December 23, 2025 • 30 mins
Hour 3 of The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show, guest-hosted by Brett Winterble from WBT in Charlotte, delivers an inspiring mix of space exploration news, cultural commentary, and a deep dive into the meaning of Christmas. Brett opens the hour celebrating America’s renewed ambition with NASA’s Artemis II mission, scheduled for February 2026. This historic launch will send four astronauts—including NASA’s Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen—on a daring journey around the moon, marking the first human lunar orbit in over 50 years. Brett frames this as a symbol of American exceptionalism and a return to bold achievements after decades of caution, contrasting today’s optimism with past administrations that downplayed U.S. leadership. He argues that space exploration reflects the nation’s founding principles of liberty, innovation, and perseverance, reminding listeners that America thrives when it embraces big challenges.
The conversation then shifts to domestic security and constitutional rights, sparked by a caller advocating for non-lethal weapons in schools as a deterrent against shootings. Brett explores the failure of gun-free zones and emphasizes the importance of exercising constitutional rights to protect students and teachers. He warns that progressive policies often prioritize ideology over safety, leaving soft targets vulnerable. Another caller weighs in on Trump’s tariff strategy, framing tariffs as a negotiating tool for fair trade rather than a permanent policy. Brett agrees, arguing that reciprocal tariffs level the playing field and safeguard American industries in a global economy.
In the latter half of the hour, Brett welcomes Father Bill Nicholas for a profound discussion on the theological and historical dimensions of Christmas. Father Bill explains how the birth of Jesus occurred under an imperial census, highlighting its political context and parallels to modern debates on governance and morality. He explores themes of vulnerability and true power, noting that Christ’s birth in a humble stable redefined kingship and challenged societal elitism. The conversation delves into the Gospel of John’s portrayal of the Incarnation—“The Word became flesh”—as both a birth narrative and a creation story, fulfilling God’s covenant with David through divine intervention. Father Bill also draws connections between ancient practices like child sacrifice and contemporary issues such as abortion, warning that secularization erodes respect for life and faith. The segment concludes with reflections on inclusivity, the call to serve the marginalized, and a blessing for listeners as they prepare to celebrate Christmas.
Make sure you never miss a second of the show by subscribing to the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton show podcast wherever you get your podcasts! ihr.fm/3InlkL8
For the latest updates from Clay & Buck, visit our website https://www.clayandbuck.com/
Connect with Clay Travis and Buck Sexton:
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
While we're spending time with family this holiday season and
Buck is stuck in a sound booth.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Recording his new book. You can listen to us on
the podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
Play Don't Rub It In But That's right. Just fire
up the iHeartRadio app and kick back with the Sunday
Hang guaranteed laughs. Or check out any of our other
great hosts in the Clay and Buck podcast network.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
There's so much content you won't even miss.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Us, but we'll miss you and look forward to speaking
with you again in the new year.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Until then, Shield time and welcome to the Clay and
Buck Show. I am Brett Whitable, sitting in for Clay
and Buck. So grateful to have this time with each
and every one of you. Very exciting. If you don't
know who I am, typically you will hear me over
at WBT in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is a pleasure
to be with you. Our telephone number. Everything is fair
(00:49):
game eight hundred eight two two eight eight two. As
we look at this incredible report that we got from
uh the economy right, We've got we've got an unbelievable
opportunity for growth, and people are just sitting back saying,
wait a minute, how did that happen?
Speaker 4 (01:08):
Well, how did it happen?
Speaker 2 (01:10):
It took a lot of work, It took a lot
of effort, It took a lot of all that sort
of stuff. Not only are we looking at a really
nice economy getting ready to bloom as we get into
twenty twenty six, but what if I told you we
have astronauts suiting up for their journey to the moon. Now. Admittedly,
(01:31):
when I was looking at this story, by the way,
Merry Christmas to everybody. As I was looking at this storyline,
I was saying to myself, wait a minute, Wait a minute.
I remember when we used to send rockets out into
space and then you would have people landing on the moon.
(01:51):
But I guess we have become so so cautious that
we don't really try to do that kind of stuff anymore.
But now we are. So we've got a banging economy,
and we've got people going to their journey to the moon.
But it's not the kind of journey to the moon
(02:13):
that you might think about. Astronauts are suiting up for
their journey to the moon. The countdown is on. If
all goes according to Plan four, astronauts are set to
become the first humans to travel past the confines of
our planet gravity well to the Moon in over half
(02:35):
a century. NASA is hoping to launch its Artemis two
mission a mere two months from now, two months earlier
than originally planned, by launching the four individuals on board
in Orion spacecraft mounted to its enormous Space Launch System
SLS rocket. The goal is not to touch down on
(03:00):
the lunar surface just yet, a goal that NASA has
reserved for its follow up Artemis three mission, which is
tentatively scheduled for twenty twenty seven, but it's nonetheless a
daring feat. The Artemis two crew will be flying around
the Moon and back in an enormous arc. No no, no,
(03:23):
not an arc like Noah's arc, but in an arc
the way. They're going around to the farthest point from
Earth than any human has traveled before, including the Apollo missions,
And though drama has plagued the Artemis program, this next
(03:44):
mission is starting to really come into focus. Over the weekend,
NASA conducted a dress rehearsal for its scheduled February launch date,
and image shows a Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA
astronauts Victor Glover, Reed Weisman, and Christina Koch dressed up
(04:07):
in their bright orange Orion suits. According to the Space Agency,
the countdown demonstration tests simulated what will go down on
launch day itself, including donning the suits and climbing in
and out of the spacecraft. However, the SLS rocket is
not on the launch pad yet, which forced the crew
(04:30):
to board inside the NASA Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building,
that famous place that you've seen so many times. Now,
it remains to be seen if the SLS will roll
out of the pad at Launch Complex thirty nine B,
which played a key role in the Apollo program, But
the Orion was already stacked on the SLS in October
(04:54):
inside the building, allowing astronauts to conduct the rehearsal. So
this is us going back to space in a substantial way.
It's an enormous and highly complex task, but with enormous payoff.
The last time humans were anywhere near the Moon was
during NASA's Apollo seventeen mission, which launched just over fifty
(05:20):
three years ago. See, we as a country have been
told that we can't do important things, big things, and
I'm not talking just about military stuff or wars. Or
things like that. I'm talking about us being the top
(05:41):
of the pile. This is an important point when we
decide that we want to go and chase these sorts
of things and we are able to actually carry it out.
Everybody in the country feels that accomplish for a long time.
(06:03):
And I don't want to make everything political, but for
a long time we've been told we can't do things,
that it's impossible, it's too hard. It's just it's one
of those things where people say, well, you don't have
to quit so easily, you don't have to stop so early.
Just try to do these big things. When we achieve
(06:26):
big things, the rest of the world looks at us,
we are leaders. What you saw between the period of
two thousand and nine and the Trump presidency in that
(06:46):
first term, what you saw was an administration in Obama
Biden that did not want to do great things. They
wanted to just be thought of as just another country,
just another person. When you go back to that time,
(07:07):
you'll remember the famous line in which President Obama said, well,
we are the exception, but the Greeks are exceptional, and
the Turks are exceptional, and the Europeans are exceptional. He
didn't even understand this teacher of law, did not even
understand that the exception was the founding of our constitutional republic,
(07:38):
that we could do great things, that we had the
ability to be the first country that was talking about
freedom and liberty and charting our own courses. The President
of the United States did not even understand that basic concept.
(07:59):
And then Donald Trump, who talked to us in a
way that said, we need to do big things, great things,
important things, until we ran into COVID and Joe Biden
came to the White House and told us and scolded
(08:19):
us and said to us that we are not that great.
We cannot do big things, We cannot pull anything in
any way or shape or form. What we are are
just another cog in the gear. That is not what
(08:41):
this country is predicated on. This country is predicated on
coming to this continent, taming the continent when it comes
to building crops, building buildings, buildings, universities, building all of
these things, working hard and being able to be remunerated
(09:02):
for that, all of that sort of stuff. And we
became the number one place in the entire world that
people wanted to come and see us, to be with us,
to understand what it is that we are capable of doing.
And for a number of years we've hidden our lamp
under a basket. Our lamp is now shining brightly to
(09:30):
people in our country and around the world. Normally I
wouldn't pay so much attention about the idea of going
back to space. But we were the people who did it.
We were the people who achieved it. We are the
people who looked and said we are going there. In
(09:51):
the words of JFK, this is what's important to be
back on top, not holding people back, but leading the
way for the future. And you and I both know
we have that ability to do that. We have that
(10:13):
ability to return. This country is made up of so
many different people, with so many different backgrounds. It's nearly
a guarantee that we would find people who were brilliant
enough to be able to put these things together in
the right pieces in the right time. And that is
(10:36):
what we have inherited. But we must not sit on
our on our accomplishments. We must always understand that we
can go farther and better. I'm Bret Wooable in for
Clay and Buck eight hundred and two A two two
eight a two back after.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
This Patriots radio hosts a couple of regular guys, Clay
Travis and Buck. Sext to find them on the free
iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
And welcome back on Brett woittable in for Clay and
Buck eight two two eight a two. Let's grab a
couple of calls here and we'll see what's on people's minds.
Let's go out and talk to Diane in California. Diane,
welcome to the Clay and Buck Show. What's on your mind?
Speaker 5 (11:24):
Well, thank you so much. I appreciate the opportunity to
speak my mind. Sure, i'd I'd like to comment on
the recent school shooting. I believe that gun free zones
have been an abject failure and that as a deterrent,
I think that all teachers and people in the public
(11:46):
should be required to carry non lethal firearms. I think
it's a deterrent and it goes to a deeper point,
which is these are our right guarantee to us, and
I think instead of posting the Ten Commandments at every
public building, we should post our Bill of Rights. I'm
sure there's a lot of Americans that don't know what
(12:08):
they are.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Sure, Yeah, I think there's a few. Yes, I think
there's a few. Indeed, absolutely. Let me ask you a
question though, hypothetically, so you're you're advocating for something that
is a absolutely reasonable accommodation right where you're saying, we're
not going to make you carry guns like actual gun guns,
(12:30):
but you know, less than lethal uh sort of things.
Are you confident that you would not run a foul,
not not you, but the general you, that you would
run a foul of just less than lethal weaponry, because
I think you would see these people coming around saying,
we can't even do that. What would be the answer to.
Speaker 5 (12:52):
That question, Well, I think that if if the idea
is that we're trying to keep people safe by having
gun free zones, it has proven to be unsafe and
criminals often stake out these places, which was in the
case of this recent university shooting, you know, and they
(13:15):
know that there's there's no way for anyone to defend themselves.
There weren't even any cameras there. So I think that
it is a we we have to practice our rights
if we were given the rights, and in a republic,
you have to practice the rights you were given, otherwise
they go away. That's that's taking away your rights to
(13:37):
just say that we have to be in these gun
free zones. And I think that maybe teachers and maybe
it should be part of their education that they learn
in this world that we live in now, they learn
to use these non lethal weapons and learn to defend
(14:00):
themselves rather than cowering.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
I think that's a I think that's a that's a
great idea. No, No, I'm just you know, I know, like,
especially in a place like California, people would be like,
oh no.
Speaker 4 (14:13):
We can't have any kind of a weapon.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
There's no weapons allowed. Only the bad guys can have
the weapons and all that sort of stuff. And it's
unfortunate because we we we determine these sorts of outcomes
and we have to deal with the blowback. That is
so common sense. And I appreciate you calling Diane a
really great idea. I think it's smart. I think it's important.
(14:38):
I would I would wish for everybody that we would
have the ability to protect all of our kids, all
of the kids. We should not have people coming on
the campus with with illegal firearms looking to murder people.
I mean, my gosh, all we have to do is
go back to Columbine to this moment in time, and
I mean it goes back much further than Columbine. But
(14:59):
when you think about these moments, this is this is
not the way the founders would have wanted it to
be in any way, shape or form. Let's go out
and talk to Gary in Pennsylvania. Gary, welcome to the
Clay and Buck Show. What's on your mind?
Speaker 6 (15:14):
Hey, Brett, you have the opportunity to take my call.
Thank you, Yes, sir, So a couple quick points here. Tariffs, Yes,
very few people recognize and you don't.
Speaker 4 (15:29):
Hear it much.
Speaker 6 (15:30):
A tarish are only a tool, Yep, they're They are
not the end game. They are a tool to get
to an equival place. Everyone talks about equality. That's what
tarisher for.
Speaker 4 (15:44):
That's right, that is right.
Speaker 5 (15:47):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (15:47):
And then concerning the teacher, Uh, the thing out in California. Yes,
that's a a good example. And I don't know these teachers,
but I'm guessing there are quite a few liberal and
(16:10):
conservative teachers out there, and I am guessing that we're
talking teachers. Teachers have an agenda. Their agenda is to
teach students, Yeah, and to give them good role moms.
I think your agenda.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
Yeah, it should not be. It never should be. It
should be the curriculum. That's what we've got to do.
We should not surrender in that regard. Coming up, we've
got Father Bill Nicholas. He's going to be joining us.
We're going to talk about Christmas and all of the
blessings that comes along with that. I just I'm so
(16:49):
excited about this upcoming, Chris. I think it's gonna be
so awesome. It's going to be exciting. We're going to
feel it, and we're going to be we need to be,
and that is at the top of the pile in
the world, and I'm proud of it. I'm not going
to hold it back. I'm Brett Witterable. You're listening to
(17:10):
Clay and Buck. We're back right after this, and welcome
back to the Clay and Buck Show. I'm Brett Whitterable
in for Clay and Buck. Our telephone number eight hundred
two two two eight A two. It is my pleasure
to welcome back to the UH to the airwaves one
of my favorite people, and it is a father, Bill Nicholas,
(17:32):
who joins us here today the day before Christmas Eve,
and it's a it's a pleasure to have you on
the on the program here, father Bill, how are.
Speaker 5 (17:42):
You doing good?
Speaker 4 (17:43):
It's great to join you, Brett.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
It's great to be with you and to uh to
to sort of talk a little bit about, uh, the
celebration that we are going to have on Christmas Day.
And one of the things that I was looking at,
I was looking at the different sort of iteration of
the birth of Christ, and one of the things that
stuck out to me was the notion of the birth
(18:09):
as a political act. This is a very interesting sort
of a take a thought about the notion of Jesus
being born under an imperial census and a tool of
control and taxation.
Speaker 4 (18:23):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Can you can you talk a little bit about the
different sort of iterations here that that that we see
in the in the birth of our of our Savior.
Speaker 4 (18:32):
Oh sure, you're and as you know know following the
political news as you do, and as I try to
every year, we have politicians who try and attach to
their own particular agenda to the birth of Jesus. One
of my favorites is they say that that when they
escape to Egypt, Jesus, Very and Joseph were migrants going
(18:53):
from one country to another when they forget Egypt was
still part of the Roman Empire, and it would be
like moving from state to state in this country. So
isn't quite the connection that they're hoping to make. But
certainly what's included in the story of Jesus, at least
as it is told in the Gospel of Luke, is
that this occurred at a time in which the people
(19:14):
were undergoing a forced migration to the families a city
of origin, in Joseph's case, the city of David Bethlehem
to engage in a census. And of course, what good
is a political activity without attacks, And the implication in
that is there was at least one tradition. Now, to
(19:34):
be frank, the Book of Numbers begins with a census
of the people of God. But there was at least
one tradition, some tradition out there in the ancient Jewish
biblical understanding that only God would know the number of
that uncontrollable multitude. Remember, he initially told Abraham, count the
number of the stars if you can, or the stands
on the shore of the sea, and that is the
(19:56):
number that your descendants will be. And the idea is
that it's uncountable. And so while you still have that
tradition in numbers, that begins, that's why it's called the
Book of Numbers. It begins with a census. There was
also a tradition that only God would know the number,
and to conduct the census was highly offensive to God.
In case in point, on the very very last chapter
(20:17):
of the Second Book of Samuel, King David tries to
conduct the census and he's punished for it. And so
you remember things like that, and you have, Okay, Mary
and Joseph expecting a child, having to take this journey
to Bethlehem along with a lot of other people, and
not only would it be crowded again, no room at
(20:40):
the end. No, I would say, most likely they weren't
the only ones who couldn't find room, Probably not the
only ones who had to take refuge in a stable,
and probably not the only ones who had to take
refuge in that particular stable. But they're in the midst
of doing something that had a great possibility was highly
sacrilegious to them. You know, we have such songs and
I certainly am forced singing them at Christmas, such as
(21:01):
Silent Night in which all is calm, I'm not exactly
sure that was the case. On the night Jesus was born,
as Luke tells the story, I picture a city on
the edge, really on the edge of possibly civil unrest,
not you know, again, in the sittance that we would
see it today, the people of great resentment, that this
foreign pagan power is forcing them to do something that,
(21:23):
at least in some biblical portion parts would be highly offensive.
And then of course Mary and Joseph as she's ready
to give birth, and so you have a political context
in which this is done. And even the book of
the Gospel of Luke begins telling you who's the ruler
in Jerusalem. I believe he mentions the Roman emperor, and
(21:43):
he even tells you who the high priest is in
the temple at the time. So he puts it in
a very particular context of the rulership of the time.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
What about the notion of the king of the Jews, Right,
that's got to be a direct challenge to Caesar, right,
his claim of divinity. How does how does that shake out?
Speaker 5 (22:04):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (22:04):
Well, that there again it takes you to another gospel,
and that's the Gospel of Matthew, where not so much
the imperial power, but certainly King Herod. The story is
that the Maja from the East sought the King of
the Jews where they would expect to find the King
of the Jews, and that is in the halls of
the Jerusalem Palace, and Herod naturally feels threatened by that.
(22:29):
But we also show a certain hint of paganism that
had infiltrated the people at the time. Because you look
at so many ancient pagan cultures, child's sacrifice is a
part of that ancient culture, whether it's ancient Mesopotamia which
Abraham got away from, which sacrifice the first born, or
(22:49):
you look at even in Native American cultures as tech cultures,
where you had human sacrifice in some cases child sacrifice
here at the beginning of Jesus life. The aftermath of that,
inherits efforts to destroy the child is the slaughter of
the innocence. And it's actually a feast day we celebrate,
I believe two days two or three days after Christmas.
We remember the celebration of the slaughter of the innocence.
(23:10):
And that certainly could be compared to what we see
encroaching in our society today. While we're celebrating Christmas, there's
a strong secularization that wants to secularize our country, and
we certainly our country that sees a great deal of
slaughter of innocence in the fact that abortion is still
legal in this country. Granted, Rovers's weight has been overturned,
(23:31):
but it puts it down to the states for the
people to decide. And some states are going one direction,
some states are going another. But we certainly see in
any nation that gets away from the Christian faith, we
do see children being victimized, and so you can certainly
see parallels to that in the Christmas story.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
Visiting with Father Bill Nicholas. It's always good to talk
to him, a good friend of mine and a good
friend of many people who listen to him and see
what it is that's there. The stay becomes a sort
of counter kingdom power redefined from domination to vulnerability. How
(24:09):
does that come to be? Father?
Speaker 4 (24:12):
Well, there we find the question of where is true
power to be found, at least in the eyes of God?
And where are we to find the presence of Christ
continuing even in our will today? Mother Teresa is certainly,
in a very extreme example, reminded us we find Christ
in the poorest of the poor. Pope Francis reminded much
(24:33):
of the chagrin of certain circles. Even in the Catholic Church,
we find Christ on the peripheries, We find Christ in
the outcast. Doesn't mean we compromise on church teaching, but
we need to look to we live, to look for
Christ in the people who are marginalized, in the poor,
and those who are would we would consider separate. And again,
we live in a society in which there's a great
(24:54):
deal of elitism in certain circles, and they probably would
find it a great a troubling notion that God isn't
with them as much as he is with those who
are not among the elites. And certainly Jesus being born
in a stable surrounded by animals, the first ones who
visit him are shepherds and not the elite members of
(25:16):
Jewish society. Again, taking that's from the Gospel of Luke.
The Gospel of Matthew, we have the magi not even
from the Jewish elite. These were astrologers who were foreigners,
the first in the Gospel of Matthew to offer worship
to Jesus. And it certainly does provide a countercultural expectation
to where we find Christ. Christ is to be found everywhere,
(25:40):
but where is that preference? In how it presented? In
that we can presume he's found in our inner circles,
but we're reminded that there are also other circles that
we do find him, and that we need to reach
out and the inclusive, if you will, or at least
mindful of our call to reach out to those who
are law, to those who were on the margins.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
A final sort of a question for you, because I
always like talking to you about this. The Word became flesh.
Is that not a birth story but a creation story?
How has that represented their father?
Speaker 4 (26:18):
Well, again, that takes you to another gospel, and it's
a gospel that doesn't have a story of the birth
of Jesus, but it begins very much with the incarnation.
And that's the Gospel of John. Just as the very
first words of the Book of Genesis in the beginning,
when God created the heavens and the earth, in the
Gospel of John, it starts in the beginning was the Word,
(26:38):
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
And it goes on to say that everything was created
through that word, and then at a certain point it
said the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
And in that word made flesh, we've seen the glory
of God, the glory of an only son coming from
the Father. And that is one of the gospels that
has read in the Catholic Mass, at least of Mass
(26:59):
during the day, and it's a favorite gospel of mine
and of deacons I've worked with who in the Catholic Mass,
if there's a deacon present, he reads the gospel. And
they always like to remind me that that's their role
on that day because they love reading that particular passage
because it speaks it in the theological sense. But not
only that. We look at what's mentioned in the Gospel
(27:23):
of Luke with the annunciation to marry. The Angel not
only tells her that she's going to give birth to
a child to be a savior of the world, but
he's going to restore the reign of David. And I
mentioned David earlier with the census he attempted. But in
the Book of Jeremiah, the family of David, right before
the fall and the exile to Babylon is cursed by
(27:44):
Jeremiah where he says, you know of Jack and Iiah
the king. He says, none of his offspring will sit
on the throne of David or rule any more in Jerusalem.
So record this man as if childless. And it's a
dramatic moment that perhaps is overlooked a lot a lot
of times by in the Gospel, in the book of
the prophet Jeremiah. So God has cursed the family that
(28:04):
he promised would always sit on the throne. God doesn't
contradict himself, So how does he settle to fittle this Well?
In Jesus, God is now entering into the line of David.
And God becomes the line of David, not by blood birth,
but by Joseph claiming Jesus as his own. That's why
I don't like to refer to Joseph as the foster
father of Jesus. A foster father does not lend his
(28:25):
name to the child who raises. But Jesus was considered
a son of Joseph, of the family of David. And
there's where later on the Gospel, the blind man named
Bartimaeus what gets Jesus attention is when he cries out Jesus,
son of David. And so where God had cursed the
family of David for falling so astray right before the
baton of the man exile. He's so fulfilled his promise
(28:45):
to David by inserting himself into the line of David.
And there's where the angel says he will rule over
the House of Jacob forever and others reign. He will
have no end. Why because God is now entered into
the family of David and that rule will be eternal.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
That is fantastic, That is so great in our last moment.
Where can people go and see your sermons talk about
you know, these sorts of things. Uh, where's the best
place for you to connect?
Speaker 4 (29:14):
Well, I'm in my new assignment now in southern Indiana.
It's gotten to be pretty busy. Unfortunately, I haven't been
able to update my YouTube channel, but there's a lot
of archives on it as well. Yes, I have a
YouTube channel that's basically the FR for Father Bill Father
William Nicholas, and I have a website that includes a
regular UH podcast that I try and keep up to date,
(29:35):
and that is FR for Father F R. Bill Nicholas
dot com. One word and the only period is after
the duff before the dot com. So it is f
R Bill Nicholas dot com or my YouTube channel. Father
William Nicholas, thank thanks so much.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
Would you give us a quick blessing.
Speaker 4 (29:53):
I'd be happy to all the best for you and
all your listeners, and the blessing I'm whole nation, I
suppose as we celebrate the great center of our faith
as a Christian society here in the United States, and
mayo might God bless everybody and a name of the
Father and of the Son, end of the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
Thanks so much, Father, We appreciate you and look forward
to catching up again soon. Thanks so much for being
time with us.
Speaker 4 (30:14):
Glad to be with you.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas. Let's get a break in here.
What a great conversation. I'm Brent Woittable in for Clay
and Buck. Let's let's take a.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
Break saving America one thought at a time and Clay
Travis and Buck Sexton. Find them on the free iHeartRadio
app or wherever you get your podcasts.
While we're spending time with family this holiday season and
Buck is stuck in a sound booth.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Recording his new book. You can listen to us on
the podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
Play Don't Rub It In But That's right. Just fire
up the iHeartRadio app and kick back with the Sunday
Hang guaranteed laughs. Or check out any of our other
great hosts in the Clay and Buck podcast network.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
There's so much content you won't even miss.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Us, but we'll miss you and look forward to speaking
with you again in the new year.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Until then, Shield time and welcome to the Clay and
Buck Show. I am Brett Whitable, sitting in for Clay
and Buck. So grateful to have this time with each
and every one of you. Very exciting. If you don't
know who I am, typically you will hear me over
at WBT in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is a pleasure
to be with you. Our telephone number. Everything is fair
(00:49):
game eight hundred eight two two eight eight two. As
we look at this incredible report that we got from
uh the economy right, We've got we've got an unbelievable
opportunity for growth, and people are just sitting back saying,
wait a minute, how did that happen?
Speaker 4 (01:08):
Well, how did it happen?
Speaker 2 (01:10):
It took a lot of work, It took a lot
of effort, It took a lot of all that sort
of stuff. Not only are we looking at a really
nice economy getting ready to bloom as we get into
twenty twenty six, but what if I told you we
have astronauts suiting up for their journey to the moon. Now. Admittedly,
(01:31):
when I was looking at this story, by the way,
Merry Christmas to everybody. As I was looking at this storyline,
I was saying to myself, wait a minute, Wait a minute.
I remember when we used to send rockets out into
space and then you would have people landing on the moon.
(01:51):
But I guess we have become so so cautious that
we don't really try to do that kind of stuff anymore.
But now we are. So we've got a banging economy,
and we've got people going to their journey to the moon.
But it's not the kind of journey to the moon
(02:13):
that you might think about. Astronauts are suiting up for
their journey to the moon. The countdown is on. If
all goes according to Plan four, astronauts are set to
become the first humans to travel past the confines of
our planet gravity well to the Moon in over half
(02:35):
a century. NASA is hoping to launch its Artemis two
mission a mere two months from now, two months earlier
than originally planned, by launching the four individuals on board
in Orion spacecraft mounted to its enormous Space Launch System
SLS rocket. The goal is not to touch down on
(03:00):
the lunar surface just yet, a goal that NASA has
reserved for its follow up Artemis three mission, which is
tentatively scheduled for twenty twenty seven, but it's nonetheless a
daring feat. The Artemis two crew will be flying around
the Moon and back in an enormous arc. No no, no,
(03:23):
not an arc like Noah's arc, but in an arc
the way. They're going around to the farthest point from
Earth than any human has traveled before, including the Apollo missions,
And though drama has plagued the Artemis program, this next
(03:44):
mission is starting to really come into focus. Over the weekend,
NASA conducted a dress rehearsal for its scheduled February launch date,
and image shows a Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA
astronauts Victor Glover, Reed Weisman, and Christina Koch dressed up
(04:07):
in their bright orange Orion suits. According to the Space Agency,
the countdown demonstration tests simulated what will go down on
launch day itself, including donning the suits and climbing in
and out of the spacecraft. However, the SLS rocket is
not on the launch pad yet, which forced the crew
(04:30):
to board inside the NASA Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building,
that famous place that you've seen so many times. Now,
it remains to be seen if the SLS will roll
out of the pad at Launch Complex thirty nine B,
which played a key role in the Apollo program, But
the Orion was already stacked on the SLS in October
(04:54):
inside the building, allowing astronauts to conduct the rehearsal. So
this is us going back to space in a substantial way.
It's an enormous and highly complex task, but with enormous payoff.
The last time humans were anywhere near the Moon was
during NASA's Apollo seventeen mission, which launched just over fifty
(05:20):
three years ago. See, we as a country have been
told that we can't do important things, big things, and
I'm not talking just about military stuff or wars. Or
things like that. I'm talking about us being the top
(05:41):
of the pile. This is an important point when we
decide that we want to go and chase these sorts
of things and we are able to actually carry it out.
Everybody in the country feels that accomplish for a long time.
(06:03):
And I don't want to make everything political, but for
a long time we've been told we can't do things,
that it's impossible, it's too hard. It's just it's one
of those things where people say, well, you don't have
to quit so easily, you don't have to stop so early.
Just try to do these big things. When we achieve
(06:26):
big things, the rest of the world looks at us,
we are leaders. What you saw between the period of
two thousand and nine and the Trump presidency in that
(06:46):
first term, what you saw was an administration in Obama
Biden that did not want to do great things. They
wanted to just be thought of as just another country,
just another person. When you go back to that time,
(07:07):
you'll remember the famous line in which President Obama said, well,
we are the exception, but the Greeks are exceptional, and
the Turks are exceptional, and the Europeans are exceptional. He
didn't even understand this teacher of law, did not even
understand that the exception was the founding of our constitutional republic,
(07:38):
that we could do great things, that we had the
ability to be the first country that was talking about
freedom and liberty and charting our own courses. The President
of the United States did not even understand that basic concept.
(07:59):
And then Donald Trump, who talked to us in a
way that said, we need to do big things, great things,
important things, until we ran into COVID and Joe Biden
came to the White House and told us and scolded
(08:19):
us and said to us that we are not that great.
We cannot do big things, We cannot pull anything in
any way or shape or form. What we are are
just another cog in the gear. That is not what
(08:41):
this country is predicated on. This country is predicated on
coming to this continent, taming the continent when it comes
to building crops, building buildings, buildings, universities, building all of
these things, working hard and being able to be remunerated
(09:02):
for that, all of that sort of stuff. And we
became the number one place in the entire world that
people wanted to come and see us, to be with us,
to understand what it is that we are capable of doing.
And for a number of years we've hidden our lamp
under a basket. Our lamp is now shining brightly to
(09:30):
people in our country and around the world. Normally I
wouldn't pay so much attention about the idea of going
back to space. But we were the people who did it.
We were the people who achieved it. We are the
people who looked and said we are going there. In
(09:51):
the words of JFK, this is what's important to be
back on top, not holding people back, but leading the
way for the future. And you and I both know
we have that ability to do that. We have that
(10:13):
ability to return. This country is made up of so
many different people, with so many different backgrounds. It's nearly
a guarantee that we would find people who were brilliant
enough to be able to put these things together in
the right pieces in the right time. And that is
(10:36):
what we have inherited. But we must not sit on
our on our accomplishments. We must always understand that we
can go farther and better. I'm Bret Wooable in for
Clay and Buck eight hundred and two A two two
eight a two back after.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
This Patriots radio hosts a couple of regular guys, Clay
Travis and Buck. Sext to find them on the free
iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
And welcome back on Brett woittable in for Clay and
Buck eight two two eight a two. Let's grab a
couple of calls here and we'll see what's on people's minds.
Let's go out and talk to Diane in California. Diane,
welcome to the Clay and Buck Show. What's on your mind?
Speaker 5 (11:24):
Well, thank you so much. I appreciate the opportunity to
speak my mind. Sure, i'd I'd like to comment on
the recent school shooting. I believe that gun free zones
have been an abject failure and that as a deterrent,
I think that all teachers and people in the public
(11:46):
should be required to carry non lethal firearms. I think
it's a deterrent and it goes to a deeper point,
which is these are our right guarantee to us, and
I think instead of posting the Ten Commandments at every
public building, we should post our Bill of Rights. I'm
sure there's a lot of Americans that don't know what
(12:08):
they are.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Sure, Yeah, I think there's a few. Yes, I think
there's a few. Indeed, absolutely. Let me ask you a
question though, hypothetically, so you're you're advocating for something that
is a absolutely reasonable accommodation right where you're saying, we're
not going to make you carry guns like actual gun guns,
(12:30):
but you know, less than lethal uh sort of things.
Are you confident that you would not run a foul,
not not you, but the general you, that you would
run a foul of just less than lethal weaponry, because
I think you would see these people coming around saying,
we can't even do that. What would be the answer to.
Speaker 5 (12:52):
That question, Well, I think that if if the idea
is that we're trying to keep people safe by having
gun free zones, it has proven to be unsafe and
criminals often stake out these places, which was in the
case of this recent university shooting, you know, and they
(13:15):
know that there's there's no way for anyone to defend themselves.
There weren't even any cameras there. So I think that
it is a we we have to practice our rights
if we were given the rights, and in a republic,
you have to practice the rights you were given, otherwise
they go away. That's that's taking away your rights to
(13:37):
just say that we have to be in these gun
free zones. And I think that maybe teachers and maybe
it should be part of their education that they learn
in this world that we live in now, they learn
to use these non lethal weapons and learn to defend
(14:00):
themselves rather than cowering.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
I think that's a I think that's a that's a
great idea. No, No, I'm just you know, I know, like,
especially in a place like California, people would be like,
oh no.
Speaker 4 (14:13):
We can't have any kind of a weapon.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
There's no weapons allowed. Only the bad guys can have
the weapons and all that sort of stuff. And it's
unfortunate because we we we determine these sorts of outcomes
and we have to deal with the blowback. That is
so common sense. And I appreciate you calling Diane a
really great idea. I think it's smart. I think it's important.
(14:38):
I would I would wish for everybody that we would
have the ability to protect all of our kids, all
of the kids. We should not have people coming on
the campus with with illegal firearms looking to murder people.
I mean, my gosh, all we have to do is
go back to Columbine to this moment in time, and
I mean it goes back much further than Columbine. But
(14:59):
when you think about these moments, this is this is
not the way the founders would have wanted it to
be in any way, shape or form. Let's go out
and talk to Gary in Pennsylvania. Gary, welcome to the
Clay and Buck Show. What's on your mind?
Speaker 6 (15:14):
Hey, Brett, you have the opportunity to take my call.
Thank you, Yes, sir, So a couple quick points here. Tariffs, Yes,
very few people recognize and you don't.
Speaker 4 (15:29):
Hear it much.
Speaker 6 (15:30):
A tarish are only a tool, Yep, they're They are
not the end game. They are a tool to get
to an equival place. Everyone talks about equality. That's what
tarisher for.
Speaker 4 (15:44):
That's right, that is right.
Speaker 5 (15:47):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (15:47):
And then concerning the teacher, Uh, the thing out in California. Yes,
that's a a good example. And I don't know these teachers,
but I'm guessing there are quite a few liberal and
(16:10):
conservative teachers out there, and I am guessing that we're
talking teachers. Teachers have an agenda. Their agenda is to
teach students, Yeah, and to give them good role moms.
I think your agenda.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
Yeah, it should not be. It never should be. It
should be the curriculum. That's what we've got to do.
We should not surrender in that regard. Coming up, we've
got Father Bill Nicholas. He's going to be joining us.
We're going to talk about Christmas and all of the
blessings that comes along with that. I just I'm so
(16:49):
excited about this upcoming, Chris. I think it's gonna be
so awesome. It's going to be exciting. We're going to
feel it, and we're going to be we need to be,
and that is at the top of the pile in
the world, and I'm proud of it. I'm not going
to hold it back. I'm Brett Witterable. You're listening to
(17:10):
Clay and Buck. We're back right after this, and welcome
back to the Clay and Buck Show. I'm Brett Whitterable
in for Clay and Buck. Our telephone number eight hundred
two two two eight A two. It is my pleasure
to welcome back to the UH to the airwaves one
of my favorite people, and it is a father, Bill Nicholas,
(17:32):
who joins us here today the day before Christmas Eve,
and it's a it's a pleasure to have you on
the on the program here, father Bill, how are.
Speaker 5 (17:42):
You doing good?
Speaker 4 (17:43):
It's great to join you, Brett.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
It's great to be with you and to uh to
to sort of talk a little bit about, uh, the
celebration that we are going to have on Christmas Day.
And one of the things that I was looking at,
I was looking at the different sort of iteration of
the birth of Christ, and one of the things that
stuck out to me was the notion of the birth
(18:09):
as a political act. This is a very interesting sort
of a take a thought about the notion of Jesus
being born under an imperial census and a tool of
control and taxation.
Speaker 4 (18:23):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Can you can you talk a little bit about the
different sort of iterations here that that that we see
in the in the birth of our of our Savior.
Speaker 4 (18:32):
Oh sure, you're and as you know know following the
political news as you do, and as I try to
every year, we have politicians who try and attach to
their own particular agenda to the birth of Jesus. One
of my favorites is they say that that when they
escape to Egypt, Jesus, Very and Joseph were migrants going
(18:53):
from one country to another when they forget Egypt was
still part of the Roman Empire, and it would be
like moving from state to state in this country. So
isn't quite the connection that they're hoping to make. But
certainly what's included in the story of Jesus, at least
as it is told in the Gospel of Luke, is
that this occurred at a time in which the people
(19:14):
were undergoing a forced migration to the families a city
of origin, in Joseph's case, the city of David Bethlehem
to engage in a census. And of course, what good
is a political activity without attacks, And the implication in
that is there was at least one tradition. Now, to
(19:34):
be frank, the Book of Numbers begins with a census
of the people of God. But there was at least
one tradition, some tradition out there in the ancient Jewish
biblical understanding that only God would know the number of
that uncontrollable multitude. Remember, he initially told Abraham, count the
number of the stars if you can, or the stands
on the shore of the sea, and that is the
(19:56):
number that your descendants will be. And the idea is
that it's uncountable. And so while you still have that
tradition in numbers, that begins, that's why it's called the
Book of Numbers. It begins with a census. There was
also a tradition that only God would know the number,
and to conduct the census was highly offensive to God.
In case in point, on the very very last chapter
(20:17):
of the Second Book of Samuel, King David tries to
conduct the census and he's punished for it. And so
you remember things like that, and you have, Okay, Mary
and Joseph expecting a child, having to take this journey
to Bethlehem along with a lot of other people, and
not only would it be crowded again, no room at
(20:40):
the end. No, I would say, most likely they weren't
the only ones who couldn't find room, Probably not the
only ones who had to take refuge in a stable,
and probably not the only ones who had to take
refuge in that particular stable. But they're in the midst
of doing something that had a great possibility was highly
sacrilegious to them. You know, we have such songs and
I certainly am forced singing them at Christmas, such as
(21:01):
Silent Night in which all is calm, I'm not exactly
sure that was the case. On the night Jesus was born,
as Luke tells the story, I picture a city on
the edge, really on the edge of possibly civil unrest,
not you know, again, in the sittance that we would
see it today, the people of great resentment, that this
foreign pagan power is forcing them to do something that,
(21:23):
at least in some biblical portion parts would be highly offensive.
And then of course Mary and Joseph as she's ready
to give birth, and so you have a political context
in which this is done. And even the book of
the Gospel of Luke begins telling you who's the ruler
in Jerusalem. I believe he mentions the Roman emperor, and
(21:43):
he even tells you who the high priest is in
the temple at the time. So he puts it in
a very particular context of the rulership of the time.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
What about the notion of the king of the Jews, Right,
that's got to be a direct challenge to Caesar, right,
his claim of divinity. How does how does that shake out?
Speaker 5 (22:04):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (22:04):
Well, that there again it takes you to another gospel,
and that's the Gospel of Matthew, where not so much
the imperial power, but certainly King Herod. The story is
that the Maja from the East sought the King of
the Jews where they would expect to find the King
of the Jews, and that is in the halls of
the Jerusalem Palace, and Herod naturally feels threatened by that.
(22:29):
But we also show a certain hint of paganism that
had infiltrated the people at the time. Because you look
at so many ancient pagan cultures, child's sacrifice is a
part of that ancient culture, whether it's ancient Mesopotamia which
Abraham got away from, which sacrifice the first born, or
(22:49):
you look at even in Native American cultures as tech cultures,
where you had human sacrifice in some cases child sacrifice
here at the beginning of Jesus life. The aftermath of that,
inherits efforts to destroy the child is the slaughter of
the innocence. And it's actually a feast day we celebrate,
I believe two days two or three days after Christmas.
We remember the celebration of the slaughter of the innocence.
(23:10):
And that certainly could be compared to what we see
encroaching in our society today. While we're celebrating Christmas, there's
a strong secularization that wants to secularize our country, and
we certainly our country that sees a great deal of
slaughter of innocence in the fact that abortion is still
legal in this country. Granted, Rovers's weight has been overturned,
(23:31):
but it puts it down to the states for the
people to decide. And some states are going one direction,
some states are going another. But we certainly see in
any nation that gets away from the Christian faith, we
do see children being victimized, and so you can certainly
see parallels to that in the Christmas story.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
Visiting with Father Bill Nicholas. It's always good to talk
to him, a good friend of mine and a good
friend of many people who listen to him and see
what it is that's there. The stay becomes a sort
of counter kingdom power redefined from domination to vulnerability. How
(24:09):
does that come to be? Father?
Speaker 4 (24:12):
Well, there we find the question of where is true
power to be found, at least in the eyes of God?
And where are we to find the presence of Christ
continuing even in our will today? Mother Teresa is certainly,
in a very extreme example, reminded us we find Christ
in the poorest of the poor. Pope Francis reminded much
(24:33):
of the chagrin of certain circles. Even in the Catholic Church,
we find Christ on the peripheries, We find Christ in
the outcast. Doesn't mean we compromise on church teaching, but
we need to look to we live, to look for
Christ in the people who are marginalized, in the poor,
and those who are would we would consider separate. And again,
we live in a society in which there's a great
(24:54):
deal of elitism in certain circles, and they probably would
find it a great a troubling notion that God isn't
with them as much as he is with those who
are not among the elites. And certainly Jesus being born
in a stable surrounded by animals, the first ones who
visit him are shepherds and not the elite members of
(25:16):
Jewish society. Again, taking that's from the Gospel of Luke.
The Gospel of Matthew, we have the magi not even
from the Jewish elite. These were astrologers who were foreigners,
the first in the Gospel of Matthew to offer worship
to Jesus. And it certainly does provide a countercultural expectation
to where we find Christ. Christ is to be found everywhere,
(25:40):
but where is that preference? In how it presented? In
that we can presume he's found in our inner circles,
but we're reminded that there are also other circles that
we do find him, and that we need to reach
out and the inclusive, if you will, or at least
mindful of our call to reach out to those who
are law, to those who were on the margins.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
A final sort of a question for you, because I
always like talking to you about this. The Word became flesh.
Is that not a birth story but a creation story?
How has that represented their father?
Speaker 4 (26:18):
Well, again, that takes you to another gospel, and it's
a gospel that doesn't have a story of the birth
of Jesus, but it begins very much with the incarnation.
And that's the Gospel of John. Just as the very
first words of the Book of Genesis in the beginning,
when God created the heavens and the earth, in the
Gospel of John, it starts in the beginning was the Word,
(26:38):
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
And it goes on to say that everything was created
through that word, and then at a certain point it
said the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
And in that word made flesh, we've seen the glory
of God, the glory of an only son coming from
the Father. And that is one of the gospels that
has read in the Catholic Mass, at least of Mass
(26:59):
during the day, and it's a favorite gospel of mine
and of deacons I've worked with who in the Catholic Mass,
if there's a deacon present, he reads the gospel. And
they always like to remind me that that's their role
on that day because they love reading that particular passage
because it speaks it in the theological sense. But not
only that. We look at what's mentioned in the Gospel
(27:23):
of Luke with the annunciation to marry. The Angel not
only tells her that she's going to give birth to
a child to be a savior of the world, but
he's going to restore the reign of David. And I
mentioned David earlier with the census he attempted. But in
the Book of Jeremiah, the family of David, right before
the fall and the exile to Babylon is cursed by
(27:44):
Jeremiah where he says, you know of Jack and Iiah
the king. He says, none of his offspring will sit
on the throne of David or rule any more in Jerusalem.
So record this man as if childless. And it's a
dramatic moment that perhaps is overlooked a lot a lot
of times by in the Gospel, in the book of
the prophet Jeremiah. So God has cursed the family that
(28:04):
he promised would always sit on the throne. God doesn't
contradict himself, So how does he settle to fittle this Well?
In Jesus, God is now entering into the line of David.
And God becomes the line of David, not by blood birth,
but by Joseph claiming Jesus as his own. That's why
I don't like to refer to Joseph as the foster
father of Jesus. A foster father does not lend his
(28:25):
name to the child who raises. But Jesus was considered
a son of Joseph, of the family of David. And
there's where later on the Gospel, the blind man named
Bartimaeus what gets Jesus attention is when he cries out Jesus,
son of David. And so where God had cursed the
family of David for falling so astray right before the
baton of the man exile. He's so fulfilled his promise
(28:45):
to David by inserting himself into the line of David.
And there's where the angel says he will rule over
the House of Jacob forever and others reign. He will
have no end. Why because God is now entered into
the family of David and that rule will be eternal.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
That is fantastic, That is so great in our last moment.
Where can people go and see your sermons talk about
you know, these sorts of things. Uh, where's the best
place for you to connect?
Speaker 4 (29:14):
Well, I'm in my new assignment now in southern Indiana.
It's gotten to be pretty busy. Unfortunately, I haven't been
able to update my YouTube channel, but there's a lot
of archives on it as well. Yes, I have a
YouTube channel that's basically the FR for Father Bill Father
William Nicholas, and I have a website that includes a
regular UH podcast that I try and keep up to date,
(29:35):
and that is FR for Father F R. Bill Nicholas
dot com. One word and the only period is after
the duff before the dot com. So it is f
R Bill Nicholas dot com or my YouTube channel. Father
William Nicholas, thank thanks so much.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
Would you give us a quick blessing.
Speaker 4 (29:53):
I'd be happy to all the best for you and
all your listeners, and the blessing I'm whole nation, I
suppose as we celebrate the great center of our faith
as a Christian society here in the United States, and
mayo might God bless everybody and a name of the
Father and of the Son, end of the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
Thanks so much, Father, We appreciate you and look forward
to catching up again soon. Thanks so much for being
time with us.
Speaker 4 (30:14):
Glad to be with you.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas. Let's get a break in here.
What a great conversation. I'm Brent Woittable in for Clay
and Buck. Let's let's take a.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
Break saving America one thought at a time and Clay
Travis and Buck Sexton. Find them on the free iHeartRadio
app or wherever you get your podcasts.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show News
Hosts And Creators
Clay Travis
Buck Sexton
Show Links
WebsiteNewsletterPopular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Bobby Bones Show
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.