on Sun) (2014) 13:48 - Women on a House (2004?) 15:04 - Sigmund Freud (1997) 16:33 - Václav Havel Memorial Plaque (2012) 17:39 - Embryo (2008) 18:42 - Gesture (2013) [now gone] 19:20 - Streams (Piss, Pissing Men) (2004) 20:37 - Quo Vadis (1990) 22:08 - Babies on Kampa (2008) 22:51 - Mlýnská Kavárna bar top (2011) 23:19 - Torso of a Tank (2018) [plus info on Pink Tank (Tank Number 23)] 29:07 - PART THREE - Prague 5 (6) 29:21 - Brown Nosing (2003) at the FUTURA Gallery 31:08 - Maso (Red Cars) (2007) at MeetFactory 32:49 - Speederman (2014) & Pegas (Pegasus) (2017) 34:14 - Trifot (2016) & Cyberdog (2018) at the Czech Photo Center 36:28 - BONUS: Monument to the Russian Liberation Army (2020) on Řeporyjské náměstí Music by Fanette Ronjat More Info: David Černý on Instagram Tracking the Works of David Černý website David Černý website Hohmann David Černý page Galerie Golf Hostivař Golf Hostivař website Green Bistro Hostivař Brewery (Pivovar Hostivař) Park u Chodovské Tvrze DiscGolf Park Chodov Restaurace Pavlovín BB Centrum Miminoo Restaurant Oblaca Restaurant in Žižkov Tower  Žižkov Tower Observation Deck The Old Jewish Cemetery in Žižkov U Sadu pub Taverna Olympos website U Kurelů website The Tavern website EATS - Memories & Meals with Lori Wyant & Dean Selby episode Palác Lucerna pasáž OC Quadrio website Václav Havel Library U Medvídků website GLUG - The Oldest Pub in Prague episode Divadlo Na zábradlí (Theatre on the Balustrade) Shakespeare & Sons bookshop HERE - Dog Walks Prague with Karen O'Rourke episode HERE - Ghost in Prague with Raymond Johnston episode HERE - 13 More Ghost Stories with Raymond Johnston episode Museum Kampa website Mlýnská kavárna Facebook page FUTURA Gallery MeetFactory website Czech Photo Center Cyberdog website "A Mockery of Memory" article about the Russian Liberation Army monument For events in Prague, go to the Facebook page The Prague Haps  Follow us on social for extras: Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Other Podcasts by Derek DeWitt DIGITAL SIGNAGE DONE RIGHT - Winner of the 2021 AVA Gold Award for Best Podcast Series and the 2020 Communicator Award of Excellence for Podcasts Series-Corporate Communications and on numerous top 10 podcast lists.  CONSPIRACY CLEARINGHOUSE - A rather skeptical look at conspiracies and mysteries. Each episode will examine conspiracy theories, most of which are not true, a few of which might be a little bit true and even a couple that turned out, in fact, to be true. This is the podcast that dares to look behind the curtain that's behind the curtain.

Ce matin, on a reçu Wenceslas qui va traverser la Manche à la nage pour une œuvre caritative. Valérie est la créatrice et la gérante du temple de la nuit "Les Chandelles" (club libertin). Et Kungs nous a présenté son tout nouveau single en Live ! Retrouvez Bruno dans la radio avec Bruno Guillon, Christina, Pino, Karina, Grace, Elliot et Mikka sur Funradio.fr et sur l'application Fun Radio.

Ce matin, Elliot révèle nos pires discussions hors antenne. Wenceslas va traverser la manche à la nage pour une œuvre caritative. Et Kungs, invité du jour, nous dévoile son tout nouveau titre ! Retrouvez Bruno dans la radio avec Bruno Guillon, Christina, Pino, Karina, Grace, Elliot et Mikka sur Funradio.fr et sur l'application Fun Radio.

Violist of the Quapaw String Quartet and section member of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Tim MacDuff shares his newfound love of kayaking in the waters around Little Rock, Arkansas and how his cat, Wenceslas will never consider joining him on his ventures! Follow the Arkansas Symphony at www.arkansassymphony.org Support this podcast at www.patreon.com/haydnmusicstand and visit our social media pages @haydnmusicstand. Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1iFJSHos3tN6kQid0BRqiN?si=bwOA9EynTJic7zBk0xDp6A --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/haydnmusicstand/support

In their Christmas episode, Doc explains the bizarre Medieval history of the carol, “Good King Wenceslas,” beginning with the pronunciation (which Nina bungles several times during this episode). They’ll discuss the confusing difference between the two Wenceslases (Wenceslii?), the real-life martyrdom of the correct Wenceslas, some fratricide, and the legend of Blanik Mountain. Plus, Nina successfully makes a connection between King Wenceslas and “The Lord of the Rings.” You can hear the version of “Good King Wenceslas” in this episode here: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:U.S._Army_Band_-_Good_King_Wenceslaus.ogg) Recommendations: “The Hanukkah Anthology” by Philip Goodman (https://www.amazon.com/Hanukkah-Anthology-Philip-Goodman/dp/0827600801/)  “The Hogfather” a Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett (https://www.amazon.com/Hogfather-Novel-Discworld-Terry-Pratchett-ebook/dp/B000W5MIGC/) Horse Name Generator from Fantasy Name Generator (https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/horse_names.php) Have a recommendation for us? Send Doc and Nina an email at podcast at profawesome dot com!

Who was King Wenceslas?  Why do people sing about him?  How 'good,' was he?Also - what the heck is wassail, and how do you make it?Tune in to this episode to learn all about it - and to hear Vera say, "they were being loud and obnoxious because they wanted to wake up the trees"---For this episode and the next few, we'll be talking about Christmas / Holiday tunes playable on pipes - their origins, fun facts, etc.  We'll be leaning heavily on arrangements by Timothy Cummings, which are available as single-sheet downloads and in a beautifully printed collection at birchenmusic.com...And now, some keywords: Bagpipes, bagpipe, bag, pipe, pipes, pipe, band, pipeband, drums, bass, tenor, snare, Scottish, festival, Highland, games, WUSPBA, small, smallpipe, smallpipes, SSP, advent, epiphany, Christmas, holiday

I just finished the heaviest read so far in my pandemic reads list, Barbara Tuchman’s A Distant Mirror, about the 14th century, loosely an account of the European experience of the Black Deat… https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2020/07/06/notes-a-distant-mirror-by-barbara-tuchman/ Barbara Tuchman’s A Distant Mirrorwhile live-tweeting itEnguerrand de Coucysumptuary lawsPhilip IVpapacy moving to AvignonSimony1320 PastoureauxBattle of CrécyHundred Years Warmiasma theoryflagellantsClement VI 1350 jubileemendicant ordersOrder of the GarterOrder of the StarThe Combat of the ThirtyCharles of NavarreBattle of Poitierscommerce vs guardian syndromesÉtienne MarcelGreat Ordinance of 1357JacquerieTreaty of BretignyEdward III Jean FroissartGeoffrey ChaucerIsabella Kardashian-HiltonHow the Black Death Gave Rise to British Pub Cultureknights vs archers, contemporaneous Indian editionVisconti family of ItalyWhite CompanyJohn HawkwoodGugler warJohn WycliffeseneschalBlack Princea whole bookBrethren of the Free SpiritNicholas OresmeCatherine of SienaPope Urban vs Pope Clement schismEustache DeschampsLouis 1, Duc d’OrleansGrand ButlerMahdia or Barbary CrusadeWenceslasdanse macabrethe new stylefuneral effigiesGuillaume de HersigyCharles VICrusade of Nicopolis

Il était une fois les légendes du rubis La couleur rouge du rubis a toujours fascinée. Depuis l'antiquité on l'amalgame à la symbolique du feu et du sang. On pense que le rubis est arrivé en Europe par les grecs et les étrusques vers 500 avant J.C. Et déjà les grecs croyaient qu'un sceau de rubis gravé pouvait faire fondre la cire juste par contact. Les Romains de l'antiquité appelaient Carbuncolorum toutes les pierres rouges écarlates brillantes : ce qui veut dire « petit charbon ardent ». A l'époque on ne savait pas faire vraiment la différence entre le rubis, le spinelle rouge (qu'on appelle aussi rubis balais), la tourmaline (rubis de Sibérie), le grenat pyrope, le grenat almandin, le grenat hyacinthe ou la fluorite rouge ou encore la topaze rose orangé. Ce n'est qu'au XVIIIe siècle quand on saura la distinguer qu'on appellera cette gemme « rubis » en référence au latin « Ruber » qui signifie « rouge ». Auparavant seule la brillance de la gemme incitait à déterminer une différence de valeurs et la dureté du rubis décourageait l'utilisation en intaille ou en camée car la gemme se révélait trop dure sans que l'on sache vraiment pourquoi. Au Moyen Age le nom évolue encore on les appelle « carboncle », « charboncle » ou encore « escarboucles ». Les gemmes rouges sont chargées de multiples pouvoirs, on pense que les dragons et les chimères les portent sur le front pour trouver leur chemin, que si les gemmes sont entachées ou changent de couleur c'est signe de l'arrivée d'un malheur. Bref les gemmes rouges protègent. Elles deviennent très précieuses car le feu et le sang sont symboles de courage et d'ardeur et ce sont justement les qualités que l'on demande aux chevaliers. Alors les chevaliers les portent sur leurs heaumes pour se protéger des blessures et des maladies. Aussi rapidement le rubis devient-il un apanage royal. Malheureusement comme on ne sait pas distinguer le rubis du spinelle, certaines gemmes royales considérées comme rubis sont aujourd'hui acertainées comme des spinelles. Par exemple le « rubis du prince noir » qui est au centre de la couronne britannique est un spinelle.  Son histoire remonte à 1362 quand Pierre 1er de Castille la prend comme souvenir après avoir tué Abu Saïd un prince maure. Puis Pierre 1er est chassé de son trône et demande l'aide d'Edouard de Woodstock. Celui-ci est en fait Édouard Plantagenêt, Prince d'Aquitaine, Prince de Galles, Duc de Cornouailles et Comte de Chester. C'est le fils d'Edouard III à l'époque où le royaume britannique détient une grande partie de la France (notamment Bordeaux et la Gascogne). Et on le surnomme le prince Noir soit en référence à la couleur de son armure soit, dit-on, à celle de son âme. Comme Pierre 1er ne peut dédommager Edouard, il lui offre la flamboyante gemme de 170 carats qui sera portée par la suite par le roi d'Angleterre Henri V à la bataille d'Azincourt en 1415 où les français sont battus à plate couture. Puis Richard III porte le rubis du prince noir à la Bataille de Bosworth en 1485 avant qu'elle soit montée sur la couronne de Jacques 1er puis de Victoria en 1838 et de George VI en 1937. Cette gemme en octaèdre non taillée est toujours aujourd'hui sur la couronne britannique et portée par Elisabeth II pour l'ouverture du Parlement, mais on sait maintenant que c'est un spinelle.  En France également la confusion entre rubis et spinelle est historique. En 1530 Charles VII épouse la duchesse Anne de Bretagne. Elle apporte en dot sa région, sa marine et ses bijoux. Le plus beau est le « Cote de Bretagne », un rubis à 3 pointes de 206 carats hérité de sa mère Marguerite de Foix. Elle le transmet à sa fille Claude de France pour son mariage avec François 1er. Alors quand François 1er décide de créer les Joyaux de la couronne de France comme bien inaliénable de son royaume il y met naturellement cette splendide gemme. Henri III met en gage les joyaux de la couronne pour financer les guerres de religion sauf le Cote de Bretagne. Plus tard Louis XV demande à Jacqmin, Joaillier et « Garde des pierreries du roi » de créer un insigne pour l'Ordre de la Toison d'or et le Cote de Bretagne est retaillé dans sa forme de dragon par Jacques Guay en 1750 et serti au dessus du fameux diamant bleu de France de Louis XIV qui deviendra le diamant maudit le Hope. On perd la trace du Cote de Bretagne au moment du vol du Garde Meuble de la Couronne après la révolution et il ne réapparait qu'après la chute de Napoléon avec le retour des Bourbon au pouvoir. C'est le seul gemme qui nous est parvenu des premiers Joyaux de la couronne et il est aujourd'hui au Louvre à la Galerie Apollon mais on sait maintenant que ce rubis fameux est en fait un spinelle. A contrario dans la couronne de Saint Wenceslas, le rubis central est bien un rubis. Cette couronne est à l'origine créée pour le sacre de Charles IV, roi de Bohème et empereur romano-germanique. Le roi la commande en 1346 pour son couronnement et la destine à orner par la suite le reliquaire du crâne du saint roi Wenceslas, le saint patron des tchèques. Il souhaite qu'elle soit très luxueuse parce qu'il a été élevé en France et a pu apprécier le faste de la cour de France. En effet son père, l'allemand Jean de Luxembourg est en conflit ouvert avec sa mère, Élisabeth de Bohême qui est tchèque et il décide de soustraire son jeune fils à l'influence maternelle et l'envoie à la cour de son oncle par alliance et parrain, le roi de France Charles IV dit Charles le Bel, avant de lui faire épouser la française Blanche de Valois. C'est un roi cultivé qui parle couramment cinq langues : le latin, l'allemand, le tchèque, le français et l'italien. Il transforme son royaume tchèque en pole central du saint empire à la fois administrativement mais aussi artistiquement en faisant venir à Prague les meilleurs artistes et il initie le premier Age d'or de la Bohême. La couronne Saint Wenceslas est donc couverte d'une large partie des joyaux de la couronne de bohême. Elle comporte 19 saphirs, 30 émeraudes, 20 perles, 44 spinelles. Et il y a bien en pierre centrale un extraordinaire rubis oriental, non taillé de 250 carats. Aujourd'hui, la couronne existe encore et est gardée à la Cathédrale Saint-Guy de Prague. Pour accéder au trésor, les sept clés confiées à sept hauts responsables de l'État et de l'Église doivent être réunies. Mais on peut en admirer une copie au Château de Prague. Le rubis fascine et est à l'origine de nombre de légendes. En Birmanie d'où viennent les rubis mythiques, les légendes célèbrent cette gemme et lui prêtent des vertus fabuleuses. On raconte qu'il y a très longtemps, si longtemps que Bouddha n'était pas encore venu visiter la terre, la nature était toute entière livrée aux bêtes sauvages et survolée sans cesse par des oiseaux de proie. Un jour, un aigle, qui est l'empereur des oiseaux et celui-ci était le plus grand parmi les siens, était à la recherche de nourriture. Son vol majestueux l'amène à survoler le versant d'une montage où il aperçoit un énorme quartier de viande tellement fraîche que le sang d'un rouge éclatant parait briller. Bien sûr il fait des cercles au dessus de sa proie avant de fondre en piqué dessus, pour l'agripper dans ses serres et l'emmener dans son nid. Or malgré toute sa force prodigieuse, il n'arrive pas à la soulever. Alors l'aigle comprend que la nourriture est une pierre et que cette pierre est la fille du feu et du sang de la terre. Cette pierre était un rubis et le lieu magique de cette découverte avait pour nom « Mogok ». Plus tard, alors qu'on avait pris l'habitude des cadeaux de la terre et que les rubis étaient extraits régulièrement de la vallée de Mogok, le roi birman décréta que tous les rubis d'une taille importante seraient sa propriété exclusive. Le paysan Nga Mauk, trouve une pierre extraordinaire de plus de 500 carats. Il coupa la pierre en deux, en donne la moitié au roi birman et vend l'autre moitié à un empereur de Chine. Mais quand ce dernier est chassé de son pays, il demande l'asile au roi birman et lui offre le rubis en paiement. Le roi birman voit bien que les 2 gemmes forment une seule pierre alors il ordonne que Nga Mauk soit tué et sa famille brûlée vive. La sœur de Nga Mauk arrive à se sauver et avant de mourir de chagrin lance une malédiction sur la vallée en prédisant que la terre cesserait de produire des pierres précieuses. Aujourd'hui les mines de rubis de Mogok sont réellement taries.  Entre ces 2 légendes, les guerriers birmans portaient les rubis pour devenir invincibles au combat et pour cela ils inséraient les rubis sous la peau. Car la couleur rouge du rubis était associée au sang qui alimente le cœur c'est-à-dire le courage et au feu qui implique l'ardeur au combat. En Inde, le rubis est appelé du nom sanskrit « ratnaraj » qui signifie « roi des pierres précieuses » ou « Ratnanayaka » qui veut dire « chef des pierres précieuses » car sa couleur indique un feu interne qui ne peut être éteint. Si on offre un rubis au dieu Krishna, on s'assure une réincarnation en puissant empereur. Et si on veut faire une offrande aux dieux indous on peut apporter des pierres précieuses pour constituer l'arbre sacré dont les rubis sont les fruits. Cette offrande magique s'appelle le Mani Mala. Les guerriers chinois, eux aussi, croyaient aux vertus protectrices du rubis. Dès 200 avant JC, ils en achetaient sur la Route de la Soie pour les placer sur leur épée. On raconte que l'empereur Kublai Khan aurait offert une ville entière en échange d'un seul rubis. En Orient, le rubis est aussi un symbole important de la religion islamique. Dans le Coran, il est écrit « Dieu envoya une maison de rubis à Adam. Elle prit place à l'endroit appelée la Kaaba au sein de la Mosquée Sacrée de la Mecque. Une pierre blanche et brillante y fut déposée de sorte que cette maison éclatante puisse être visible de partout. Adam la visita et constata que tous les lieux où il posait le pied devenaient florissants et se couvraient d'eaux courantes et de verdure ». Le rubis est alors étroitement lié à la création de l'homme. C'est pourquoi les souverains orientaux recherchent les rubis. Marco Polo racontait que Sendemain, le roi de Ceylan possédait le plus beau et le plus gros des rubis, long comme une paume et gros comme le bras d'un homme, vermeil comme le feu et sans aucune taches. Quand au roi du Siam, il possédait une escarboucle si grande qu'elle éclairait toute sa chambre. Et au XIIIe siècle à Bagdad, le calife Mostanser Billah de la dynastie des Abbâssides possédait « un paon d'or au plumage enrichi de pierres précieuses et aux yeux de rubis, un coq à la crête et au regard de rubis, un œuf de rubis de la plus belle eau… ». Malheureusement, il perd le combat contre les turcs et doit leur laisser tous ses trésors. Pour les chrétiens, Le rubis a également une très longue histoire. Il est même mentionné quatre fois dans la Bible: Dieu aurait créé 12 pierres dont la plus précieuse aurait été le rubis. Ces douze pierres créées par dieu étaient placées sur le plastron d'Aaron au niveau du cou. Par ailleurs, le rubis symbolise le sang du christ. Alors le rubis est la pierre des bagues des cardinaux jusqu'au concile œcuménique du Vatican II.  Aujourd'hui, il est communément admis que le rubis est la pierre qui symbolise les 35 ans de mariage et c'est aussi la pierre de naissance des natifs du mois de Juillet. Au-delà de cette symbolique, le rubis est bien sûr chargé de vertu prophylactique. Dans l'Europe médiévale, le rubis est utilisé comme talisman et même médicament contre la peste. Au XVIe, Jean de Renou, médecin d'Henri II, Henri III puis Henri IV indique dans l'un de ses ouvrages médicaux que « le rubis est grandement cordial et qui plus est, résiste puissamment à toutes pourritures et venins ».  A peine un siècle plus tard, la croyance dure toujours et d'ailleurs le rubis de Madame de Montespan est célèbre. Elle est née Françoise de Rochechouart de Mortemart, le 5 octobre 1640 à Lussac-Les-Châteaux et épouse Louis-Henry de Pardaillan de Gondrin en 1663 qui lui donne le titre de Marquise de Montespan. Elle devient la favorite de Louis XIV, se fait appelée Athénaïs, lui donne 7 enfants et contribue au développement du luxe en créant autour d'elle une cour brillante et en protégeant notamment Molière et la Fontaine. On n'oublie pas qu'on accusait Madame de Montespan d'utiliser la sorcellerie et qu'elle est impliquée dans l'affaire des poisons où elle a été suspectée d'avoir donner des charmes à Louis XIV à son insu. Elle possédait un rubis sculpté de la couleur mythique « sang de pigeon » qui représentait son visage et qu'elle portait en bague. Le bijou est actuellement au British Muséum de Londres. Aujourd'hui en lithothérapie on pense que le rubis régule les problèmes liés au système sanguin et au cœur et qu'il aurait le pouvoir d'apaiser la colère et l'anxiété. Il favoriserait donc la joie de vivre et la confiance en soi, éloignerait les cauchemars et préserverait de la contagion. Au cours du temps les symboles évoluent, par exemple le cœur que l'on estimait être le siège du courage au Moyen Age est aujourd'hui toujours lié à la passion, mais à la passion amoureuse. Aussi le rubis est considéré comme une gemme de déclaration d'amour passionné. L'éternelle amoureuse Liz Taylor a été couverte de joyaux et de rubis par ses amoureux. En 1957, son époux Mike Todd lui fait la surprise de lui offrir à la sortie de sa piscine une magnifique parure Cartier en rubis et diamants. Et en 1968, c'est Richard Burton qui accroche son cœur avec une bague rubis Van Cleef & Arpels dissimulée au fond de sa chaussette de Noël. Le rubis était aussi la pierre préférée de la cantatrice passionnée Maria Callas, pour qui Jacques Arpels crée en 1967 le célèbre clip Fleur, en diamants avec des rubis taille coussin de plus de 15 carats.  Ainsi se termine cette histoire d'Il était une fois le bijou. Je vous souhaite une jolie semaine et vous donne rendez-vous dimanche prochain. Si cette histoire vous a plu envoyez moi plein de bisous sur les réseaux sociaux d'Il était une fois le bijou et encouragez moi en partageant les bijoux bisous tout autour de vous. A bientôt pour un prochain bijou, un nouveau bisou du dimanche soir. Site Twitter Facebook Instagram LinkedIn

!!! Weigh in on NEXT WEEK’S SONGS !!!Beez in the Trap - Nicki Minaj, 2 Chainzhttps://spoti.fi/2sZiPvzEyes Without a Face - Billy Idolhttps://spoti.fi/2QgWfX9Are these songs about Heroin? Buttsex? Or Lord of the Rings?Leave us your message / argument 424-209-2071Email us HBSLotR@gmail.comDEBATED ON THIS SHOW1. Good King Wenceslas - John Mason Neale - 1853https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_King_WenceslasLyric video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQVUMG6LZGM2. The 12 Days of Christmas - Frederic Austin - 1909 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Days_of_Christmas_(song)___________________________________________TERI GAMBLETerigamble.com@theterigamble@horrormoviesurvivalguideSEAN KEANE@seankeane on Twitter@jortscenter on InstagramSeankeanecomedy.comROUNDBALL ROCK!- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/roundball-rock/id1133321651RICHIE MOLYNEUX@richiemolyneux on Twitter@Marfatita on InstagramHEROIN BUTTSEX & LORD OF THE RINGS@HBSLotR on all platformsTHANKS FOR LISTENING!

Hey! Merry Xmas! Happy Hanukkah! Merry Kwanza! Merry Festivus! Happy Yule! Happy Saturnalia! Winter Solstice and all the rest ^_^ In this Quackcast Banes, Tantz, and I chat about our fave Christmas stuff, from films to music, to what we like to do on the day and the popular Christmas traditions of our parts of the world- Australia for me Greece for Tantz, and Canada for Banes. What is your fave xmas movie, music, or activity? What's you fave things to do at this time of year? Do you have any rituals or practices that are particular to your part of the world? Let us know! :D This week Gunwallace has given us the theme to The St Nickolas Conspiracy - The good children looked once out To see their parents scheming And the lies lay round about Deep and crisp and steaming Brightly shone the truth with light Though ears with lies were full When bursting with right Micha's words seemed true… Topics and shownotes Links Tantz's pick: Julie Andrews A Partridge in a Pair Tree - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8u3j6poaVU Jona Lewie - Stop The Cavalry - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HkJHApgKqw Pouges Faiyrtail of New York - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9jbdgZidu8 The Darkness, Don't let the Bells End - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQhuoY5h2kE Home alone - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEDaVHmw7r4 Scrooged - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2fTMi2hoYA Sugar plum fairy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV1qLYukTH8 Oh come All ye faithful - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z51apErmAuw Good king Wenceslas - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty2GogvrP4c Troika - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QsRDpsItq0 Featured comic: Legend of Wind Fist - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/news/2019/dec/17/featured-comic-legend-of-wind-fist/ Featured music: The St Nickolas Conspiracy - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/The_St_Nickolas_Conspiracy/, by Doorki, rated T. Special thanks to: Gunwallace - http://www.virtuallycomics.com Tantz Aerine - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Tantz_Aerine/ Ozoneocean - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/ozoneocean Banes - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Banes kawaiidaigakusei - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/kawaiidaigakusei/ VIDEO exclusive! Become a subscriber on the $5 level and up to see our weekly Patreon video and get our advertising perks! - https://www.patreon.com/DrunkDuck Even at $1 you get your name with a link on the front page and a mention in the weekend newsposts!  

Ep. 16 A Holiday for Giving Gifts   Links Footle and Grok blog: http://www.footleandgrok.com/ Footle and Grok on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/footleandgrok/ Christmas Gifts Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_gift History of Christmas Presents: https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/presents.shtml 15 Most Expensive Gifts: https://www.serenataflowers.com/pollennation/15-most-expensive-gifts-in-the-history/ Intro and Outro Music: Mr. Lansing’s Road by Mark! Silver https://marksilvermedia.github.io/groovygalleon/tunes

The boys review Pigweed's Wenceslas Christmas warmer, then get into everyone's favorite topic: taxes. P&C review the types of taxes we pay. Taxes are said to be the price we pay for civilized society. Okay, but does that mean we have to support any and every tax proposal? This gets back to the basic function of government, and what we should and should not be paying for. Also, to what extent do we want government using taxes to manipulate behavior?

On this day, we remember two relatively obscure Christian figures, St. Wenceslas and St. Eustochium. The reading is "The Finding" by Henry Suso. We’re proud to be part of 1517 Podcasts, a network of shows dedicated to delivering Christ-centered content. Our podcasts cover a multitude of content, from Christian doctrine, apologetics, cultural engagement, and powerful preaching. Support the work of 1517 today.

It's Christmas in September as we discuss good king Wenceslas, his metal brother Boleslaus, and round it off with a couple of popes. Thats right, its a double poper.

It's Christmas in September as we discuss good king Wenceslas, his metal brother Boleslaus, and round it off with a couple of popes. Thats right, its a double poper.

There are a lot of national food days in July, you guys. This week, we're celebrating National Hot Dog Day with some Christmas songs about pigs. "The Boar's Head Carol" by Magpie Lane is pretty much exactly what the title says it is, while "Noche Buena" by Celeste Legaspi has a slightly more roundabout connection to our episode theme. Both of these songs are referenced in the Bon Appétit article we mentioned in the show, which you can check out here.

KISSMAS V: THE REUNION TOUR Spend your Twelve Days Of KISSmas opening gifts with us! Visit PODS & SODS at your online watering hole of choice: http://www.podsodcast.com https://www.facebook.com/podssods RSS FEED: http://www.podsodcast.libsyn.com/rss

10:08: "Good King Wenceslas" is a Christmas carol that tells a story of a Bohemian king going on a journey and braving harsh winter weather to give alms to a poor peasant on the Feast of Stephen (December 26, the Second Day of Christmas). During the journey, his page is about to give up the struggle against the cold weather, but is enabled to continue by following the king's footprints, step for step, through the deep snow. The legend is based on the life of the historical Saint Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia or Svatý Václav in Czech (907–935). The name Wenceslas is a Latinised version of the modern Czech language "Václav". (WikiPedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_King_Wenceslas)

sermon transcript Introduction Three Different Kings Well, as I meditate on Christmas, and I have that privilege of thinking about it every year and thinking about what I want to say to you at this time, and meditate with you on the goodness of God and sending His Son, so many thoughts come to my mind, so many themes. One of the thoughts that hit me this week as I was meditating on Christmas and on the incarnation and the gift is that it's really a tale of Three Kings. Now, I'm not thinking about that song, "We Three Kings of Orient are... ", and all that, which talks about the Magi, but I mean the account of three different kings and how differently they extended their kingdoms. A history is filled - it's replete - with the decrees and the deeds of kings of mighty men of power and ambition, whose decrees moved armies and changed landscapes and built kingdoms. And most of the time their ambitions were ungodly, they were ambitions of power and greed, and they were written, those deeds and decrees were written in blood. Sometimes there were good kings, who used their positions of power well. Many of those were Christians, believers in Christ, who sought to honor their Lord. But, as I look at the accounts in Matthew and in Luke, I think about Three Kings, I think about Caesar Augustus, who was the king of the Romans, the most powerful man on earth at the time. And because of his decree, he the mover and shaker, we think about kings being movers and shakers, his decree caused the entire population of the Roman world to move out, it moved Joseph and Mary to leave Nazareth and go down to Bethlehem where Jesus was born, in fulfillment of the prophecy in Micah Chapter 5. So, Caesar Augustus, I think motivated by a desire for taxation money and to control his empire, issued that decree. And then you've got a second king, King Herod, who was in Jerusalem, and you remember how jealous he was for his throne and how much he yearned to keep his little throne under Caesar Augustus. And how when the Magi came and said to him, "'Where is the one who has been born, King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and we have come to worship Him.'" He was threatened by that. He was threatened by it, and so he decreed that all the boy babies in Bethlehem and its vicinity be murdered so that he could stamp out this threat to his throne. Now, it's really an amazing thing to meditate on that third king, and that is Jesus, who is born King of the Jews. Now you think about that, no one's born King, inevitably they have to grow up into it, their father's are already on the throne, etcetera, but Jesus was born king. And I think as we meditate on Caesar Augustus, as a mover and shaker and his decree caused empires to move, and populations to move. And then you think about Herod, whose decree caused soldiers to move out and how Bethlehem was shaken. I look at the third King Jesus, and He is the one who Himself was moved, who descended from heaven to earth, and who Himself was shaken by the decree of God the Father, that He would die on the cross for our sins. What a different way of building a kingdom. And so, I want to meditate with you today on John chapter 6, and how Jesus the King left His throne above and came, He was moved. He left a position of power and authority and comfort and adulation, and came to Earth to be shaken to the roots of His being by dying on the cross. Good King Wenceslas Now, this summer, I had the privilege of visiting one of my favorite cities in Europe, Prague, which is the capital of the Czech Republic, a beautiful city. Been there several times and in the old town near Prague Castle there's this imposing bronze statue. And I've taken pictures near it, I had my picture taken near it, it said I didn't know at first who it was, but the first time I came, I asked. And it is Wenceslas, who is the patron saint of the Bohemian people? He's viewed by them as their protector saint. Wenceslas as you know, is well remembered by the Christmas hymn, Good King Wenceslas. I love history and I went over all the history of Wenceslas in the sermon this morning, and I thought, "If you're interested, come and ask me, I've discarded it." It's really fascinating, but when you wrote it and you're preaching it and you're bored by it, get rid of it. Alright, but there are some interesting features to Wenceslas' life; he was born to a pagan mother who hated Christianity, but he had a grandmother who loved Christ and who raised Wenceslas as a Christian. Eventually, his mother threatened by him, had the grandmother killed and tried to get Wenceslas away from Christian influence. But in due time, he rose to the throne of that part of the world of Bohemia, and he became a good monarch. He desired to use his power and his authority to bless the poor and needy and is especially charitable to children, to orphans, to slaves. Eventually, he was assassinated, a young age, at age 22, and he is revered by the people there. Now, the hymn, Good King Wenceslas was written by John Mason Neil. It was first published in 1853, and in the story, I rewrote it because it's in this kind of old Victorian English, but this is basically what happens in the hymn. In the hymn, Good King Wenceslas is standing in his comfortably heated castle, and he's looking down from that lofty, comfortable perch on the snow-covered ground below. It's night time and it's bitterly cold, but the moon is shining brightly and Wenceslas can see plainly, a poor man braving the frigid temperatures in an effort to collect firewood for his family. Now, moved by compassion by this pathetic site and the suffering plight of this peasant, Wenceslas calls one of his servants to come stand near by him. The two of them stand and watch this man gathering firewood, and Wenceslas asked his servant, "Do you know who that man is, and where he lives?" "Yes, Sire," the servant answers, “He lives almost four miles away at the base of the mountain near St. Agnes' fountain." Then King Wenceslas sprang decisively into action, "Bring me some meat, bring me some wine, bring me some pine logs and firewood from my personal store, this very night, you and I are going to watch this poor man feast in his own home with the provisions that we bring." So, the godly Wenceslas and his servant go out into the storm, out into the bitter cold in the wind, it's made far worse at that point by a howling wind, they're both heavily laden with all these stores that they're carrying, the food, the wine, the firewood, and after a while, the servant begins to complain that it's difficult to make headway against this wind, carrying all of these things. "Sir," the servant said, "The clouds are hiding the moon, it's getting harder and harder to see. The wind is really kicking up now. I don't know if I have enough strength to make it all the way to that hut." Wenceslas answers is servant, "Walk behind me in the footsteps that I've laid in the snow. Walk in my footsteps with good courage, follow my example, know that I am also bearing this terrible weather, and if you follow my footsteps, you'll have the strength to get there." So, the servant follows in his master's footsteps, the tracks he made in the snow, in some mysterious way, the servant is somehow warmed by the footsteps themselves. They get to the poverty-stricken man's hut, and they surprised him with the lavish blessings that they have carried in their arms to his hut. I can't imagine if it really ever happened, the man hearing a knock on the door during a stormy night, he opens the door and there is this king carrying all of these things and saying, "If you don't mind, we'd love to share a meal with you." And I think of how special that would have been. Now, there's no historical record of this actually happening, it is consistent with the record of his benevolence to the poor and needy, Wenceslas, I mean. But it's also a beautiful picture of the benevolence and the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I picture it this way, The Book of Amos speaks of God dwelling in a high, lofty palace with its foundations on the earth. And so that's a poetical picture of God seated on His throne, and we would have to picture Him in absolute perfect comfort and pleasure. He's comfortable up there, He's filled with joy. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ was worshipped by a 100 million angels, completely adored, completely at peace. And He sought to brave the storm of sin and death for our sake, He sought to bring in His arms a feast and to lay it out for us and enable us to feast on Him, really, forever and ever. Now, as you look at the stories, the two almost can't be compared. The kind of journey that Jesus made, His command didn't send forth a bunch of soldiers to build a bloody kingdom, He Himself left His throne and went forth, and the gifts can't be compared, the sacrifice can't be compared but it's symbolic. The Real Christmas Present I think about 2 Corinthians 8:9 which says, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes, He became poor. So that you through His poverty, might become rich." This is the real Christmas present, this is the real joy of this season, contemplating how through faith in Christ and through the cost he paid, how wealthy we are, eternally wealthy. So, what I want to do is I want to go through John 6, and I want to talk about Jesus leaving His Father's heavenly throne and descending down to earth. And you may wonder why I zeroed in on John 6, but it just has to do with the many times, it says in this Chapter that He descended from heaven to earth, and in that descent, we see the Christmas theme. We see the idea of the incarnation, John 6:33, for example, Jesus speaks of "the bread of God," as "He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." See that in verse 33? And then in Verse 35, "Jesus declared, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty," and "I am the bread that came down from heaven," in verse 41. And in Verse 50 and 51, "Here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of the bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." Context of John 6 So, this is the central mystery, the central wonder of Christmas, and that is the mystery of the incarnation, how Christ descended or came down from heaven to earth to save us. So, I want to feast on this idea, I want to feast on Christ by the ministry of the Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit. In order to do that, we need to get a little context in John, chapter 6. Jesus, at the beginning of that chapter, feeds the 5000, we have that account in all four of the Gospels, and then in John's Gospel, after He has fed the 5000, they want to take Him by force and make Him king right away. But they don't understand the nature of His kingship or the kingdom that He sought to bring, and they certainly didn't understand how He would have to give His body on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. And so, He hid from them so they could not take Him by force and make Him king. He sends His apostles, His disciples, across the Sea of Galilee in a boat, and He himself goes up on a mountain to spend time with His father in prayer. During the night, as His disciples are toiling across the lake in an adverse storm, Jesus comes to them walking on the water, they're terrified, but He assures them that it is He, and they're willing to have Him into the boat, and immediately the boat goes to the other side. Now, the next morning, the crowd that had traveled by boat across the lake, get there and they're shocked to see Him, they don't have any idea how He could have gotten there, because they're always aware where Jesus is and they know He didn't get in the boat with them. And so, they're amazed. They said, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" And Jesus confronts them concerning their true motivation, this is in John 6:26-27, He says, "If I tell you the truth, you're looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate the loafs and had your fill. Do not labor for the food that spoils, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On Him, God the Father has placed His seal of approval." Well, their minds were on earthly things, earthly food, earthly drink, earthly comforts and earthly kingdom. That's what they wanted, that's all they understood. Where Jesus’ Mission Began Seven Times Asserted Jesus wanted them by faith in the Word to lift their eyes up to the heavenly realms, to heavenly things, to things that would last forever, so He uses throughout this teaching a dominant metaphor, the idea of bread of life, which descends from heaven to earth to feed the world. So, we're going to begin where Jesus' mission began, and that is heaven. Seven times it's asserted in this chapter, I've already read them for you, but I want you to look at it with your own eyes. Look at verse 33, "For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." You see it again in verse 38, "For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but to do the will of Him who sent me." Verse 41, we have it again, "At this, the Jews began to grumble about Him because He said, 'I am the bread that came down from heaven.'" And then in verse 42, they said, "'Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can He now say, I came down from heaven.'" In Verse 50, "'But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die.'" Again, verse 51, "'I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.'" And then again in verse 58, "'This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.'" Jesus Entered the World Willingly So, behind all of this, we get a really staggering concept, Jesus entered the world willingly, He decided to enter the world, that is completely unique in human history. There is no other human being who can be... It could be said, he or she decided to enter the world, He's the only one, he made a willing choice. He existed from eternity past, He is the eternal Son of God, He existed with His Father before the foundation of the world, and His kingship is an eternal kingship. It says in that very passage, that prophecy that I mentioned earlier, Micah 5:2, it says, "But you Bethlehem Ephratah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come from me one who will be ruler over Israe1," listen to this, "whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." So, Jesus sat on a heavenly throne before His incarnation. We have a beautiful picture of that glorious throne in Isaiah 6, the vision that Isaiah had of “…the Lord, seated on His throne, high and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple. And above Him there seraphim, each with six wings. And with two wings, they were covering their faces, and with two wings they were covering their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.'" And it is the Apostle John that tells us, Isaiah said this because He saw Jesus's glory and spoke about Him. So, that is Jesus on His throne in heavenly glory, and from that throne, He made a willful decision to enter the world. He said this to Pontius Pilate when he was on trial for His life, remember? He mentions the nature of his kingdom, Jesus did. Pilate says in effect, "Aha. So, you are a king, you are building a kingdom. You are a king then," he said. Jesus said, "'You are right in saying that I'm a king. For this reason, I was born, and for this I entered the world to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.'" Now, that's staggering assertion, which He makes before an unbelieving Governor, holds His life and His death in his hands. He said, "Yes, you are right. For this reason, I entered the world to testify to the truth." Jesus Entered the World Obediently & Was Sent on Mission by the Heavenly Father He made a willing decision to enter the world, to descend from heaven to earth, but also we know that He entered the world obediently. He did it in submission to the command He received from His father, we get this again and again in this very chapter. Look at verse 38, "For I have come down from heaven not to do my will, but to do the will of Him who sent me." So again and again, we get the idea of Jesus not merely taking it upon himself to enter the world, but entering the world, obediently on mission from the Father. "The Father sent me," Jesus says again and again. Again, verse 44, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws Him and I will raise him up at the last day." And again, verse 57, "The living Father sent me and I live because of the Father." So, Jesus is completely father-centered here, His mission came from the Father, the Father sent Him. How Jesus Came Down from Heaven Not So Plainly Asserted Here … But More Plainly Told Earlier in John’s Gospel Now, how did Jesus descend from heaven to earth? Well, it's not so plainly asserted here, but it is hinted at. Look at verse 51 again, He says this, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." So here we have the doctrine of the infleshment or the incarnation of Jesus, He took on a human body. It's told plainly, more plainly, theologically earlier in John's gospel, in John 1:14, "The word," that's Jesus, "Became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we have seen His glory. Glory of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." The History Given More Plainly in Luke Well, we get the more clear record of it in Luke's gospel. And in Luke 1:31-35, we have the visitation of the Angel Gabriel and he comes to the Virgin Mary, and he says this to Mary, "'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.'" Now, Mary asked a very reasonable question, "'How can this be since I am a virgin?' The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the Holy One to be born of you will be called the Son of God.'" Well, that's exactly what happened. She was with child by the power of the Holy Spirit in a miraculous way. But then He was born in the natural way. We find therefore that Jesus is supernaturally conceived, but naturally born and so, He is fully God and fully man. We have the account very famously for us in Luke 2:1-7, where it says that, "Joseph went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem, the town of David, because he belonged to the house and lineage of David, and he went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. And while they were there, the time came for the baby to be born. And she gave birth to her first born, a son, and she wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." So, Jesus supernaturally conceived, but naturally born, fully God and fully man. That's how He descended from heaven to earth, that's how His mission began. Why Jesus Came Down From Heaven To Give Life to the World Well, why did He come? What was the purpose of His mission? Well, there are many answers to this question, even in John 6, but let me zero in on just a few. First, He came to give life to the world. Look again at Verse 33, "For the bread of God is He, who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." Jesus came to give us life. To Bring Fullness and Satisfaction Also, He came to bring us fullness and satisfaction, that's where you get the eating kind of idea, feasting on Jesus. Feasting brings fullness and satisfaction. Verse 35, Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." And so, Jesus satisfies. Now, Jesus satisfies our deepest longings, everything that you want, all of the desires you have in your heart that are God-given, all of those are met in Jesus. And He has more satisfaction still to give you, He yearns to satisfy you every moment of your lives, the rest of your lives. He doesn't want you to be satisfied with idols and with created things, He wants you to be satisfied with Him and Him alone. And then when you die and when you're taken into heaven, and when you sit at table with Jesus, and when you see that new Jerusalem, and you see that new heaven and a new earth, you are going to be perfectly, completely satisfied, you're going to be filled with pleasure. Because at His right hand are pleasures forever more. He came richly to satisfy us. Sin doesn't satisfy. Sin actually starves us, it starves our souls, it tries to lure us into addictions and then deprives us of all joy until we are enslaved to that which gives us nothing but starvation. Jesus came that we might have life and have it abundantly. He came to satisfy. To Raise Up the Elect on the Final Day And He says, He came to raise up the elect on the final day. Look at verses 38-40, Jesus said, "'For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but to do the will of Him who sent me. And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that He has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise Him up at the last day.'" So, Jesus came to raise us up, what does that mean? To call us out of our graves, to give us resurrection bodies, that we will live in glorious resurrection bodies in a resurrected world, filled with His glory forever and ever, He came to do that. So, He descended from heaven to earth to give us final resurrection. To Feed His People So They Will Not Die He came to feed us so that we would never die. Look at verses 47-50, He said, "I tell you the truth, he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died, but here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die." Well, Jesus doesn't mean there merely physical death, we know that Christians die physically, but the Book of Revelation speaks of a second death, which is eternal torment in Hell. And Jesus descended from heaven to earth that He might rescue us from hearing, apply to us those dreadful words, "Depart from me, you who are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." That is the true death. To Give His Flesh For the Life of the World And Jesus gave His flesh on the cross, He gave His body that we might eat by faith and not die eternally. So, He gave His flesh for the life of the world. Look at verse 51, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this flesh, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." This is the mission Jesus came down from heaven to do, lavish generosity to the sinners of the world, and He came to feed us with His flesh that we might live eternally. No Christmas Gift Could Possibly Compare! Now, no Christmas gift can possibly compare with that, it doesn't matter what's wrapped under the tree waiting for you or what gifts have yet to be bought, if you're anything like me. Alright, let's not talk about that. Every year, I resolve to do better and not procrastinate. I told the postman, I promised him, I said, "A year from now, actually 11 months from now, in two weeks, I'm going to be here." And he said, "Yeah, right." I keep trying not to procrastinate on gifts, but it doesn't matter what gifts we select, whether from Amazon or you go to the mall or whatever, there is no gift that you can give that is eternal. I don't even think - I think the average Christmas gift, like 19 out of 20 toys that are given under the tree break within one year, one out of 20 makes it through a year, isn't that amazing. Sorry, kids. That's what's coming your way. But you know, right in the text, in verse 27, it says, "Do not labor for the food that spoils." Don't labor for things that don't satisfy, don't labor for things that don't matter, don't put your hopes on that, but instead for the food that feeds you for all eternity, that gives you eternal life. Labor for that. The Divisive Effect of Jesus’ Mission How is This Gift Received? By Faith! Well, we need to see though, right in the text, the divisive nature of Jesus's mission. You know, you think, this is such good news, this is such a great story, why doesn't the world care about it? Why is the world all wrapped up in the materialism, wrapped up in the trappings of Christmas and the symbolism of Christmas, but without the reality and no concern about Christ and His gift? It's because of the divisive nature of the mission itself. Jesus said, "Do not suppose that I came to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." And so, He came to divide people, and you see it right in the text, the divisive nature of Jesus's mission. Well, this gift that He came to give is received only by faith, that's the only way we can receive this gift. Look at verse 28 and 29, "They asked Him, 'What must we do to do the works of God? To do the work God requires.' Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this, to believe in the one He has sent.'" Do you see that? We always are saying, what can I do? What good work can I do to feel better about myself. And there are all kinds of charities, like every time you walk in the supermarket, you can drop some coins into The Salvation Army pot, there are all kinds of charities people can give to and they're good charities. But some people are convinced that by these kinds of actions, they can be paying for their sins. To the unbeliever, to the outsider, to the sinner who's outside of the grace of God, that comes and says, "Look, I've got it; I know I'm a sinner. What good work must I do to gain eternal life?" Jesus says right in this text, "'This is the work of God, believe in the one He has sent.'" Believe in the name of the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. There's no other salvation. He says it many times in this passage, not just once. Look at verse 35, "Jesus declared, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." So, to come to Christ means you'll never go hungry, to believe in Christ means you'll never be thirsty, that means to come to Christ, equals to believe in Christ, it's the same thing. So, you come to Christ not by moving yourself geographically or coming forward at an invitation, but in your heart believing that Jesus is the Son of God and died for your sins. So, to come to Him as a sinner and to feed on Him, on His work on the cross, where He gave His flesh for the life of the world, that is salvation. That's the work that God has for you to do. But No One Can Receive It Without God’s Work in their Hearts But here's the thing, no one can do that unless God works it in them by His sovereign grace. No one, you can't of your own free will, over your own choice, up and do this. He says it very, very plainly, and that's why there's a division in this passage, many people resisted Jesus's teaching. Look at verse 36, "'But as I have told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.'" And again, verses 41-43, "At this, the Jews began to grumble about Him because He said, 'I am the bread that came down from heaven.' They said, 'Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can He now say, I came down from heaven.' 'Stop grumbling among yourselves,' Jesus answered.” The Division Intensifies More and More… Obvious by the End of the Chapter Well, the division actually intensified, got worse as the chapter went on. Look at verse 51-55, "He said, 'I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.'" Verse 52, "Then the Jews began to argue, sharply among themselves, 'How can this man give us His flesh to eat?' Jesus said to them, 'I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up the last day, for my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.'" Well, verse 60, "On hearing it, many of His disciples said," I think a vast understatement "'This is a hard teaching, who can accept it?'" I might actually intensify it and say, "This is actually an impossible teaching, for the natural man to accept, impossible actually." And then in Verse 66, we have this incredible statement, "From that time, many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him." It's staggering, because of this teaching, because He said, "Eat my flesh and drink my blood." They turned back and would no longer follow. So, there's a division here right away, between believers and unbelievers. The Absolute Sovereignty of God Asserted And so, in the middle of that, explaining all of that, we have the absolute sovereignty of God over salvation, plainly asserted. It is a moral and spiritual impossibility for anyone to come to Jesus unless the Father draws him or her, it's impossible. Look at verse 43 and 44, "'Stop grumbling among yourselves.' And Jesus answered, 'No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up at the last day.'" No one can equal; it is impossible for anyone to do this on their own, the Father has to draw you. The Father has to draw – and now I'm speaking to Christians - the Father has to draw your co-workers and relatives and neighbors and people you're trying to share with in this season, He has to draw them, or they'll never come. But secondly, if the Father does draw the person, they will inevitably come, isn't that awesome? If the Father is at work in someone's heart, drawing them, they will most certainly come. Look at Verse 37, "'All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me, I will never drive away.'" So, it's a moral and spiritual impossibility for anyone that the Father is drawing by the Spirit to refuse, they're going to come. And thirdly, if the person does in fact come to Christ by faith, it is a moral and spiritual impossibility for Jesus to lose any of them, they will all of them be raised on the final day. Look what He says in verse 39, "'And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that the Father has given me. But will raise them up at the last day.'" I find that incredibly encouraging. Isn't it? And now I know I am a Christian. I was thinking about this, I was listening to a Christmas hymn just the other day. I hadn't heard it in a while, and it talked about how the Father's love pierced into the singer's heart, and I thought that was it. I was resisting, I was hardened, I wouldn't, I didn't want to be a Christian, I thought they were weird, I don't want to go on the fall retreat, no way, etcetera. And then the Lord reached through all that hardness by His hand of sovereign grace, the Father reached out and drew me powerfully and tenderly into His kingdom. And if you're a Christian, you're listening to me today, He did the same to you. Different way, different time, different people spoke to you, but He did the same work in your heart that He did in mine. And that's why you celebrate Christmas as a Christian and not as a pagan, because God in His sovereign grace worked it in you. Simple faith, look at verse 40, "'For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise Him up at the last day.'" Who Can Receive This Difficult Teaching? So, we have a question at the end of this chapter, who can accept such a difficult teaching? It's an important question, isn't it? Look at verse 60, "On hearing it. Many of his disciples said, 'This is a hard teaching, who can accept it?' Aware that His disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, 'Does this offend you? What if you see the Son of man ascend back to where He was? To where He was before. The Spirit gives life, the flesh counts for nothing. The words I spoke in to you are Spirit, and they are life, yet there are some of you who do not believe.' For Jesus had known from the beginning, which of them did not believe and who would betray Him? He went on to say, 'This is why I told you, no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.'" Verse 66, "'From this time, many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him. 'You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy one of God.'" Peter said it for all of us, we have nowhere else to go. Jesus, you are the word of God and you have the words of life. Where else can we go? Now, if he had said a little more, he said, "I don't get it, the eat my flesh, drink my blood thing makes no sense to me, but I know who you are. And maybe in due time, I'll understand the eat flesh, drink blood thing, but I know who you are, you are the holy one of God?" Jesus's answer was this, "Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil." And so by His sovereign grace, He reaches out and chooses those whom He gave, the Father gave to the Son from before the foundation of the world, that's what's going on when we celebrate Christmas, not just this time, but year round. The Call of Jesus’ Mission: Believe and Live! This is the Central Message of this Chapter… and the Whole Gospel of John So, the call of Jesus's mission is this; believe and live, or we could say, believe and feast and live, how about that? Believe and feast and live. At the end of this gospel, it explains the whole thing, “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book, but these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” That's the central message of this chapter and of the whole gospel. This is the Central Call of Christmas Itself Will you labor for the food that spoils? Or for the food that endures to eternal life, which Jesus alone can give you? What are you going to set your heart on, not just Christmas time, but year-round? Are you going to live for created things? Are you going to live for the food that spoils, or you're going to live for the eternal things that God has given you in Jesus? And so, I yearn for all of you to believe in Christ, to trust in Him. I know this time of year, there are some people that visit Church and they come and there'll be some Christmas Eve. Every year, Christmas Eve, I see a lot of people that I don't recognize, some of them are relatives, but sometimes they just come because they want to be in a Christmas service, and they do it the Sunday before Christmas, or they'll do it on Christmas Eve or something like that. They just want to get close, they want to have some religious feelings and all that. If you're like that, can I just plead with you? Trust in Christ, acknowledge that you're a sinner. Acknowledge and feast on Jesus by faith, say, "I believe that your body was sent into the world to die on the cross for my sins, and that God raised you physically from the dead in a resurrection body. I believe that, I trust in you, forgive me for my sins." Applications for Christians Now, if you're a Christian, I'm going to say the same thing to you, "Feast on Christ through faith." It's amazing how many times you have to do that. I mean, even just recently, I was in a situation, I was like, "Alright," and I just closed my eyes and I said, "I need to believe in you, Jesus, right now." Because circumstances overwhelm you, you could be overwhelmed with shopping, you could be overwhelmed with grief and an affliction, you could be overwhelmed with busyness or fatigue, whatever, it doesn't matter. You just close your eyes and say, "Lord Jesus, you're my savior, you're my life. I want to walk by faith and not by sight, I trust in you, afresh and anew." That's what we need to do, we feed on Him by faith, based on His word, and guard your hearts from laboring for the food that spoils, you know it's a temptation. You know that all of the swirl of allure of the world and all that, it's constantly assaulting our souls and drawing us away from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. And embrace the absolute sovereignty of God over salvation. Let's be faithful as witnesses, amen. Let's be faithful to share the Gospel, but let's not be children as we do it, let's be mindful of the fact that most of the people we're going to talk to, are going to reject. But let's be confident that there going to be some that God shows before the foundation of the world that haven't been converted yet, and the father is going to use you to share the gospel and through the words of the Gospel as you share, He's going to powerfully draw those sinners to faith in Christ. So, let's be active in doing that, throughout this week and throughout the year, and let's delight in Christ, let's realize what we have yet to come. The best things are yet to come. Jesus said in Matthew 8, "I tell you the truth, many are going to come from the east and the west, and they're going to take their places, at the banqueting table in the Kingdom of Heaven with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." So, picture that feast that's yet to come, and let's be involved in missions. I love Jonathan and Gohar McDonald, I love their commitment to Christ, I love all of the workers that we've sent out around the world to lead others to Christ. I'm grateful for that. I'm pleading with you, financially, let's make sacrifice to make our Lottie Moon offering goal. Let's do that. Look at yourself, look at what you've given or what you have given, and say, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" Give yourself to the Lord first in commitment and then to the mission work as the Lord commands. Now, let me say one thing, I don't usually mention this, but don't forget to give to the church budget too, okay? We're a little bit behind on the budget, I usually don't mention it, but it's not either, or. It's both, and. So, our budget enables us to reach out here in this community, enables us to do the works we have to do here, so just as you're making a commitment financially and all that, pray about what the Lord would have you do and be generous. One final word before I pray, remember, we're going to be praying this week, Wednesday morning at 6:00 AM, and then keep doing that throughout the season. Closing Thoughts and Prayer So, if you've got some time, maybe you have a little more time, maybe you're off from work, join us in praying. We're praying for God to do a work, a supernatural work of holiness in this church, and a supernatural work of evangelistic fruitfulness and power reaching out. We've had more than 20 people joining with us for prayer, come and join us, we'd love to have you. Close with me in prayer. Father, we thank you that you sent your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, He descended from Heaven to Earth to make us rich. We think about that hymn, Good King Wenceslas, and how the king looked down into the storm and the cold and saw someone suffering and not making it. And he was moved with compassion. How much greater, O Lord, did you see from your holy throne? How we would not make it on judgment day, a storm of judgment was coming our way, and we were not ready. Thank you Jesus, for taking on flesh and dying on the cross, shedding your blood that we might live forever. Enable us by faith to feed on your death and your resurrection, that we might live forever, in Jesus name. Amen.

Stara Boleslav was the site of the murder of Saint Vaclav, or Wenceslas, some 1000 years ago. The patron Saint of the Czech People met his untimely death at the hands of his brother on the steps of the Chapel that carries his name today. This small town, located just east of Prague, is also a pilgrimage site for thousands.A show by podcastnik.com — visit the site for all projects and news. Visit bohemican.com for more on this project and the Czech Republic. Check out our new show, Past Access! (YouTube Link) Twitter @bohemican | @Travis J Dow | @Podcastnik — Facebook Podcastnik Page — Instagram @podcastnik Podcastnik YouTube | Podcastnik Audio Podcast Support: PayPal | Patreon | Podcastnik Shop | Pete Collman Photography Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rick joins his Czech tour guide for a sweep through Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral, and the tomb of St. Wenceslas. At www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.

Rick joins his Czech tour guide for a sweep through Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral, and the tomb of St. Wenceslas. At www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.

Wenceslas w tenor part louder

King Wenceslas is best known as a Christmas carol, but he was a real 10th-century Bohemian prince. Wenceslas was known for his kindness to children and promotion of Christianity, but he was murdered at only 22. Listen in to learn more about the Good King. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Hi, and welcome to the Open Licensed Music Podcast, the show where we highlight music from artists who let you share their music.  I'm Ralph Wacksworth, and today's episode is featuring nontraditional Christmas music.  You can expect a bunch of songs with lyrics, some familiar and some not, along with many different styles of music that really just don't fit any other time of the year.  Some of them, particularly later in the episode, are really fun but a bit harsh.  So, without further ado, let's get started.Chiron Beta Prime (2:50 @ 0:25)O Tanning Bed (1:59 @ 3:13)O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles) (ft. Admiral Bob) (2:54 @ 5:11)Silent night (1:55 @ 8:00)Wenceslas (2:53 @ 9:48)Sugar Plum Dark Mix (2:05 @ 12:35)That was Chiron Beta Prime by Jonathan Coulton, which is available from his website at jonathancoulton.com and is licensed under an Attribution Noncommercial license.  After that was O Tanning Bed by Max DeGroot, which is available from The Funny Music Project and is licensed under an Attribution Noncommercial Share-Alike license.  Then we had O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles) (ft. Admiral Bob) by unreal_dm, which is available from ccMixter and is licensed under an Attribution Noncommercial license.  Next up was Silent night by richjens and Wenceslas by Bad Hat, both of which are available from SoundCloud and are licensed under an Attribution license.  Finishing up was Sugar Plum Dark Mix by Kevin MacLeod, which is available from incompetech.com and is licensed under an Attribution license.The next set is composed of 11 variations of 4 songs.  So, let's take a listen.The Little Drummer Boy (2:37 @ 15:22)Little (Punk) Drummer Boy (3:18 @ 17:58)Wesley Dysart - Little Drummer Bot (2:54 @ 21:14)Carol of the Bells (1:09 @ 24:08)Carol of the Bells (1:54 @ 25:16)Carol of the Bells (1:07 @ 27:11)Angels We Have Heard on High (ft. Sunshine Paul, Bob Sorem, Rocavaco/SackJo22, Morusque) (4:06 @ 28:18)Angels on high (3:50 @ 32:23)Jingle Bells (2:53 @ 36:12)Jingle Bells (ft. SackJo22) (3:13 @ 39:04)Hardcore Jingle Bells (1:26 @ 42:16)That was The Little Drummer Boy by crashcombo, which is available from SoundCloud and is licensed under an Attribution Noncommercial Share-Alike license.  After that was Little (Punk) Drummer Boy by MomentaryTrouble, Wesley Dysart - Little Drummer Bot by Wesleydysart, Carol of the Bells by Bill Barner, Carol of the Bells by William M Walker, and Carol of the Bells by Alvin Gao, all five of which are available from SoundCloud and are licensed under an Attribution license.  Then we had Angels We Have Heard on High (ft. Sunshine Paul, Bob Sorem, Rocavaco/SackJo22, Morusque) by texasradiofish, which is available from ccMixter and is licensed under an Attribution Noncommercial license.  Next up was Angels on high by gbmusic and Jingle Bells by Harold Morton, which are both available from SoundCloud and are licensed under an Attribution license.  After that was Jingle Bells (ft. SackJo22) by unreal_dm, which is available from ccMixter and is licensed under an Attribution Noncommercial license.  Finishing up was Hardcore Jingle Bells by Storyboards, which is available from SoundCloud and is licensed under an Attribution license.  Some of the songs this week are more nontraditional than others, and that one takes the cake.  I really really want to see it worked into some kind of a humorous open source Christmas-themed game.  Anyway...Today's app-of-the-day is Trigger Rally Online Edition, a browser-based obstacle course racing game with the same crazy physics I'm used to from racing games of the 90's.  Seriously, it's cool.  You'll need a very modern browser, I believe only Firefox and WebKit-based browsers and possibly Opera currently support it, and it uses the keyboard for controls.  If you have that, which I normally surf the web with anyway, the graphics are amazingly good, though if you play Version 1 you might want to play it without sound right now as they seem to be having some problems with that as of late.  Anyway, check it out today at triggerrally.comNow for a short noncommercial break from one of our nonsponsors followed by more music.The FuMPPodsafe Christmas Song (edited) (2:44 @ 47:23)02 Go Tell it on the Mountain (3:00 @ 50:05)11 The Bells (1:31 @ 53:05)Deck The Halls (Elves and Trumpets Mix) (ft. James Edwards) (3:17 @ 54:34)The Headbangin' Christmas Medley (4:35 @ 57:50)Auld Lang Syne (ft. Admiral Bob) (2:31 @ 1:02:18)That was an edited version of Podcast Promo by The FuMP, which is available from thefump.com and is licensed under an Attribution Noncommercial Share-Alike license. After that was an edited version of Podsafe Christmas Song by Jonathan Coulton, which is available from his website at jonathancoulton.com and is licensed under an Attribution Noncommercial license.  The cool thing about that song is that a few years ago it was very accurate.  I remember looking for open licensed Christmas music and could hardly find anything.  Nowadays, as evidenced by this week's and last week's episodes, we have tons of open licensed Christmas music thanks to all of the artists out there who are sharing their music and the websites that support and encourage open licensing.  Anyway, next up was 02 Go Tell it on the Mountain and 11 The Bells, both by the_2nd_tenor, available from SoundCloud, and licensed under an Attribution license.  Then we had Deck The Halls (Elves and Trumpets Mix) (ft. James Edwards) by spinningmerkaba, which is available from ccMixter and is licensed under an Attribution Noncommercial license.  After that was The Headbangin' Christmas Medley by christopian, which is available from SoundCloud and is licensed under an Attribution license.  Finishing up was Auld Lang Syne (ft. Admiral Bob) by Benjamin Orth, which is available from ccMixter and is licensed under an Attribution license.So, that's all for today.  Remember - piracy of commercial music only proves your dependence on that model and justifies further censorship and restriction.  So don't pirate it - replace it with something better.  Listen to open licensed music, donate to the artists behind it, go to concerts, and buy music from artists whose record labels don't see you as their enemies.  Support artists where your support actually counts.This episode was made using Gentoo Linux, Xubuntu Linux, Audacity, Audacious for organizing playlists, and Leafpad for notes, and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial Share-Alike license.  Feel free to give it to your friends, or if you didn't like it, your enemies.  Links to the songs in this podcast are available on the website.  Listen in next time for some electronic music.  See 'ya!Download MP3

The traditional Christmas carol that goes with our story of Good King Wenceslas, sung by Gabriella Burnel

sermon transcript The Heritage of Christmas Let me ask you a question. Are you looking forward to tomorrow morning? Come on, tell me the truth. What are you looking forward to? Already we have some gifts under the tree. There’s one in particular that has piqued my interest. I’m looking forward to opening it. I’ll admit it, it’s true. I think we enjoy Christmas gifts, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. Of course, to a point. I think any good gifts of God can become an idol, and we have to watch that all the time. Our hearts are so idolatrous. We’re always moving toward that, and we have to fight it every day. But it says in James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavily lights.” He’s the one who’s shown us how to give, and lavishly too. He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also along with him graciously give us all things? Lesser blessings. It says in 1 Timothy 6 that God has given us all things richly to enjoy. So that’s fine. The question is, are we idolatrous? That’s something we have to watch all the time. This morning I want to try to beguile you away from considering what might be in some of those mysterious packages that are under the tree right now, to consider the infinitely greater gifts that Christ came to give. And I’m going to begin by considering just a time that I spent overseas a few years ago. In the summer of 2003, I had the privilege of going to the Czech Republic. I was there with Mike Waters who’s listening to me. We had a wonderful time, and what he said, and it was true, although I gave a little trouble at the time, “The most beautiful city we had ever seen.” Now it’s true, I think, that Prague, at this point, is the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen. I know in the end, it won’t be. I think the new Jerusalem will top it. I’m looking forward to that. But Prague was a beautiful city. We went into the old town, and we were near the magnificent castle. It’s just a huge castle. And there, in the square outside the castle, was a bronze statue of a warrior on a horse, and it was King Wenceslas, whom they considered the patron saint of Bohemia. Now, every Christmas we sing a song that was written in 1853 by John Mason Neale, Good King Wenceslas. As I looked into the lyrics of the song and the truth behind it and the story behind it, I became more intrigued and drawn in. You see, Christmas is a time for giving gifts, but for the most part, throughout history, Christmas at its best has been a time for those who are rich and powerful and able, to bless those who are poor and needy and without and not able. That’s its heritage. That’s the heritage of Christmas. Now, all along, it’s had to battle that pagan Bacchanalia mid-winter thing that’s always been there too. It’s so for us as well. But at its best Christmas was a time for those who were able and those who were wealthy in positions of power to give and to bless those who weren’t. The ultimate pattern, of course, is Jesus Christ. Good King Wenceslas Who is this King Wenceslas? He was born (we think) in 907 AD. He lived just 22 years. Isn’t it amazing how God in his providence cut short the lives of so many of his choice servants, men and women, and takes them home? This man was assassinated by his own brother Boleslav, who wanted to be king of Bohemia in his place. But in his brief life, he used his influence and his power to spread Christianity through that part of Europe, where it hadn’t really taken root up to that point. Now, John Mason Neale found a story about Wenceslas. We don’t know whether it’s true or not, but it was consistent with his character, and he wrote about it in the hymn that we sing, Good King Wenceslas. He looked out on the feast of Stephen. It’s a story in which he’s standing—you envision him—on a cold bitter winter night looking out from his castle and down on the snow below, he sees a peasant scrambling around for firewood. He asks one of his pages, a servant, to come and says, “Who is this?” And he knows who he is, and he knows precisely where he lives. This King leaves the warmth and comfort and security and luxury, probably, of his castle and goes down with his servant into the snow and follows this man a good distance, a long way away from the castle, to bring him food and wine and firewood, and just to bless his home. I thought this was a tremendous picture of Christmas. I mean, there is Jesus in the ultimate place of security and pleasure and comfort, his heavenly castle. He looks down and what does he see? He sees us, the poor and needy, scrambling around and scrubbing around for firewood, in effect. In the song it’s a stormy bitter cold night and he enters into the howling storm of our sinful world, and he comes to bless us. He comes to bless us with infinite gifts. I want to talk about those gifts. You look at verse 14, it says, “The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory of the only begotten, from the Father full of grace and truth.” And then in verse 16, which is going to be basically our meditation this morning, “From the fullness of His grace, we have all received one blessing after another,” or literally “grace in the place of grace.” Christ came to give us Christmas presents. What I want to do is I want to just kind of, like I said, beguile your minds away from whatever it is that you might be wondering about under your tree to think about the far greater gifts that Christ came to give us in Himself. I think it’s easy for us to lose sight given the deluge of material prosperity and of comfort that God has given us. It’s easy for us to become idolatrous. Lavish Christmas Gifts Statistics show that, based on a study recently, somewhere between 38 and 40 billion dollars were spent over the last month on children between the ages of 4 and 12. Well, I don’t know how much it is for everybody, I guess multiply that by three. We might be heading toward $100 billion spent on Christmas. That’s pretty lavish, isn’t it? But some of us, at least, are old enough to know that a vanishingly small percentage of those things that are waiting for you under the tree will even be part of your lives in five years. You know what I’m talking about? It could be a Christmas sweater that might still be there in five years, but there may be some other things. The fruit cake is definitely… Well, that might be here too as well. [Laughter] But anyway, the toys and many other things will be gone. For all men are like grass and all their glory is like the flower of the field. And the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the God stands forever. So also do the gifts that Christ has come to give us. So, we’re going to focus on what those gifts are. The Supernatural Fullness of Christ Christ’s Supernatural Fullness I want to begin with the supernatural fullness of Christ. I want to talk about the fullness that’s in this verse. “From the fullness of his grace,” it says, “we have all received one blessing after another.” Christ was and is fully God. Colossians 1:19 says, “God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him.” God is a full being. In him there is no lack at all. He is full of joy, full of wisdom, full of power, full of love, full of mercy, full of everything that He is. He’s full of, all of those things. We, on the other hand, are so used to lack and emptiness that we can’t know really what ultimate fullness is. Christ before the foundation of the world was fully God, with as in our language, a capital G. Fully God. In the beginning, verse 1, was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And thus, Christ fully participated in all the deity of God the father. He was fully joyful, fully powerful, fully holy, fully wise, fully loving and fully as righteous as the father. He is a full being. Nothing was lacking in the person of Christ. God the Father, and God the Son equally shared deity from the beginning, and they shared glory together equally as well. Then, God became man. Jesus took on a human body, the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. Fullness Became Flesh Look what it says, “We have seen his glory, the glory of the only begotten, who came from the Father,” and here’s this word, “Full of grace and truth.” Jesus, in taking on a human body, didn’t lose any of his fullness. I know it says in Philippians 2, “He emptied himself and made himself nothing.” I think we have a sense of that. He didn’t lose any of his deity in doing that, fully God still. It says in Colossians 2:9, “For in Christ, all the fullness of the deity dwells in bodily form.” So when taking on a body, he didn’t lose any of his fullness. Thus, Christ was the perfect display of God’s fullness in bodily form. “Full of grace and truth,” says John. Full of grace. Now, I don’t mean gracefulness. That’s not what I’m talking about. That’s not something most males aspire to, okay. We’re not looking necessarily to be graceful and it’s hopeless anyway, isn’t it guys? For the most part even if we wanted it, but we don’t. We don’t, okay. We’re not looking for it, you know, like Anna Pavlova up on point, like some ethereal angel floating across the stage. That is better for the women and that’s wonderful. Or like a figure skater, that’s fine. Delightful. That’s not what we mean, full of grace. Really, what we mean there is theologically, that God is lavishly generous to people who deserve his wrath. That’s what grace is about, and Jesus was full of grace. You see it in his bodily life, you see it in the things that happen to him, and the things He did in his reactions. He’s just full of grace in dealing. You just see the way he dealt with children, the way that children felt comfortable to come and sit on his lap and just wanted to be with him. You can’t fool a child and they knew he was full of grace. They wanted to be with him. You can see it in his kind and gentle manner to a leper from whom most people would run screaming, who is ceremonially unclean because of his disease. He said, “Lord, if you’re willing, you can make me clean.” “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean.” There’s just such a fullness of grace there. Or in his kind and gentle demeanor toward the parents of a dead girl, Jairus and his wife, and they were mourning over their dead 12-year-old daughter. Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid, only believe. And she is not dead, she’s just sleeping.” And he has the power to wake her up, and then gentle with her when he says talitha cumi, “Little girl, I say to you, get up.” You see the fullness of grace there in Jesus, in his tenderness. Filled with compassion over hungry people, 5,000 and more of them, and said, “They don’t need to go away, you give them something to eat.” You just see Jesus as an open conduit of God’s grace to a needy world. Then full of grace as he’s nailed to the cross and says, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.” You see, Jesus filled with grace, full of grace. And it also says, full of truth as well. Jesus was truth embodied. But he always spoke the truth, even if I got him into great trouble. “I charge you under oath by the living God,” said the high priest, “Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” “I am,” he said, “And in the future, you’ll see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The high priest tears his robes and condemns him to death, as if Jesus didn’t know what would happen. Of course, he knew, he was just telling the truth. And he would also give the good confession in front of Pilate as well: “For this reason, I was born and for this, I came into the world to testify to the truth. All on the side of truth. Listen to me.” Jesus is full of grace and full of truth. He told his disciples the truth. Like Peter, “Get behind me, Satan. You’re a stumbling block to me.” Oh, that’s a sharp word of rebuke to a good friend. Satan is using you right now—stop it. He always told the truth, whatever it is we needed to hear. In all of these ways, we see Christ full of grace, full of truth. Christ Did Not Come to Receive but to Give He’s a full being in the flesh, and thus Christ had not come to receive but to give. He didn’t need anything. He wasn’t coming to receive. Now, I know the magi offered him gifts, gold, incense, and myrrh. I know that Mary anointed his feet with perfume worth over a year’s wages. I know they wanted to come and take him by force and make him king and give them all the lavish honor that they could. I know that. I know people gave him gifts and tried to give him gifts but let me tell you something. The gold in the new Jerusalem is infinitely superior to anything that magi brought. The worship that the hundred million angels give him, surrounding is thrown all the time, it’s better than even what Mary poured out on his feet. Purer, more perfect. The kingdom that he will reign over forever and ever, it’s infinitely superior to what those people who are just eating their fill of bread wanted to give him that day. Jesus didn’t come to receive these things. We weren’t in a position to give. Those gifts really, in an absolute sense, are pathetic. He only receives them because of the faith that’s behind them, or he doesn’t receive them if there’s no faith behind them. Jesus didn’t come to receive gifts rather he came to give them. He came to give gifts of grace. He was rich, infinitely richer than good King Wenceslas. Infinitely richer than any man that has ever lived, than any king that’s ever lived. We can’t imagine how wealthy he was. And so, it says in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich, yet for your sakes, he became poor. So that you, through his poverty, might become rich.” Jesus didn’t come into the world to get richer. He didn’t come in the world to receive any gifts from us; rather he came to give. Again, Mark 10:45. It says, “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The giving, the giving. He came to give. To give his life. Jesus, as well, served in Heaven. He doesn’t need us, as we learned from Psalm 50, “If I were hungry, I would not tell you.” I have all my needs met. Even if I wanted to meet them, I wouldn’t meet them your way. Just like he said to Simon Peter, “Put your sword away. If I wanted to fight, I’d ask the angels.” They’d do it just fine. He doesn’t need us to serve him. He didn’t come to receive. He was full and he came to give. The Natural Emptiness of Humanity “We Are All Beggars” Now we, on the other hand, we are naturally empty. That’s what we are. We’re naturally empty. Martin Luther on his deathbed said in German, “We are all beggars.” Wir sind alle Bettler. That’s what we’re all, beggars. Then he said in Latin, “This is true.” Now, that’s the end of his theology. He knows he’s about to face his judge and maker, but he’s doing it unafraid, and why? Because he’s justified by faith alone apart from works. But we’re beggars. I think for this reason, Jesus began the greatest sermon that has ever been preached, the Sermon on the Mount, with this statement: “Blessed are the spiritual beggars, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” We’re beggars. We’re naturally empty. We don’t have anything to give. Universal Emptiness We’re universally empty. From the fullness of his grace, we have all received. Find yourself in that word all. We’re in the receiver place. We’re in the place to receive, not to give to Jesus. Even the wealthiest, most powerful, most envied people in the world, the lifestyles of the rich and famous people, even those who have nothing to give, naturally empty. John Wesley in a journal entry, December 23rd, two days before Christmas, 1755, he wrote this: “I was in the robe chamber, adjoining to the House of Lords, when the king put on his robes. His brow was much furrowed with age and quite clouded with care. Is this all the world can give even to a king? All the grandeur it can afford, a blanket of ermine around his shoulders so heavy and cumbersome he can scarcely move under it, a huge heap of borrowed hair and a few plates of gold and glittering stones upon his head. Alas! What a babble, is human greatness, and even this will not endure.” Is that the best the 18th century could have given to Jesus if we wanted to give our best to him. That’s the best the nation of England could give to King George II, who was a man at the height of his power and who probably wanted to be done with all of it, and two years later, he was. His aorta ruptured while he was using the toilet. What a disgusting way for even a king to die. We’re all beggars. We don’t have anything to offer naturally. That’s what I’m saying. Is this all the world can give even to a king? Jesus isn’t looking for that from us. We’re naturally empty. This is a universal emptiness, and I mean that from the poorest to the richest. The poorest beggar living in Kolkata (Calcutta) who’s barely scraping by and doesn’t even know if he’s going to be alive a year from then, six months from then, who doesn’t know Jesus, is empty before God. It’s not like God naturally loves the poor. If they don’t have Christ, they’re empty. And so, also the wealthiest captain of industry who’s making billions of dollars in the stock market or in the petroleum industry or in high tech, empty if they don’t have Christ. Emptiness Proven by the Law of Moses This emptiness is proven by the law of Moses. If you look at verse 17, “The law came through Moses, and grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” But what does the law tell us? It tells us of our emptiness. That’s what it says. In Romans 3:20, it says, “Therefore, no one will be justified or declared righteous in his sight by observing the law, rather through the law we become conscious of sins.” The law uncovers our emptiness. It uncovers our empty hearts and our empty lives. The emptiness is especially proven in comparison with Christ. Here is this perfectly full being, full of grace and truth, and here we are just side by side. How do you do? How have you done the last year? Take your best day, how’s it doing? You line it up next to Jesus, you see your emptiness there. Martin Lloyd Jones was dealing with this question of “blessed are the spiritual beggars” and he was dealing with the question, “What if I don’t feel like a spiritual beggar?” You know what he said to do? Look at Jesus and keep looking. And keep looking. After a while, you will see. Here is this being filled with grace and truth, filled with love, filled with holiness, filled with power, filled with God through the Holy Spirit and here we are by contrast. Soon, you’ll realize that we are spiritual beggars. Emptiness Especially Proven by Comparison with Christ One of the bitterest aspects of our emptiness is we don’t know how empty we are. As a matter of fact, the impurer you are the less empty you think you are. Jesus said to the church at Laodicea, “You say, ‘I am rich. I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” “You do not realize,” is the essence of our problem, although the word of God tells us the truth. We are all beggars, apart from Christ. But it doesn’t end there. Thanks be to God we don’t end up as spiritual beggars. Look at the verse again, verse 16, “From the fullness of His grace,” we have all what? “Received grace upon grace.” That’s what we were. What are we now? We are wealthy in Christ, with gifts of grace. The Lavish Generosity of Christ’s Gifts Generous in Quality: From His Fullness Now we see the lavish generosity of Christ’s gifts, generous in quality. It’s like when you pick up that gift and you’re holding it, and it’s just weighty and you’re excited, you think, “What could it be?” It’s not likely to be a granite boulder that someone got out of their backyard and wrapped up as a gift. It’s like, “What could it be?” There’s a weightiness to it. It’s even better if the weightiness is in a really small box. That’s really exciting when it’s really weighty in a small box, especially for ladies. There’s something really dense in here, something exciting. There’s a weightiness to the quality. Feel then the weight of the quality of Jesus’s gifts. From the fullness of his grace, he gives them. There are wonderful gifts, better than anything we could buy at Macy’s or JCPenney’s or Hecks, or at South Point, or North Square or what… I don’t know all of them. I always mess up. North Gate, I guess it is. Nothing you buy there can compare with the gifts that Jesus has come to give to you. They are lavish and generous in scope from the fullness of his grace, we have all received. Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. It doesn’t matter to me if this is your first time in church in the last year. Well, in one sense it matters, but for this, it doesn’t matter. Because Christ is willing to be very generous to you right now. Just call on his name. Trust in him for the salvation of your soul. Receive the first gift from him, and that’s full forgiveness of sins. Bring your sinfulness and your sin to the cross and receive from him the gift of grace. Generous in Scope: We Have All Received Ask him to be your savior, and he will. Call on the name of the Lord. It’s a universal thing. From the fullness of his grace, we have all received. And by this, I don’t mean every single human being on the face of the Earth, he already covered that in John 1:12. But to those who received him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Children born, not of natural descent or a human decision or the will of a husband but born of God. That’s it. Generous in Cost: At the Price of His Body and Blood By simply trusting in Christ, you have full forgiveness, generous in scope and generous in cost too. I don’t think we should… I know the word grace means a free gift. Well, it is free to us. He doesn’t want your price. He doesn’t want you paying for it. But don’t imagine for a moment that it didn’t have a price. It did. It was infinitely costly to bring to you the gifts I’m about to describe to you. Infinitely expensive, these gifts. They came at the blood, the precious blood. 1 Peter 1:18 and 19, the precious blood of a lamb without blemish or defect, Jesus Christ. He shed his blood to purchase your Christmas gifts. There’s no one here who has sacrificed that much for Christmas. It was Jesus who did it. Generous in Quantity: Grace Instead of Grace Generous also in quantity. I know Jesus Himself is the central gift, and that’s enough. But I think it’s good to kind of unfold his gifts and just look at them. Suppose, for example, you woke up and some person or a group of people had put 54 gifts with your name on it under the tree. 54. I’d be embarrassed for myself, especially if everyone else got five or six. I’d feel like, “Oh boy.” If everybody in my family had 54 gifts, that would be the 360… I don’t know. Some huge number. We have a lot of people in our family. Christy would not be able to get into the den, I think. 54 gifts. I think we’d have ought to open each one and look at it. Generous in quality. Look what the verse says. I know it doesn’t come across necessarily, but literally in the Greek, it says, “From the fullness of His grace, we have all received, grace instead of grace.” In other words, it’s grace, then another grace than another grace than another grace. I imagine a train. I remember reading on a Christmas morning, “The Little Engine that Could.” I never thought I’d use that in a sermon. It teaches human works and effort, and I can get to Heaven, that’s not what I’m saying. I just want you to imagine a train laden with gifts. Think like a child. I’m thinking, the gifts looked really good back then, now they look like… Not so good. But at that time, they looked really good. And I thought, “Wow, wouldn’t that be great?” And of course, because it’s just a little engine that they could there are only so many cars. The longest train in history is 682 cars. It was a coal car. I don’t want that much coal. But it was four and a half miles long and it moved very slowly, so imagine coming to the intersection and you see the first of the 682 cars going by. But imagine if you would, let’s get out and let’s just stand by the railway track and watch one gift of grace after another, come. Because that’s what it is. It’s just generous, generous. Grace instead of Grace, instead of Grace, instead of grace, day after day after day, on into eternity, friends. We are incredibly rich, and whatever you have under that tree tomorrow, it doesn’t even compare with the good things that God has already given you, is giving you now, and will give you up into the future. Or like what? Grace upon Grace The Past Blessings of Grace 0:25:40.9 S1: Well, let’s start way back. Let’s not start at the birth of Christ. Let’s start before the foundation of the world. When God worked out his salvation plan. He worked it out with you in mind. And the next gift of grace, he chose you. If you’re a Christian, he chose you by name before the foundation of the world. And the next gift of grace, he created a beautiful world for you and others like you to live in. He created the heavens and the earth and made them beautiful and lush and lavish. And he put Adam and Eve, created in the image of God, in that garden. The next gift of grace, after Adam’s fall, he didn’t kill the human race as we deserved, but he allowed history to continue, and he even promised a redeemer who would crush the serpent’s head. The next gift of grace, at the time of the flood, he didn’t kill the human race as we deserved then, but he preserved a remnant in Noah’s Ark, so that we would be able to survive. Then the next gift of grace, he called Abraham, so that salvation would come from the Jews. And the next gift of grace, the Exodus under Moses, in which He took the two million perhaps Jews out of Egypt and brought them into the Promised Land, a beautiful picture of our salvation. And the next gift of grace, the Law of Moses, to expose our emptiness, as I’ve already said. But also, to point ahead to the future through animal sacrifice, when we would understand the shedding of the blood of Jesus on the cross, so we would know how we would be saved. The next gift of grace, the kingship of David, a perfect picture of Jesus, our ruler, our savior. And Jesus is the son of David. And the next gift of grace, the words of the prophets. The servants and messengers of the covenant, who came with a lawsuit against the people of God and showed them how they had violated the Law of Moses, but they also spoke of redemption, of renewal, of restoration, and ultimately, of the Christ. The next gift of grace, the birth of Christ Himself. Born of a virgin, born under the law, born in the fullness of time. At just the right time, Jesus was born. And Mary wrapped him and swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them at the inn. The next gift of grace, Christ’s perfect sinless life that he made it through 30 plus years of life and temptation and never once yielded. And his righteousness will be and is your righteousness. The next gift of grace, powerful miracles. Healing a man born blind, healing any disease and sickness brought to him, healing Lazarus, dead in the tomb for four days, pictures of his resurrecting power. The next gift of grace, his perfect teaching ministry, parables, and teachings. No one ever talked like this man, no one ever taught like this man, perfect teachings, and we have a record of some of them, not all of them, but some of them. The next gift of grace, His redemptive death on the cross, His blood shed on the cross before you were even born. His blood shed for all of your sins, if you’re a Christian. And the next gift of grace, God didn’t leave him in the tomb, but raised him from the dead on the third day and gave him a resurrection body that will be like your body or yours like his forever and ever. He will be the first fruit from the dead, and there will be a huge harvest. The next gift of grace, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit of God on Pentecost. And the Holy Spirit has come to inspire the writing of the New Testament, the next gift of grace. And to convict the world of sin and judgment and righteousness. And the next gift of Grace, the steady, irresistible advance of the gospel for 2,000 years. Satan has been trying to stop it, but he can’t, and the gospel has spread from the Upper Room, 120 believers to a multitude greater than we are able to number from every tribe and language, almost every tribe, and language, and people and nation. The spread of the gospel. The next gift of grace, the way that God has sovereignly ruled over the nations to accomplish his historical purposes. To watch over the rise of this empire and the fall of that one, and to watch over the inventions and medical discoveries and the discovery of the New World with Columbus, and to watch over all of history to accomplish his ends. Part of which is saving your soul. Isn’t that beautiful? And the next gift of grace, a bunch of brothers and sisters, most of them who we have not met, who were martyrs and witnesses, and missionaries and pastors, and godly women and men who are your brothers and sisters. A royal heritage for 2,000 years. And the next gift of grace, your personal family lineage, your great-great-grandparents and your great-grandparents and grandparents and parents. And how each of them met and what kind of people they were, and what their strengths and weaknesses were, what their sins were, and what their godliness was, if there was any. All of that. Before you were born. What about since you’ve been born? Well, God watched over you and cared for you. He gave you parents to care for you, to look after you. He gave you a series of people to tell you about Christ, to teach you the Bible. The Present Blessings of Grace Long before you ever trusted in Christ, you’d heard of him many, many times, and God sent different people, whether parents, brothers and sisters, college roommates, pastors, Sunday school teachers, missionaries, who knows? But he sent them to you. And he’s given you beauty. You’ve seen beautiful things in the world, mountains and oceans, and different things. And each one of us has a different set of postcards in our minds of the beauty of the Earth, and it’s nothing compared to the future beauty of the new Earth. But it’s there, and you’ve seen it. From the fullness of his grace, we have all received. One gift of a blessing, one grace after another. And then at the right time, the Holy Spirit opened your eyes to your own emptiness. And he showed you what you’ve been unable, unwilling to face, up to that moment. You needed a savior, you needed Jesus, you needed him to shed his blood on the cross in your place or you would deserve to go to hell. At some point, you came to realize that, and you were regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit. You were given the gift of faith. At that moment, God justified you of all of your sins, forgave you of all of your sins, past, present and future, and he gave you the indwelling Spirit, and He adopted you into his own family from which you will never depart. He gave you spiritual gifts in a ministry and opportunities one after the other, day after day to live a life worthy of his calling and of his name, and he’s kept a careful record of everything you’ve done by faith, and he’ll reward you for it someday. And he’s going to give you continued opportunities to serve him, and he’s going to watch over you the rest of your life, in the future. He’s going to protect you, and he’s going to keep you safe and there will be no combination of temptations that will separate you from Christ, because he will sovereignly not allow it to happen. He will protect you until the day you die. And then that day, he’ll give you grace to die well and to his glory. You may die at 93 years old in a hospital, you may die in a car wreck, you may die of a heart attack, you may die of a disease. If the Lord doesn’t return in our generation, you will die. And he will give you grace to get through it. And then on the other side, is he done being gracious to you? No. He will take that soul that has been separated from your body, which cannot inherit the Kingdom of Heaven anyway. The Future Blessings of Grace So good riddance, I think at that point. I want to see what he does with my body. But I’ll be separated at that point, and he will also separate me from all wickedness and all sin in my soul, and I will love only righteousness. And I will hate all wickedness, and I will be made perfect and holy. From the fullness of his grace, we have all received grace upon grace, upon grace, upon grace. And then judgment day, he will give me grace. He will give me grace to survive the day of wrath, and I will get through it, and so will any who call on his name. We will survive that day. And we will even thrive on that day, because on the other side of it, we will be in resurrection bodies, and we will live in a perfect kingdom, a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness and we qualify. How did that happen? But Jesus’s righteousness was given to us. And then will it end? No. There are your 54 gifts. He intends far more than 54, friends. And a good thing too, you kind of like to get to Christmas tomorrow, wouldn’t you? I’ll stop here, but I think you could meditate far more than I have over the past and present and future gifts of his grace. And so, you will do forever, and of the increase of his government, there’ll be no end, because you will continually see more and more of his grace. He has more to show you. If you came to that intersection of the 682-car train, and you’re looking at your watch and wondering, “When is this ever going to be done?” This train, you are not going to want to end. You want to just see a gift of grace after gift to grace to keep on going past you for eternity. And you will be filled with a sense of gratitude, you can’t even imagine. Application What application do we take from this? Well, I think it’s good to open the gifts that somebody else took the time to wrap. I think you ought to do it. I think you ought to. But let your heart be already filled with light and glory of the things we’ve talked about today. Meditate on the generosity of God through Christ. If you haven’t come to Christ yet, don’t miss it, because none of these gifts of grace are yours, if you’re not a Christian. None of them. Just a fiery expectation of judgment, of raging fire that’ll consume the enemies of God. I would rather have this than that, wouldn’t you? Why will you die? Turn and repent and believe and trust in him. Don’t leave this room without receiving that first as far as you’re concerned gift, forgiveness of sins. But for those of you that have already made that commitment, then meditate on God’s goodness. Let me say one more thing. As I’ve studied Christmas, I had a whole bunch of stuff about Christmas and decided to get rid of it. If you want to know more about the history of Christmas and how it has had a rich heritage of the rich blessing the poor, find out more. The History Channel had a history thing on Christmas, look it up. There’s a lot of stuff on Christmas. Consistently, the wealthy and the positioned folks used it to bless the poor. I have talked to so many people this Christmas, saying, “They are weary of the treadmill. The Christmas treadmill.” As a matter of fact, I haven’t talked to anybody who’s not. The thing is, why don’t we change it? How do we change it? How do we get off? If you feel it’s become to idolatrous, how do you stop it? And so, I would urge that you enjoy whatever you have planned to enjoy tomorrow. Enjoy it with a free heart, but make plans to make 2007, a year from now different than any Christmas you’ve ever enjoyed. Our small group, what we did was we gave to the Persecution Project in Samaritan’s Purse. They have different ways. You can buy little chicks. You can buy a well dug in a village. You can buy all kinds of stuff for people who are barely making it, barely surviving. Maybe instead of giving gifts to people who don’t need what you’re going to give them anyway, that’s why you’re having such a hard time finding what to give them, because they don’t need anything. And if they need something, they bought it already. So, what do you give? I would urge think differently, a year from now. No, no, think differently seven or eight months from now. Make plans. Make plans. Close with me in prayer.