Speak (ADVENT-URE DAY 9)

Welcome in to Day 9 of our Faith Radio Christmas Advent-ure, with this year's theme, "The Story For the Ages."  There are tremendous lessons we can learn from the story surrounding the birth of Christ, and we're focusing in on the various players, the characters in the Christmas narrative.

Zechariah is a most interesting character - we're told in Luke 1 that he was a priest of God, married to Elizabeth, and "...were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord...," according to verse 6.  They had no children, but an angel one day brought the message to Zechariah that his wife would bear a son. Zechariah was skeptical at the message brought by Gabriel and he was silenced until his son, John the Baptist, was born.

Later in Luke 1, we find our theme Scriptures verses for today's Advent reading:
63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John. ” And they all wondered.
64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.

And speak he did - he delivered a marvelous soliloquy about the plan of God and his son's role in it, stating:
76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. ”

Once silenced, Zechariah spoke boldly under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.  Our advent guide states a principle we can take away: "Even after mistakes, we can accept God’s second chances."

Churches in California are continuing to seek second chances in California after being punished during the COVID pandemic.  In 2020, according to The Christian Post:

In December 2020, inspectors with the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) inspected Calvary Chapel San Jose (CCSJ) and its affiliated Calvary Christian Academy (CCA) over complaints about children not wearing masks.

After inspection, the agency filed a petition with the Santa Clara County Superior Court for a warrant to inspect the Academy for Cal/OSHA violations, according to attorneys with Advocates for Faith & Freedom, a religious liberty advocacy group.

A judge slapped over $67 thousand in fines on the church, while attorneys said that the inspectors had been misled by a "faulty affadavit."  The article goes on to say that the attorneys for the church and school, Advocates for Faith and Freedom, "...successfully moved to suppress all evidence obtained under the warrant, arguing it lacked the particularized facts required by the Fourth Amendment. The Superior Court agreed and granted the motion to suppress."  Ultimately, the church and school were cleared.

Joel Oster of Advocates for Faith & Freedom responded by saying, "This is a complete victory, not only for Calvary Christian Academy, but for every church and Christian school in California,” adding, “The State tried to use OSHA as a weapon to intimidate a religious institution. They failed. And they were forced to walk away from their own claims.”

The Christian Post reported that legal organization is also involved in a case that has reached the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to void over $1.2 million in fines against the church's pastor, Mike McClure, because the church held worship services during state-mandated lockdowns.  Oster is quoted as saying, "Churches were punished while secular entities operated freely,” adding, “If government can impose crushing penalties until churches surrender constitutional freedoms, then those freedoms are meaningless.”

Pastor McClure stated: "We answer first and foremost to God...When government commands what God forbids, or forbids what God commands, they have crossed a line our founders would have never permitted and our duty is clear. We gathered in obedience to Christ, and we will continue to stand firm in our allegiance to our Creator who is worthy of our praise. Our trust is not in the courts, but in the Lord who sees and judges righteously."

Across our nation, the fallout of actions taken by government officials against people of faith and churches is continuing to proliferate.  Churches have stood on their deeply-held Biblical principles.  Thousands of military members, for instance, who faced punishment are being reinstated, but many have had endured harassment and engaged in legal action.  The double standards placed upon the practice of faith in our great nation are alarming - while churches were closed, abortion clinics and "businesses" deemed more worthy, or "essential" could play by a different set of rules.

Truth is, there is no more essential entity on planet Earth than the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.  It's sobering to think that as we prepared to celebrate His birth in churches all across America just five years ago, we were having to do so while operating under severe restrictions and gathering virtually rather than in person.  It was a dark and disturbing time, and the impact was devastating to the Church and our culture.  Many have got their footing back, but you have to think that there was lasting damage that was done during that time.  

The COVID pandemic gave people an opportunity to silence the Church, and their efforts, in so many communities, were met by success.  Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, faced a period of silence until his son was born, then he spoke boldly.  He was punished for his unbelief, Christians during COVID were punished for their willingness to stand for their beliefs.  No matter the source or cause, we can discover grace and second chances in the Lord when we face opposition.  Jesus came at the conclusion of 400 years of silence from God, after the book of Malachi was given.  In our darkness, even our separation, we can experience the light of the Lord.   Indeed, as the Scriptures say, the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light!