Welcome to Culture and Christianity.

This is really a historic day.

In many respects, the hostages are being released that have been held by Hamas for more than two years.

So this is remarkable to me.

Culture and Christianity seems like an appropriate title today because I. So this is remarkable to me. It's culture and Christianity

seems like an appropriate title today because I think our faith is being played out in the

headlines of the newspaper, at least in the world media. You know, as much as I had hoped

that those people would be released and as much as I thought it would be amazing if they were,

there was a place in my heart thought only God could ever orchestrate that.

Too much hatred, too much violence, too much evil in Hamas and in that part of the world.

So it is an amazing day, a triumphant day, a joyful day, a joyous day, a day of great celebration.

You know, I'm certain I've beenous day, a day of great celebration.

You know, I'm certain I've been in contact with a variety of my friends in Israel today.

One of them wrote me, he said, there's enough tears of joy today to last us for years to come.

It is a national sigh of relief.

The wars in Israel, modern Israel, are typically very brief.

They've been mobilized for over two years now.

More than a thousand Israelis have died in this conflict,

and there's 20 living hostages that were released today,

and for the Israelis, that's a tremendous victory.

So whatever else I say today, I want it to be framed in the context of that remarkable

miracle of biblical proportions.

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