Driving Notes

“The Genealogy Of Jesus”

Today on the show we shared some Christmas devotionals.

Here are the Christmas devotionals that we chose:

MATTHEW 1 – THE GENEALOGY OF JESUS

The New Testament begins in Matthew 1 with what’s called “the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah.” Have you ever wondered why?

Matthew’s Gospel doesn’t begin with the nativity itself…the star, the shepherds and the manger. Instead, it begins with a long list of ancestry. And let’s be honest- how many times have we skipped through this?

In his book, Hidden Christmas, Pastor Timothy Keller gives us perspective on why Matthew started the story of Jesus this way. He reminds us that Christmas is not just about a birth, it is about a coming.

The birth of the Son of God into the world is a gospel, a good news, an announcement that says, you don’t save yourself – God has come to save you. Of course, Christmas is just the beginning of the story of how God came to save us. Jesus will have to go to the cross. But you begin with Christ by believing this report about what has happened in history. Matthew tells us here that this story is no fairy tale – Jesus is real!

Matthew doesn’t start his book with “Once Upon a Time.” That is the way fairy tales or legendary fantasy stories begin. Matthew is grounding who Jesus Christ is and what he does in history with the genealogy. Keller reminds us that in Matthew 1, we learn that Jesus is not a metaphor – he is real. This all happened!

In this genealogy at the beginning of the New Testament, what else is Matthew saying? Pastor Keller writes that the list of Jesus’ genealogy is also a type of resume. In those times, your family, pedigree and clan made up your resume. Therefore, this list is really saying, “this is who Jesus is.”

Matthew’s genealogy is shockingly different from the other ones of his time. First, there are five women in the list. Three of them, Tamar, Rahab and Ruth, are Gentiles. The Jews would have considered them unclean. In fact, Tamar was a prostitute. He also refers to “Uriah’s wife,” who you may know is Bathsheba. These names recall some of the most difficult stories in the Old Testament. Yet, they are in Jesus’ genealogy. Why?

But wait, in verse 6 we have the name King David. We might think, “now there is somebody we want in our genealogy!” David, after all, was the boy who killed Goliath, favored by Saul, anointed as King, and the man who conquers Jerusalem. But David also was a flawed man, who arranged the killing of his friend Uriah and whose son Solomon was the result of his affair with Bathsheba. Yet out of that deeply flawed man, the Messiah came. These people are all acknowledged in Matthew 1 as the ancestors of Jesus.

So what does that mean? Tim Keller asks us to think about it this way:

It means that people who are excluded by culture, society and even by the law of God can be brought into Jesus’ family. If you repent and believe in Him, the grace of Jesus covers your sin and unites you with Him.

Moreover, with King David, it means even the powerful and great are still in need of the grace of Christ. It is not what you have done; it is what Christ has done for you!

God is not ashamed of us. We are all in His family!

Q: **Only two Gospels include any details about the birth of Jesus. Which of them starts with a genealogy to establish that Jesus is the Messiah to whom Old Testament prophecies referred?**

A: Matthew

Congratulations to Janice of Mount Vernon for guessing the correct answer! She wins a $5 gift card to Everlasting Cup!

Thanks for listening!

-Alyssa and Dylan

December 23, 2021 0

What inspired these classics?

Today we shared a couple of ‘who knews?’ about the origins of a couple of Christmas song classics:

Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s ‘Christmas Eve Sarajevo’ is consistently among the top songs in music surveys. TSO’s Paul O’Neill told the story behind the rock/orchestra song in an interview with Christianity Today:

We heard about this cello player born in Sarajevo many years ago who left when he was fairly young to go on to become a well-respected musician, playing with various symphonies throughout Europe. Many decades later, he returned to Sarajevo as an elderly man—at the height of the Bosnian War, only to find his city in complete ruins.

I think what most broke this man’s heart was that the destruction was not done by some outside invader or natural disaster—it was done by his own people. At that time, Serbs were shelling Sarajevo every night. Rather than head for the bomb shelters like his family and neighbors, this man went to the town square, climbed onto a pile of rubble that had once been the fountain, took out his cello, and played Mozart and Beethoven as the city was bombed.

He came every night and began playing Christmas Carols from that same spot. It was just such a powerful image—a white-haired man silhouetted against the cannon fire, playing timeless melodies to both sides of the conflict amid the rubble and devastation of the city he loves. Some time later, a reporter traced him down to ask why he did this insanely stupid thing. The old man said that it was his way of proving that despite all evidence to the contrary, the spirit of humanity was still alive in that place.

The song basically wrapped itself around him. We used some of the oldest Christmas melodies we could find, like “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “Carol of the Bells” part of the medley (which is from Ukraine, near that region). The orchestra represents one side, the rock band the other, and single cello represents that single individual, that spark of hope.”

Here’s the story behind the book…and the song…‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer:’

As the holiday season of 1938 came to Chicago, Bob May wasn’t feeling much comfort or joy. A 34-year-old ad writer for Montgomery Ward, May was exhausted and nearly broke. His wife, Evelyn, was bedridden, on the losing end of a two-year battle with cancer. This left Bob to look after their four-year old-daughter, Barbara.

One night, Barbara asked her father, “Why isn’t my mommy like everybody else’s mommy?” As he struggled to answer his daughter’s question, Bob remembered the pain of his own childhood. A small, sickly boy, he was constantly picked on and called names. But he wanted to give his daughter hope, and show her that being different was nothing to be ashamed of. More than that, he wanted her to know that he loved her and would always take care of her.

So he began to spin a tale about a reindeer with a bright red nose who found a special place on Santa’s team. Barbara loved the story so much that she made her father tell it every night before bedtime. As he did, it grew more elaborate. Because he couldn’t afford to buy his daughter a gift for Christmas, Bob decided to turn the story into a homemade picture book.

In early December, Bob’s wife died. Though he was heartbroken, he kept working on the book for his daughter. A few days before Christmas, he reluctantly attended a company party at Montgomery Ward. His co-workers encouraged him to share the story he’d written. After he read it, there was a standing ovation. Everyone wanted copies of their own. Montgomery Ward bought the rights to the book from their debt-ridden employee.

Over the next six years, at Christmas, they gave away six million copies of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer to shoppers. Every major publishing house in the country was making offers to obtain the book. In an incredible display of good will, the head of the department store returned all rights to Bob May. Four years later, Rudolph had made him into a millionaire.

Now remarried with a growing family, May felt blessed by his good fortune. But there was more to come. His brother-in-law, a successful songwriter named Johnny Marks, set the uplifting story to music. The song was pitched to artists from Bing Crosby on down. They all passed. Finally, Marks approached Gene Autry. The cowboy star had scored a holiday hit with “Here Comes Santa Claus” a few years before.

Like the others, Autry wasn’t impressed with the song about the misfit reindeer. Marks begged him to give it a second listen. Autry played it for his wife, Ina. She was so touched by the line “They wouldn’t let poor Rudolph play in any reindeer games” that she insisted her husband record the tune.

Within a few years, it had become the second best-selling Christmas song ever, right behind “White Christmas.” Since then, Rudolph has come to life in TV specials, cartoons, movies, toys, games, coloring books, greeting cards and even a Ringling Bros. circus act. The little red-nosed reindeer dreamed up by Bob May and immortalized in song by Johnny Marks and Gene Autry has come to hold a special place in children’s hearts all over the world!

–          We were born 35 minutes apart on December 22, 1949 in Douglas on the Isle of Man
–          Our dad was a drummer so we caught the music bug
–          We performed for the first time with our older brother, Barry, in 1957 at a local theater
–          Our family moved to Australia in 1958 and continued singing
–          Our band name was a spelled out acronym
–          We are best known for songs like “Staying Alive” and “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?”

We are Maurice and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees! Congratulations to Amanda of Mount Vernon, who guessed correctly and wins the $5 gift card to Everlasting Cup.

Lisa from Mount Vernon and Renee from Howard

Here’s the article and recipe about the holiday yule log that Dylan shared…

Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Dylan

December 22, 2021 0

Casting Christmas!!

It’s Artist Newsday and some of your favorite WNZR artists are making headlines!

Since the creation of the category in 2015, Dante Bowe has broken the record for the greatest number of simultaneous nominations in the Best Gospel Performance/Song category at the 64^th GRAMMY Awards. His nominations include solo singles “Voice of God” and “joyful.” as well as a nod for songwriting on Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music’s “Wait On You.”

In addition to his solo nominations, Dante contributed to a Best Gospel Album nomination with Maverick City Music for Jubilee: Juneteenth Edition and Best Contemporary Christian Music Album with Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music for Old Church Basement.

The 64^th GRAMMY Awards will air live from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on January 31 at 8:00 on CBS and Paramount+.

Casting Crowns just announced the plans for a 24-city “Healer Tour”. The band will travel to many different venues and arenas across the country. The tour will happen this coming spring (2022). The tour will get underway on February 17^th after the band releases their new album Healer, which is set to come out on January 14^th, 2022.

The Healer Tour will feature special guests We Are Messengers and Jonathan Traylor, and will make stops in cities like Baltimore, Grand Rapids, Tulsa, Nashville, Cleveland and Milwaukee, to name just a few. Tickets for The Healer Tour are on sale now. Check out castingcrowns.com for more ticket information.

There’s a tree in the Grand Hotel, one in the park as well
It’s the sturdy kind that doesn’t mind the snow.

Congratulations to Amy of Mount Vernon for correctly guessing the name of the song: “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!”. She wins TWO $5 gift cards to Everlasting Cup!

Thanks for listening!

Jonathon & Dylan

December 21, 2021 0

Emmanuel – God WITH us!

Today we’re sharing Monday Motivation from Pastor Tim Keller…

The word Immanuel means, as we learn in Matthew 1:23, “God with us.” The coming of the Christ child fulfilled what Isaiah wrote in chapter 7, verse 14: “the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

In his book Hidden Christmas, Pastor Timothy Keller shares that for centuries, the Jewish religious leaders and scholars had known that prophecy, but did not think that it should be taken literally. They thought it was simply predicting the coming or arrival of some great leader through whose work, God would be present with his people.

However, Matthew writes that this promise is greater than anyone imagined! It did not come true figuratively, but literally. Jesus Christ is “God with us” because the human life in Mary’s womb was a miracle performed by God himself. Then Jesus, with his life, his claims and his resurrection, convinced his closest followers that he was not just a prophet telling them how to find God, but God himself coming to find us.

Keller writes that this claim, that Jesus is God, gives us the greatest possible hope. Why? Because it means this world is not all that there is…it means that there is life and love after death and it means that evil and suffering will one day end.

And it is not just hope for the world, but hope for you and me personally. A God who was only holy would have not come to us in Jesus. He would have just demanded that we pull ourselves together and be moral and holy enough to be worthy of relationship with him. But our God is fully holy and fully human – so he doesn’t send someone else – he comes himself! Jesus is one of us – and that should give us all hope!

So what is the purpose of “God with us?” What does “with him” mean? Pastor Timothy Keller, in his book Hidden Christmas, writes that the purpose of the incarnation is that we would have relationship with him. In Jesus, the unapproachable God of the Old Testament becomes a human being who can be known and loved. Through faith, we can know this love.

This is a complete shift from the Old Testament. Think about this: anytime anyone drew near to God in the Old Testament, it was terrifying! God appears to Abraham as a smoking furnace; to Israel as a pillar of fire; to Job as a hurricane or tornado. When Moses asks to see the face of God in Exodus 33, he was told what? That it would kill him…that he could only get close to God’s back. When Moses came down off the mountain in Exodus 34, his face was SO BRIGHT with radiance that the people could not look at him!

So Pastor Keller asks this: can you imagine if Moses were alive today and heard the message of Christmas? What would he say? How would he react? What if Moses heard John 1:14 “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us – we have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son?”

Keller thinks Moses would say, “Do you know what this means? This is the very thing I was denied! Through Jesus, you can meet God. You can know him personally and without terror. Do you realize what’s going on? Where’s your joy? Where’s your amazement? This should be the driving force of your life!”

And why did God show up this time in the form of a baby instead of fire? Because this time He has come not to bring judgment but to bear it; to take away the barrier between humanity and God. Jesus is God with us!

Congratulations to: Lyle from Howard and Paul from Mount Vernon!

Name two gifts that are difficult to wrap:

1- Basketball (34 votes)
2- Football (19)
3- Stuffed animals (14)
4- a pet (7)
5- a bike (4)

Congratulations to Brenda from Fredericktown, who guessed correctly and wins a $5 gift card to Everlasting Cup!

Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Jonathon

December 20, 2021 0

Christmas NZ Top 10 for 12/17/21

Today we’re playing the top 10 Christmas songs from our holiday music survey – these are the songs YOU told us are your favorites!

10. Frank Sinatra – Let It Snow!
9. Danny Gokey – Mary, Did You Know?
8. Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops – Sleigh Ride
7. Bing Crosby – White Christmas
6. Burl Ives – Holly Jolly Christmas
5. Trans-Siberian Orchestra – Christmas Canon
4. Bing Crosby – It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
3. Vince Guaraldi Trio – Linus and Lucy
2. David Foster – Carol of the Bells
1. Trans-Siberian Orchestra – Christmas Eve, Sarajevo

Peter from Howard and Debbie from Mount Vernon!

Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Zoe

December 17, 2021 0

Christmas inspiration from Isaiah…

Today we shared more Christmas praises!

Joe shared one of his favorites from 2019:

One of the first indications of the Christmas season is LIGHT. The appearance of lights seemingly everywhere – on trees, with candles, above streets; there is radiance all around us.

Lights are not just for decoration of course, they are symbolic.

In his book, Hidden Christmas, Pastor Timothy Keller says one of the most important spiritual truths at Christmas is this: the world is a dark place, and we will never find our way or see reality unless Jesus IS our light.

Keller writes that the word ‘darkness’ in the Bible refers to evil and ignorance. The world has evil and untold suffering. The world also has no one who can cure the evil and suffering. We look towards the earth and our human resources to try to fix the world. We think we can end darkness with intellect and innovation. That’s the ignorance.

So the message of Christmas is NOT, “we will be able to put together a world of unity and peace.” The message, instead, is a humble one: “Things really are this bad and we can’t heal or save ourselves. Nevertheless, THERE IS HOPE.”

Notice the verse in Isaiah doesn’t say the light comes from the world…it says that upon the world a light has dawned. It has come from the outside, and Jesus has brought that light to save us! Because, as John 8:12 says, He IS that light!

Dylan shared a Christmas thought from Amy Boucher Pye in ‘Our Daily Bread’…

When John’s cold turned into pneumonia, he ended up in the hospital. At the same time, his mother was being treated for cancer a few floors above him, and he felt overwhelmed with worries about her and about his own health. Then on Christmas Eve, when the radio played the carol “O Holy Night,” John was flooded with a deep sense of God’s peace. He listened to the words about it being the night of the dear Savior’s birth: “A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!” In that moment, his worries about himself and his mother vanished.

This “dear Savior” born to us, Jesus, is the “Prince of Peace,” as Isaiah prophesied (Isaiah 9:6). Jesus fulfilled this prophecy when He came to earth as a baby, bringing light and salvation to “those living in the land of the shadow of death” (Matthew 4:16; see Isaiah 9:2). He embodies and gives peace to those He loves, even when they face hardship and death.

There in the hospital, John experienced the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) as he pondered the birth of Jesus. This encounter with God strengthened his faith and sense of gratitude as he lay in that sterile room away from his family at Christmas. May we too receive God’s gift of peace and hope.

Q: Of the four gospels, only one does not mention Christ’s birth or beginning. Which gospel is that?

A: Mark

Congratulations to Rebecca from Butler, who guessed correctly and wins the $5 gift card to Everlasting Cup!

Pat from Mount Vernon and Pam from Fredericktown!

Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Dylan

December 16, 2021 0

Celebrating those who make things happen!

So today’s show is a celebration of two big things:

the 2021 Knox County Food For The Hungry drive
people who GET THINGS DONE (Cat Herders)

Make sure you check out our recap of FFTH 2021 by clicking this link. Our total is just over $249,000 and still growing!

Now onto the herders…have you heard (no pun intended) this before? From DaysoftheYear.com:

“You don’t have to be a cat lover to celebrate Cat Herders’ day, you only have to be someone attempting to complete a seemingly impossible task or working in a job that is a continual up-hill battle, tall-order, hard-work, or in short, some activity that is like ‘herding cats.’ Have you ever seen a cowboy or cowgirl herding cats? Didn’t think so – that’s because if we ever attempted to it would take us longer than an infinite monkey to type the complete works of Shakespeare.

You’ve probably heard the saying that something is as impossible as “herding cats”, used in reference to a seemingly futile or difficult task. Granted, if you have actually attempted to literally herd a bunch of cats for some reason or the other, you would know exactly how impossible this task actually is.

What we can say is that the phrase is pretty suitable for what it describes. And while cats are independent, solitary, and easily distracted, many humans also share the same characteristics.”

– I was born December 15, 1832 in Dijon, France
– I was a French Engineer, and started with building bridges
– I helped design the Statue of Liberty
– My most known work is the signature landmark in Paris
– After retiring from my company, I went on to do important work in meteorology and aerodynamics
– I died on December 27^th, 1923 while listening to Beethoven’s 5^thsymphony, in my mansion in Paris

I am…Gustave Eiffel. Congratulations to Charla from Utica, who guessed correctly and wins the $5 gift card to Everlasting Cup.

Jenn from Danville and Pat from Mount Vernon – congratulations!

– Joe and Dylan

December 15, 2021 0

CeCe Winans and Christmas Concerts

Someone we’ve talked about many times for Artist Newsdays returns to the show! It’s none other that CeCe Winans!!

CeCe Winans has experienced quite an amazing year. She has helped spread love, hope and encouragement for the past 18 months. Her album Believe For It became an instant hit. It received a ton of recognitions including being in the Billboard’s top 10 Gospel Labels. Here is what Jeff Moseley, Founder/President Fair Trade Services had to say about Winans, “We had high hopes and dreams for our partnership with CeCe and have been overjoyed with the success that we’ve experienced. It’s an honor to partner with an icon like CeCe.”

The year-end Billboard Charts listed Winans as Top Gospel Female Artist of the year with the single, “Believe For It” dominating the Gospel Digital Song Sales Chart and holding the #1 slot for 18 weeks. The influence of Winans and Believe For It continued to shine brightly when the 2022 Grammy nominations were recently announced adding three more nods to her list of 28 nominations: Best Gospel Performance/Song, “Never Lost;” Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song, “Believe For It” (Dwan Hill, Kyle Lee, CeCe Winans & Mitch Wong, songwriters) and Best Gospel Album, Believe For It. Winans also received four Dove Awards! Here is what Winans had to say on the success, “I’m feeling really blessed right now! Thankful for people’s lives being uplifted by Believe For It. God is good.”

“Believe For It” continues to have success on the radio. The song is currently at #4 on the Billboard Gospel Airplay Chart. Winans is also in the Top 5 Christian Female Artist of the Year. Winans also has plans for a tour across the US in 2022.

For King & Country are in Columbus THIS FRIDAY for their Drummer Boy Christmas Tour at the Schottenstein Center! The concert will start at 7pm and tickets can be found here!

Also, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra will be at Nationwide Arena in Columbus Sunday, December 26th! They will have a matinee showing at 3pm and an evening showing at 8pm. Tickets can be found here!

**Lyrics:** There’s a tree in the Grand Hotel, one in the park as well
It’s the sturdy kind that doesn’t mind the snow.

Answer: ???

This song was a stumper! We’ll bring it back next week for TWO $5 gift cards to Everlasting Cup!

Thanks for listening!

Jonathon and Dylan

December 14, 2021 0

Christmas for everyone!

Today’s Monday Motivation reflections about Christmas remind us that Christmas is an invitation for everyone.

Lisa Samra shares ‘Joy to the World’ here:

Every Christmas we decorate our home with nativity scenes from around the world. We have a German nativity pyramid, a manger scene fashioned out of olive wood from Bethlehem, and a brightly colored Mexican folk version. Our family favorite is a whimsical entry from Africa. Instead of the more traditional sheep and camels, a hippopotamus gazes contently at the baby Jesus.

The unique cultural perspective brought to life in these nativity scenes warms my heart as I ponder each beautiful reminder that Jesus’ birth was not just for one nation or culture. It’s good news for the whole earth, a reason for people from every country and ethnicity to rejoice.

The little baby depicted in each of our nativity scenes revealed this truth of God’s heart for the entire world. As John wrote in relation to Christ’s conversation with an inquisitive Pharisee named Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

The gift of Jesus is good news for everyone. No matter where on earth you call home, Jesus’ birth is God’s offer of love and peace to you. And all who find new life in Christ, “from every tribe and language and people and nation” will one day celebrate God’s glory forever and ever (Revelation 5:9).

—

Amy Boucher Pye shares ‘Welcomed Into God’s Family’

We were singles and couples and a family with children, together celebrating Jesus’ birth on Christmas Eve. The conversation flowed, the food tasted scrumptious, and we even had fun washing up the dishes. Between courses we read through the Christmas story from Luke’s gospel, marveling over the greatest gift of the season, Jesus. Because of Christ, we who previously had been a ragtag bunch of strangers were now sisters and brothers.

Jesus always welcomed the stranger. Even as at His birth God beckoned the shepherds to come and worship the newborn baby: “The Savior-yes, the Messiah, the Lord-has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” (LUKE 2:11). Curious, the humble shepherds hurried Bethlehem. And after they saw the baby, they went and spread the good news about Jesus the Savior, and “all who to heard the shepherds’ story were astonished” (v.18).

As Messiah, Jesus the baby grew up to be the Man who died on the cross, the perfect sacrifice who wipes away the sins of those who follow Him. Jesus, the Son who is God, humbled Himself to be born in a stable and then willingly sacrificed His life for us.

When we bow before Him in worship, even as the shepherds did as they glorified and praised God for all they had seen and heard (v. 20), He makes us part of His family. Jesus welcomes us into His worldwide community of those God uses to spread His love and light.

Name the top two desserts people eat a lot of at Christmastime:
1- cookies (54 votes)
2- pie (12)
3- pudding (7)
4- fruitcake (6)
5- fudge (5)
6- candy/candy canes (4)
7- gingerbread (2)

Congratulations to Danelle of Fredericktown, who guessed correctly and wins the $5 gift card to Everlasting Cup!

Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Jonathon

December 13, 2021 0

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