Clamoring Crowd (ADVENT-URE DAY 17)

On this 17th day of our 25-day Christmas Advent-ure in the annual Faith Radio Advent Guide, we are continuing to examine characters who are present within the Christmas narrative; this year's guide is entitled, "The Story For the Ages," and we have begun to examine some of the groups that we find in the story.

Picture this: someone who has been through an encounter with an angel and experienced a profound work of God in his life has a decision to make.  He is surrounded by a group of friends who are trying to influence him to make a decision other than the one that God has instructed him to make.  But, he is undeterred and boldly declares the godly decision.

Such is the scenario experienced by the father of John the Baptist, the priest Zechariah, after the birth of his son.   Here's how Luke 1 described the scene:
57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son.
58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.
59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father,
60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John. ”
61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name. ”
62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called.
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.

Elizabeth and Zechariah rejected the influence of the crowd, and the declaration of Zechariah was a statement of faith that resulted in an end to the months of silence he had experienced following his unfortunate reaction to the angel who brought the announcement of the conception of John.

It may be in our lives that we have to stand against the crowd - because it's the right, godly, and Biblical thing to do.   In Canada, the "crowd" is attempting to criminalize the public use of Scriptures that government officials deem to be "hateful."   LifeSite News reported:

Liberals have passed an amendment that could criminalize parts of the Bible dealing with homosexuality under Canada’s new “hate speech” laws.

Following a nearly eight-hour committee review on December 9, Liberals adopted an amendment to Bill C-9, the “Combatting Hate Act,” that removed protections in the “hate speech” legislation for quoting Scripture, essentially allowing Canadians to be punished for quoting the Bible.

“This is a direct attack on the freedom of expression and the freedom of religion, given how toxic and how divisive this Bloc amendment is and will continue to be,” Conservative Member of Parliament Larry Brock told the committee.

The article went on to say:

Bill C-9, as reported by LifeSiteNews, has been blasted by constitutional experts as empowering police and the government to go after those it deems to have violated a person’s “feelings” in a “hateful” way.

Now, the Bloc amendment seeks to further restrict free speech. The amendment would remove the “religious exemption” defense, which has historically protected individuals from conviction for willful promotion of hatred if the statements were made “in good faith” and based on a “religious subject” or a “sincerely held” interpretation of religious texts such as passages from the Bible, Quran, or Torah.

As a result, quoting the Bible, Quran, or Torah to condemn abortion, homosexuality, or LGBT propaganda could be considered criminal activity.

The Christian Post had reported that, "Last month, Ontario-based Christian Legal Fellowship (CLF) said the bill's revised definition of 'hatred' could not only result in a definition so 'nebulous and unclear that it makes prosecutions difficult, and enforcement ineffective,' but also be used to 'silence speech that is not hateful but rather hated by those who deem it offensive, and wish to suppress it.'"

Those opposed to this new language are standing strong and fighting back.  A more recent LifeSite article related: "The Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF) said that Bill C-9, or the Combating Hate Act, “Crosses the Line” and is asking Canadians to sign its petition calling for its demise.  In part that petition states, “Bill C-9 is an urgent threat to free expression in Canada,” and says that the “so-called ‘Combating Hate Act” would make sweeping changes to Canada’s hate speech and hate crime laws.”  The petition, that can be signed and sent to Members of Parliament also says, “While prejudice and discrimination should be condemned, the proposed law gives the government new power to subjectively determine which words and ideas are acceptable – a direct threat to the Charter right to freedom of expression..."

Meanwhile, Artur Pawlowski, a Canadian pastor who was arrested multiple times for keeping his church open despite government edicts forbidding worship gatherings, is standing up for a fellow pastor - as The Christian Post reports, the pastor, Derek Reimer, "...was arrested...for not apologizing for protesting drag queen story hours with children at a public library two years ago."  The article, published on December 6, stated:

Reimer was arrested in Calgary on Wednesday after he refused a court order to write and sign an apology to the library manager of Calgary Public Library regarding his 2023 protest at a "Reading with Royalty" event, which featured male drag queens reading to children, according to the Western Standard. Reimer told the Canadian outlet that he felt he had nothing to apologize for.

Reimer was arrested multiple times in 2023 and spent Easter weekend of that year behind bars because of his protests, which prompted widespread attention and condemnation from figures such as Samaritan's Purse CEO Franklin Graham. He was accused at the time of violating a municipal bylaw passed that year prohibiting protests within 100 meters of a recreation facility or library entrance.

The Calgary Police Service confirmed to CP that Reimer was in custody after being arrested Wednesday "for probation issued warrants for breach of a Conditional Sentence Order from a criminal harassment charge."

In Canada, it seems as if a healthy dose of "Thus saith the Lord" is needed.  In the face of the larger and seemingly louder crowd, you find these brave warriors who are calling out unbiblical laws and proclaiming truth.  

While the friends of Zechariah and Elizabeth couldn't necessarily be described as an unruly mob or even a evil crowd, they were seemingly advocating a position that was opposite of what God had intended regarding the name of their child.  Once their protests were abated, the response we find in verse 65 is telling: "...fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea..."  

John the Baptist exhibited this forthright behavior in his earthly ministry, calling people to repentance and boldly declaring the coming of the Kingdom.  Even though we may get pushback, we must purpose within our hearts to faithfully speak out on behalf of the Word of God.  When God gives us instruction to speak in a certain way, we can depend on Him to give us not only the courage, but the content as well.  Jesus came to proclaim the truth about God, about humanity's need for a Savior, and the way to salvation.  When we stand with Him, it can make an impact on the hearts of people.