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It's the Christmas show! Carols...... How did they start? Where were they sung? And other music..... And the final quiz from our retiring quizmaker... And news from around the world, and local. Can you send us a quiz of 3 Qs with answers? A one-off, or regularly? Get in touch, and give us a song choice too! And angels get mentioned a few times in this show!
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It's the Christmas show! Carols...... How did they start? Where were they sung? And other music..... And the final quiz from our retiring quizmaker... And news from around the world, and local. Can you send us a quiz of 3 Qs with answers? A one-off, or regularly? Get in touch, and give us a song choice too! And angels get mentioned a few times in this show!
Listen to BelieveTogether_20.12.23 Christmas by Believe Together MP3 song. BelieveTogether_20.12.23 Christmas song from Believe Together is available on Audio.com. The duration of song is 58:01. This high-quality MP3 track has 1341.825 kbps bitrate and was uploaded on 19 Dec 2023. Stream and download BelieveTogether_20.12.23 Christmas by Believe Together for free on Audio.com – your ultimate destination for MP3 music.
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This is a radio show called Believe Together, produced by Churches Together in Kingcham Saltford. They discuss various topics related to Christmas and play carols. One topic discussed is the history of Christmas carols, with Dr. Michael Carter challenging the belief that carols have always had fixed melodies. He says many carols were made up on the spot or sung to different tunes. Carols were not originally sung in churches, but rather performed door to door or in ale houses. The show also includes news headlines and a quiz about Christmas. They play various carols throughout the show. Welcome to Believe Together, a Churches Together in Kingcham Saltford production for KTCRFM 105.8 and online. Welcome to Believe Together, a Churches Together in Kingcham Saltford production for KTCRFM 105.8 and online. Welcome to Believe Together, a Churches Together in Kingcham Saltford production for KTCRFM 105.8 and online. Welcome to Believe Together, a Churches Together in Kingcham Saltford production for KTCRFM 105.8 and online. Welcome to Believe Together, a Churches Together in Kingcham Saltford production for KTCRFM 105.8 and online. Welcome to Believe Together, a Churches Together in Kingcham Saltford production for KTCRFM 105.8 and online. Welcome to Believe Together, a Churches Together in Kingcham Saltford production for KTCRFM 105.8 and online. Welcome to Believe Together, a Churches Together in Kingcham Saltford production for KTCRFM 105.8 and online. Peter here with you for this Christmas special. I hope you enjoyed this hour coming up. We're enjoying putting it together and we hope you can actually get something out of it as well. Why not? That was a great start with a real old famous carol, wasn't it? Angels from the Realms of Glory. That was sung for us by the Choir of Canterbury Cathedral. Yes, Jenny here again. Lovely to be with you. Now, I do hope that you have a blessed Christmas, whatever you may be going through, whether it's good or hard at the moment. So a happy Christmas to you all and let's see what's coming up now. News headlines that comes later in this show is about carols, Christmas carols. You see, an English heritage historian is challenging what we think we know about Christmas carols. Dr. Michael Carter says many carols actually started out with very different tunes or no tune at all. Revelers were said to have made up the tune as they went along and carols were written to be danced to. Many of the earliest carols were written by medieval monks and were ring dancers where everybody linked hands in a circle and sang the song whilst dancing. Sounds great fun to me. While most surviving medieval carols had no fixed tune at all, they've either been lost to history or revelers made them up as they went along. Others, such as the classic While Shepherds Watched, were sung to a different tune entirely. They have evolved over time with the harmony of Hark the Herald, Angels, only added in the 1960s, despite the tune being composed by Felix Mendelssohn in 1840. Dr. Carter also says carols were not originally sung in churches, instead being performed from door to door or in places such as ale houses. Well, wouldn't it be great to have it more of that like there was indeed in Keynesham recently? Writing on the English heritage website, the senior properties historian said, as a big fan of Christmas, who enjoys nothing more than belting out a carol, I feel a little churlish pointing out that Christmas carols having fixed melodies is a modern innovation. In actual fact, only a fraction of medieval Christmas carols retain their original score, and it's entirely possible that in many instances these were never composed at all. Instead, many tunes were simply made up on the spot. In perhaps happier news, we might also think of carols today as solemn and reflective, but the first carols were actually written to be danced to, and would have been a rather jolly affair. While this is a practice I personally hope we revive, it's worth remembering that carols are a living tradition, evolving through the centuries, and should be celebrated in all forms, especially at Christmas. Dr. Carter said that although often religious in content, carols were not fully integrated into church services until the late Victorian era. He added that carols would only have been sung during the twelve days of Christmas. Now when we think of the Christmas story, his story, we usually sort of begin it around Christmas time, talking about the angels coming down to the shepherds, don't we? So let's have another song about angels. This one is Whom Shall I Fear, also known as God of Angel Armies, and it's by Chris Tomlin. Whom Shall I Fear Underneath my feet You are my sword and shield Though troubles linger still Whom shall I fear? I know who goes before me I know who stands behind The God of Angel Armies Is always by my side The one who reigns forever He is a friend of mine The God of Angel Armies Is always by my side My strength is in your name For you alone can save You will deliver me Yours is the victory Whom shall I fear? Whom shall I fear? I know who goes before me I know who stands behind The God of Angel Armies Is always by my side The one who reigns forever He is a friend of mine The God of Angel Armies Is always by my side And nothing's born against me, you shall see You hold the whole world in your hands I'll hold it all to your promises You are faithful You are faithful You are faithful I know who goes before me I know who stands behind The God of Angel Armies Is always by my side The one who reigns forever He is a friend of mine The God of Angel Armies Is always by my side I know who goes before me I know who stands behind The God of Angel Armies Is always by my side The one who reigns forever He is a friend of mine The God of Angel Armies Is always by my side The God of Angel Armies Is always by my side And now, it's time for this week's quiz. Over to you Celia. As we are now so close to Christmas, let's have a Christmas relating to things Christmassy. In the song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, which are the traditional twelve days of Christmas. Well, that's interesting, Celia. We've just been talking about Dr Carter and the twelve days of Christmas. Well, we'll wait until later in the show when we'll find out when those twelve days actually are. Now, it's time for some news headlines for this week. Here's the first one. Church of England holds first same-sex blessings. Archbishop of Canterbury says his memory is like his dog's after fluffing coronation rehearsal. Cardinal Vincent Nicholls expresses horror at callous killings in Gaza's Catholic Church compound. Schoolboy uses pocket money to donate 250 presents for Salvation Army Christmas appeal. Come to us for Christmas. Fire ravaged churches in Hawaii, welcomed by other denominations as recovery continues. Prime Minister thanks Christians for shining a light into communities this Christmas. Baroness urges House of Lords bishops to ditch robes and modernise their attire. Salvation Army opens new UK headquarters. Have we got Christmas carols all wrong? Dan Walker describes gospel as life-changing truth as he shares favourite carol. Alex Jones announces shock career move after learning what his songs are used for. Now, we don't usually expand on news headlines, as I've said before, but this week, three of those we are. Well, one we already have, and two we will be, so you can listen up for a bit more information about those. We've already mentioned angels in this show, and they feature very much in the Christmas story, don't they? Some of you listeners may remember that we had a whole series about appearing angels when they appeared to people, and we had stories of people who'd seen angels. We had it in several programs for different stories. Usually, the angels appear as ordinary people, but apparently not for the shepherds, because they came with quite a scare, I think. Gave them a real fright. Let's have while shepherds watched their flocks by night, this time sung by the choir of King's College, Cambridge. He is God, my King, good, kind, He's ever present from the Lord, And I, in love with Him, why, I pray, To Him be I more than kind. To you, in David's house, in David's war, O David, cry, I say, the Lord is Christ the Lord, And this shall be the cry. But ev'ry day to day shall I call you, and you will hear, For He is love, He is grace, He is love, And He shall raise your head. The sacred meadows, the warm winter, winter's rising, The love of angels sweetly whine, Good luck, good health, good joy, good hope. The Lord is risen from the dead, from sin and sin, The Lord is risen from the dead, from sin and sin, I do so like that story about the shepherds and the angels. You know, of course, we understand that angels, good or bad, do not know the future at all. But those angels bringing that message were just so happy. They did know what was happening at the time. Their Saviour was being born. This was a huge event in the whole of history. And they must have been so excited. No wonder they upset the shepherds. I expect they were pretty apologetic, really. We didn't really want to upset you, but we're so excited. Yes, it must have been a wonderful time out there in the fields. Now, here's my Leprosy Mission diary verse for the week. And it takes us back to the beginning of the story, really, many months before the birth of Jesus. And it's from the Gospel of Luke. And it says, The angel said to her, Don't be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb, and give birth to a son, and shall name him Jesus. The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay, The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay. The cattle are lowing, the baby awake, The little Lord Jesus, no crying he make. I love thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky, The days are like skies, and the wind is mild. The little Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay, To find me forever, and love me, I pray. There's hope at the end, in life and in death, And peace on earth, to live with me there. To live with me there. Of course that was A Way In A Manger, that famous old carol. This version came from Susan Boyle's album, The Gift. Now, something else about the manger here. Our regular listener, Pat Rock, who loves writing poems and they're really good, she's written another one for us. And this is what it's called, Still Today. Where did they look for the manger? Was it in field or cave? Or an animal enclosure laid to one born to save? And when they went to look for him, did the shepherd search long for that special babe from heaven told of in angels' song? Could we look for him in England, 2023? The Bible says it's possible for folks like you and me. For Jesus is alive today, and those who want to know can invite him into their lives, then nearer to him grow. Thank you for that, Pat. That's really lovely and very true. And I keep hearing this comment lately, to do with Christmas, about Jesus left his home in heaven and came down to earth so that we who are on earth could go to have a home in heaven. Like sort of doing a swap almost. So that's great, isn't it? And now, over to Celia for the second question for the Just For Fun quiz. Question two. What gift did the little drummer boy give to the newborn Christ? Well, Celia, that's a lovely song, the little drummer boy, isn't it? Based on a lovely story. But of course, it's not in Scripture at all. But we do love it. And now, if you'd like to contact us in the team through phone, text message or WhatsApp, please use Peter's number, which is 07879402114. That's 07879402114. If you want to message us through Facebook, please search up Believe Together Radio. Now, if you want to listen to the shows live, they are on Wednesdays from 4 to 5 p.m. and they're repeated on Sundays, 8 to 9 a.m. on KTCR FM Radio 105.8 FM or DAB+. Or www.ktcrfm.com. Then you can listen again anytime for the next two weeks at www.ktcrfm.com. You can search up on your favourite podcast site for Believe Together. For the playlist, this week's news and useful contact info, please go to our Facebook, which is Believe Together Radio. One of our good friends, David Brissington, produces a very different show on this radio station. Let's hear him tell you all about it. Hi, I'm Dave Brissington, and it's my pleasure to present the Country Hour on KTCR 105.8 FM. You will hear classic country hits, old and new, plus news on local clubs and gigs. I'm looking forward to spending this hour with you. Until then, keep it country. You're listening to Believe Together, a Churches Together and Kate Sherman Salford production for KTCR FM 105.8 and online. Now, one of my favourite modern carols is Mary, Did You Know. I wonder if it's one of your favourites. It's beautiful, and it makes you think, doesn't it? Did Mary know everything that was going to happen? There she was, a teenage girl giving birth to our saviour. Well, obviously she did know some of it because she was told by the angel what was going to happen. But did she know everything that was going to happen to Jesus? I wonder what you think. Anyway, let's enjoy Mary, Did You Know here in a cappella version from Pentatonix. Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Did you know that your baby boy will give life to a blind man? Mary, did you know that your baby boy will calm the storm with his hands? Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels draw? When you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God Mary, did you know? The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again The lame will eat, the dumb will sleep, the brave will hold the lamb Mary, did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation? Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nation? Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's earthly bread? That sleeping child you're holding is in great need Mary, did you know? Mary, did you know? What a beautiful song that is, and I think that's a very good version of it too. I enjoyed that. Two years ago, I asked a few local people what Christmas means to them. I got some recordings. Let's hear them. This is coming from June, Taboo and Bob. I've also added in what Cliff thinks. Christmas, what does Christmas mean to me? It means that regardless of what is going on in the world, or with our families, or what's going on around us, we have to remember that the Lord came to save us, and that is what Christmas is all about. Christmas means a lot to me. It is the birth of our Lord, coming to share this life with us, and to save us. That is the main thing above all, to die on the cross for us, to save us. That is the only way for us, and that is the only hope we have in this life. And then when we die, if we prepare our way and live according to His teaching and follow Him, we will definitely be with Him in eternal life. That is why Christmas is so important, because without Him, my sins would not have been aroused, and I wouldn't have any hope of going to heaven. That is why Christmas is very important for me. What does Christmas mean to me? It's a time of family getting together, old friends looked up, cards coming from dear friends who you haven't heard from for a long time, and it's a delightful time for me because it's all about the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I look forward to each year, and thoroughly enjoy it. It's a pleasure to have Christmas carol services, etc., and celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus, and I wouldn't be without it. Hi there, I'm often asked, what does Christmas mean to you? Well, I mean, for me it means different things, because when I was a child, I was born in India, we were separated, the family were all over the country, and Christmas to me as a kid meant I'm going to see my aunts and uncles, my favorite cousins, and of course we got gifts. But that Christmas was strictly once a year. I've got a feeling now that Christmas should be part of our life all the time, because it represents something very special. In the mid-60s I got very interested in spirituality, that's the time I became a Christian, and what I recognized was that the miracle of birth still fascinates us. Just the baby being born is an absolute miracle. Jesus' birth was a stupendous miracle that somebody that was a spiritual, divine creature became like one of us. So for me now, Christmas is every day of the year. Every time I pray, I pray, I think of Jesus, I think of God. Easter's also important, but I always find it difficult to feel triumphant because he died, and I know he had to die for us, but for me still today, Christmas is now an everyday part of my life, and so it gives me great pleasure to wish you all a very, very happy Christmas, and let it last all the year round. And now, time for the final question for the Just For Fun quiz. Over to Celia. And finally today, which film features the song Walking In The Air? Yes, Celia, that film is certainly a Christmas classic, and that beautiful song, Walking In The Air, may not be Christian, but it's certainly something to do with Christmas. Now, I'm going to introduce somebody bringing a report on last Sunday afternoon in Higgy Park. Here's Ken. Hello, Believe Together. Yeah, I've just come back from helping out at Hoover Park. They did the annual Christmas street party. Well, it's kind of like the open house evening hosted by Trevor James, our pioneer minister at St. John's Church. His wife Holly and the kids all put on a really cool Christmas spectacular for the local community. It was really good for the local residents of Hoover Park, which is still a really good growing community. It gets a little bit bigger and better every year. We had live worship music, and even Father Christmas came to visit, and he was very popular. People stopped by and took photos with him, and we had a little nativity display as well, which was really good. We even had snow. Absolutely fantastic. We had live worship music. Everybody joined in to sing carols, and we even had probably the best hot chocolate in Cainsham, which I can't share too much, but it's the James family secret recipe. Oh, wow. Yeah, so Santa was popular. I helped a little bit, and it was a great evening on that Sunday, December 17th. Well, thanks for that. I'm glad you were able to get there. It sounds like a great time. Enjoy Amnesty. Good Christmas evening. Actually, you know, I think Ken had rather a large part to play in that special event, but of course, that's a very well-kept secret. And now, let's find out the answers. Over to Celia. Hence, the 26th of December to the 6th of January. The gift the drummer boy gave to Jesus was a song played on his drum, so we can give our talents in the service of Jesus too. Thank you so much once again, Celia. And we must mention what we said last week. This quiz was Celia's last one for this show before her retirement. Well, thank you so much for years of quizzes, Celia. And please, listeners, we want you to give us quiz questions, please. A one-off or regular at any frequency you like. Please contact us. Give us some more quiz questions and the answers, please. Thank you very much. Just a quick comment on one of the answers that Celia just mentioned. Of course, the 12 days of Christmas, some people start them from Christmas Day, some people start them from Boxing Day. But the important thing is, none of the 12 days of Christmas come before Christmas. Anyway, before we bring you some what-dons about all the things going on over the Christmas period, let's have a song. We mentioned Little Drummer Boy. Here we've got an African tribal version. If you get the chance to go to our Facebook page, do take a look at that video. We've linked to it from the Facebook page. Here he is, and the singer brings you his own personal message at the end. Do listen, do watch the video if you can. Little Drummer Boy. Little Drummer Boy. Little Drummer Boy. Little Drummer Boy. Little Drummer Boy. Hi, everyone. Hope you enjoyed the video. You know, I heard a quote once that said, this Christmas, instead of asking what you will get, ask what you will give. And you know, there's no better example of that than the person who gave his whole life, Jesus Christ. If you get a chance, check out this video. It explains that beautifully. You know, this Christmas, I've been thinking about that. What will I give this Christmas as opposed to what I will get? And so, I want to kind of send out a little invitation to you guys. Go out there, find people to give. People that maybe you might not have given before. People who might not expect it. People whom you might think don't deserve it. It's such an awesome feeling. And let's go out and be awesome this Christmas. Have a wonderful Christmas and a smashing new year. Thank you. Hi, it is time for us to find out what's going on over the Christmas period. First, a quick reminder of what we said last week. The Kick Academy. Volunteers are needed to help run the football sessions on Saturday mornings. And volunteers are needed to make drinks and to chat with families or mentor the youngsters, boys and girls. Now, there's an introductory session on Monday the 15th of January at 7pm at Queens Road Methodist Church. We'll repeat this notice again nearer the time. And if you want to find out about Kick Academy, please go to their website. Right, any takers? Now, we mentioned last week about the Dutch Christmas and Santa Claus and all about St. Nicholas and the fact they had their presence the 5th of December. Well, they do, of course, celebrate family over Christmas. And if they are Christians, they would probably attend church services to celebrate Jesus coming to earth on 25th. And then St. Stephen's kindness to the poor on the 26th, which we call Boxing Day. Now, the Christmas Tree Festival at St. John's was very successful, welcoming around 2,300 visitors over the three days. Wow! Raising much needed funds for the church. Looking forward to the next one in 2025, the organising team would love to hear from anyone who might wish to join them in helping to plan it and put it together. Yes, now we hope that some of you have been able to get out and enjoy some of the very many Christmas activities and services that have been happening. Now, for the services happening over Christmas, we'll just list them now in case you want to listen out for a particular church's services or services anywhere on a certain day. And, of course, you can see the list on our Facebook page or go to the Facebook pages and websites of individual churches. So, let's whiz through what's happening. Sunday, the 24th of December, Christmas Eve. 9.15am, Holy Communion. Reverend Jan Knott at St. John's Parish Hall. 9.30am, informal service, Rachel Shaw at St. Francis. 4pm, Christingle service, Reverend Annika Gardner at St. John's. 4pm again, Christingle service, Martin Burton at St. Francis. 11.30pm, midnight, Holy Communion. Reverend Annika Gardner at St. John's Church. Then on Monday, the 25th of December, which of course is Christmas Day, there's 8.30am, Holy Communion with the Archdeacon Adrian at St. John's Church. Then 10.30am, All Age Communion with St. Francis. Reverend Annika Gardner, St. John's Church. 11.15am, Holy Communion, Reverend Jan Knott at St. Michael's. 10.30am, Holy Communion, Reverend Margaret Snook at St. Margaret's. Friday, the 22nd of December, so we're jumping backwards now. 6pm, carols, readings and Christmas music, followed by mince pies and mulled wine. That's it, Holy Trinity Church, Newtons and Lowe. Then on Sunday, the 24th of December, Christmas Eve, these are all under St. Mary's Church in Salkford. There's 11.15am, Holy Communion, All Saints Causton. 5pm, crib service, St. Mary's Salkford. 11.15pm, midnight communion at St. Mary's Salkford. Then 11.15pm also, midnight carols and readings at All Saints Causton. Monday, the 25th of December, Christmas Day! Hooray! 10am, Family Celebration with Communion at St. Mary's Salkford. 10.30am, Family Celebration at All Saints Causton. And 11.15pm, Family Celebration with Communion at Holy Trinity Newtons and Lowe. Cainsham Baptist Church say there'll be no Sunday morning service on 24th of December, Christmas Eve. They're going to meet with the Methodists at Victoria Centre on 25th of December, Christmas Day, at 10.30am. The next service at KBC will be on Sunday, the 31st, 10.30am, led by the Reverend John Kahn. Yes, Cainsham Methodist Church, we've just mentioned there. On Sunday, the 24th, that's Christmas Eve, 10.30am, carol service. That's at Queen's Road Centre. 11pm, midnight Holy Communion at the Victoria Centre. Monday, the 25th of December, Christmas Day, that's 10.30am, morning worship at Victoria. St. Dunstan's Roman Catholic Church, Friday, the 22nd of December, so we're going back again now, 10am, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and morning prayer. Saturday, the 23rd of December, 10-11am, individual confession. Sunday, the 24th, that's Christmas Eve, 11am Mass, 5.30pm, First Christmas Mass. Christmas Day itself, 11am, Mass of the Nativity of Our Lord. Then the evening Pentecostal Church, Sunday, the 24th of December, Christmas Eve, that's a 10am morning service with carols. Then in the evening, 5pm refreshments, followed by 6pm carol service. Now, some dates for your diary from St. John's Church. Sunday, the 7th of January, second Faith in Action service at St. Francis Church, starting at 9.45am, with breakfast from 9.15am. Four local councillors will discuss the issues of political life as a Christian. All are welcome to attend. Saturday, the 27th of January, tabletop sale in St. John's Parish Hall, so any Christmas gifts you would like to be repurposed, or any quality items from a clear house at your home, will be gratefully received, with all proceeds going towards St. John's Church funds. All items can be brought into the parish office when it reopens in the new year. Thank you. And Saturday, the 20th and Sunday, the 21st of April, 2024, there'll be a charity abseil event at St. John's Church, with lots of fun activities for all the family. There'll be more information to follow in the new year, but maybe you need to start practising and volunteer to be part of it. How about that? Now, if you've noticed, we've had no mention of one church in Keynsham. That's because they have actually done so much, had great events and services leading up to Christmas, that they're now all done for Christmas, and they don't have any more services over the Christmas weekend. You're listening to Believe Together, a Churches Together in Keynsham and Salford production for KTCR FM 105.8 and online. Right. Now, referring back to our news headlines, one of them was talking about Dan Walker. The news and sports broadcaster, Dan, has described the words of his favourite carol as life-changing. In a video on the Church of England's official ex-account, Walker described how its lyrics remind him of how Jesus' identity as the Son of God changes everything. If I had to pick one, he said, I'd probably go, Oh Holy Night, but I'm gonna go for a classic, Once in Royal David's City. I think it's either the second or the third verse. It says, it starts with, anyway, He came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all. That's a decent slice of theology, isn't it? The arrival of the Saviour? Because you know, if that's true, if Jesus is the Son of God, who He claimed to be, then that is life-changing, life-affirming truth. And that, for me, is at the very heart of what the Christmas message is all about. Now, referring back to another of our news headlines, which said, Alec Jones announces shock career move after learning what his songs are used for. Well, in fact, that's all about Alec Jones, now going to stop doing everything he has been doing, like the things on Songs of Praise. He's now going to be a celebrant, which means he can help at funerals, weddings, dedications, events like that, organising them and also singing at them. But, of course, Alec Jones is very famous for his rendition of the Snowman songs, especially Walking in the Air, which is what Celia was talking about. Now, in the film, The Snowman, this song was originally sung by St Paul's Cathedral choir boy, Peter Oatey, at the tender age of 13. And we don't hear about that, do we? The singing on this track is one of the defining features of the film. But the song was later released as a single in 1985 by classic FM presenter Alec Jones, then aged 15. And that's the one we remember, isn't it? It became really famous. Now, the other day, I did listen to Alec Jones singing Walking in the Air with his younger self. It's absolutely beautiful. So do try and find it, if you can, on Classic FM Sessions, youtube.com. So let's listen to Walking in the Air. We're walking in the air. We're floating in the moonlit sky. The people's hearts are beating as we fly. I'm holding very tight. I'm riding in the midnight blue. I'm finding I can fly so high above with you. All across the world, the teenagers go by like fleas. The real eyes on the hill, the boys on the street. Children gaze up and down, taken by surprise. Nobody, down below, will hear their cries. We're floating in the air. We're floating in the moonlit sky. We're drifting over ice in our disturbing minds. We're floating in the air. We're floating in the moonlit sky. We're drifting over ice in our disturbing minds. We're floating in the air. We're floating in the moonlit sky. We're drifting over ice in our disturbing minds. We're floating in the air. We're floating in the moonlit sky. We're drifting over ice in our disturbing minds. Now, here's a suggestion for anyone listening who might be looking for something to do over this Christmas, New Year period. You know, the radio can be a really good companion. We would suggest you try tuning in to United Christian Broadcasters, that's UCB, or Premier Christian Radio, usually called Premier, or of course the station that hosts this show, KTCR FM. Now, you remember that Boxing Day, the 26th of December, we celebrate it as being called Boxing Day, but in fact it's St Stephen's Day. And that's when we remember Good King Wenceslas and that song, because he gave out to charities, or to people, to poor people. And it's a reminder for us to keep giving out where we can, isn't it? Well, after an introduction like that, let's hear the famous Bing Crosby version of Good King Wenceslas. Good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephen When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even Brightly shone the moon at night, though the frost was cruel When a poor man came inside, gathering winter fuel Hither, page, and stand by me, if thou know'st it telling Yonder peasant, who is he? Where and what is dwelling? Sir, he lives a goodly kin, underneath a mountain Right against the forest fence, by St Agnes' fountain Then bring me flesh and bring me wine, bring me pine logs hither Thou and I will see him die, when we bear them thither Page and monarch, forth they went, forth they went together Through the rude winds, wild lament, and the bitter weather Sire, the night is darker now, and the winds blow stronger Fails my heart, I know not how, I can go no longer Mark my footsteps, my good page, read thou in them boldly Thou shalt find the winter's rage, freeze thy bloodless folly In his master's steps he trod, where the snow lay dented It was in the very sod, which the saint had presented Wherefore Christian men be sure, while the rank possessing Ye who will now bless the poor, shall yourself find blessing We're running out of time again, doesn't this hour go fast We must of course say an extra big thank you again to Celia for those quiz questions for so many years it seems and of course to her good husband Des who brings us the blessing each week and we'll come to him in just a moment This week we're going to play out our show with Once in Royal David's City sung here by the very famous Daniel O'Donnell Now we're choosing this one this week because this is what we had as Dan Walker's favourite song because of the words in it, so do try and listen to the words as we play this but for now it only remains for us to say goodbye Yes goodbye, we pray that you will have a blessed Christmas in whatever way that you need Indeed, a peaceful and happy Christmas and New Year God bless us all Time for the blessing Grant to us all Lord Jesus the ability to see your guiding hand upon our lives and to trust in your ever forgiving mercy should we go astray and we thank you for your many blessings on this day too Amen Once in Royal David's City Stood a lowly castle shed Where a mother laid her baby In a manger for his bed Mary was a mother mild Jesus Christ her little child He came down to earth from heaven Who is God and Lord of all And his shelter was a stable And his cradle was a stall With the poor and mean and lowly Lived our earth a stable holy And a rising cloud shall speeden Through his own redeeming love For that child so heaven-tender Is our Lord in heaven above And he leads his children all Through the place where he is gone
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