Gabriel: I Was There
Drama
Hoof 'N Mouth Disease
Biblical Monologues and How to Do Them
Object:
THEME:
Salvation history is not a series of whimsical happenings. What happens is by design. The Biblical witness suggests not only a loving God, but cosmic evil forces in combat with the Almighty. The archangel Gabriel shares all this from the perspective of an "eyewitness."
SETTING FOR THE SERMON MONOLOGUE:
I have used this monologue on two occasions. The first time, I used it in slightly different form for Easter. The second time, I wrote it for Christmas. With slight modification, it could be used for any Sunday.
* * *
You look out into the sky and call it the heavens.
You look beyond that immediate atmosphere you see into space,
where your mighty spaceships have explored.
You see the sun, the moon and the stars.
That, too, you call heaven.
But I come from a place, beyond time and space,
that you also call heaven.
I am Gabriel.
The gospel of Luke tells you of my words to Zechariah announcing
to the old man and his barren wife
the conception of a son, John the Baptist.
"I stand in the presence of God, and I bring good news," I said.
Because of my unique position --
standing in the presence of God,
I have been privy to the plans of the councils of heaven.
I have listened to the dreams of the Almighty;
I have also seen the attempts to thwart those dreams
and purposes.
Let me assure you that He is the Almighty --
the King of Kings --
Lord of Lords --
there is none like Him.
It may seem, though, at times, that His plans are being derailed --
that evil and injustice are triumphing.
The message of the birth of a babe in Bethlehem --
the message of the empty tomb is that He,
the Creator has won --
He -- the Creator -- shall continue to win --
and that the kingdoms of this world
shall become the kingdoms of our Lord --
and of His Christ.
Yes, I was there.
I was there when Lucifer, the beautiful one,
the shining one,
rebelled and led one third of the angelic beings in an
attempt to dethrone God.
Lucifer lost the battle, but still war rages on in the heavens.
The plans and schemes made there are often carried out on the earth.
But --
the Lord God, the Creator continued His creative work.
He created the earth, the sun, the moon and the stars.
I saw the Lord breathe the breath of life into man --
and man, Adam, became a living being,
made in the likeness of his Creator.
And God looked upon His entire creation --
and "behold it was good."
It did not remain so, however.
The evil schemes of the Shining One --
Lucifer,
the Satan,
perverted the purpose of God in His creation.
A terrible darkness settled over the earth.
It looked as though the Satan had won.
Sin, disease, injustice became rampant in the world.
Men slaughtered one another.
The self-centered ego of man became ascendant --
you would have thought the Satan was their father.
Certainly, mankind followed him and his ways.
But, God dreamed another dream.
His children were gone astray,
but He would single out a people,
the descendants of Abraham and Sarah,
to represent Him and point the way back to Himself.
However, Sarah was infertile;
again, it appeared that Lucifer had won.
But --
in her old age God created life in her womb --
with, of course, a little assistance from Abraham.
A people was launched to represent Him.
The Lord had hardly won that battle,
when the Satan launched a new offensive.
The great destroyer launched a famine in the land of Abraham's
descendants that threatened to destroy them.
My God is a winner, however,
and He made provision for His people.
The grandson of Abraham --
the Sons of Israel,
went into Egypt --
won favor for them with the Pharaoh.
Lucifer was undaunted.
In time, he made the Israelis seem to be a threat to the Egyptians.
To wipe out the future of the race,
he induced the new Pharaoh to decree
that all male descendants of Abraham be killed
as soon as they were born.
But I, who stand in the presence of God,
saw the Almighty counter
by warming the heart of Pharaoh's own daughter towards
one tiny Israelite male --
Moses --
It was this Moses who led His people out of Egypt --
out of slavery.
In fact he became the great lawgiver --
the one who transmitted the very laws of God to the people.
We angels looked on the ingenuity and majesty of God with wonder and delight.
But --
the Israelites did not always honor their Creator and His laws in their hearts.
They often forsook Him and followed after false gods --
gods inspired by the Satan himself --
whose ways "led the people into destruction."
They became weak and captive to other nations.
Still the Almighty was working out a plan --
He would send His only son to make a way,
and show that way to this mass of confused humanity.
He would be born of a virgin as a special sign.
He would be the second Adam.
In the first Adam men would all die.
In the second Adam, all would be made alive.
I myself, Gabriel, brought the message to Mary that she would be
the mother of this child --
the child whose birth you celebrate this day.
Satan does not give up easily, however.
He had a decree go out from the ruler Herod that all male Israeli
babies in the Bethlehem area be put to death.
But, my God, in whose presence I stand,
whispered into the ear of Joseph,
Mary's husband to be,
to flee into Egypt, taking Mary and the lad along.
When Herod was dead, Joseph, Mary, and Yeshua returned to Israel,
and settled in Nazareth.
I watched him grow up.
He was "some kind" of a boy.
He became "some kind" of a man.
At age thirty, He became a rabbi,
and kept saying He was uniquely related to the Father --
that to see Him was to see the Father.
He indeed embodied the essence of the Father,
He also reflected humanity's own highest aspirations.
The people loved him --
perhaps too much.
It aroused jealousy in religious leaders.
The Satan used the jealousy, as well as the pettiness of the Roman leaders and some of the Jewish rabbis and priests
to have Him executed.
So much for the plans of the Creator.
It appeared to be all over.
His execution was awesome and bloody.
It was a terribly dark moment.
The skies rumbled --
literal darkness swept the land --
an earthquake ravished Jerusalem.
Even Yeshua, hanging on a cross, was heard to say,
"My God! My God!
Why have you forsaken me!"
Moments later, as the earth and skies split apart,
the "Savior" of mankind was heard to yell,
"It is finished!"
It seemed hopeless.
All was silent.
The curtain that limited access to the Holy of Holies in the temple,
the temple where He had so often taught,
was split from bottom to top!
In hell, Lucifer and his demonic angels were heard to be uttering loud,
raucous,
sardonic laughter.
Please forgive this anachronistic depiction,
but can you imagine the Saturday morning obituary in the
Jerusalem Post, if this had happened in your time?
It would read:
Yeshuah Bar Joseph, age 33, citizen of Nazareth.
He was a carpenter until three years ago
when he became a self-appointed,
itinerant
rabbinical teacher.
Loved by many, he was nonetheless controversial.
He was rejected in his own city of Nazareth.
Members of his own synagogue once attempted to stone him for blasphemy:
He had made himself equal to Yaweh.
Several of his own brothers proclaimed him mad.
Still others called him Lord,
the Messiah,
the deliverer,
King of the Jews --
the one who would throw off the yoke of the
Romans.
He was executed yesterday as a revolutionary.
He died on a criminal's cross during the time of the earthquake.
He was buried in the tomb of one Joseph of Arimathea.
He leaves behind his mother Mary,
an unknown number of brothers and sisters,
numerous friends and followers.
No memorial service has been announced.
Early Sunday morning,
they would have interrupted the regularly scheduled program on Jerusalem TV networks with the following
news announcement:
"Officials are alarmed at the discovery that the body of
Yeshua Bar Joseph,
the revolutionary who was crucified on Friday,
is missing.
He called himself the Son of God,
and declared that if executed,
He would rise again on the third day.
Guards were posted at His tomb to insure that His body could
not have been snatched.
Even though it is a capital offense to do so,
the guards have stated they fell asleep.
When they awoke, the tomb was empty.
JTV looked for the guards to confirm or deny the rumor.
The guards are being held in seclusion,
and may not be interviewed.
Reporters on the scene at the mouth of the tomb confirm that the very large stone covering the opening
has been rolled away.
The tomb itself is empty.
We'll update as we receive more news --
now back to our regularly scheduled program."
I, Gabriel, was there at the empty tomb.
I observed as my fellow angels joyfully announced to the two
weeping Marys and Joanna that He is alive --
alive forevermore.
And in heaven, I, Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God,
saw the elders and the angels --
ten thousands by ten thousands,
gathered around the throne,
prostrate before the ascended Son.
In a loud voice they were singing,
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth
and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!
To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power
for ever and ever...."
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of His Christ,
and He shall reign forever and ever. (Revelation 5:12, 13b; 11:15b NIV)
Yes, it is finished!
So is Satan.
That's the message from the moment of His birth.
That's the message of the empty tomb.
Justice has triumphed.
A body of people has been born,
whose spirits and hearts have been awakened --
turned toward the God of love, and truth and justice.
He shall triumph gloriously.
Justice is come upon the earth!!
Remember this when the skies roll dark,
when the thunder claps,
when the foundations of the earth shake.
It is finished!
It is finished indeed.
The kingdoms of this earth have become the kingdom of our Lord
and of His Christ.
Because He lives, you too shall live.
Though it may seem at times that the forces of darkness are
overcoming the light,
that is an illusion.
So, I bring you a paradox:
the war is won,
but the battle continues.
Justice has been done;
justice is being done;
justice will be done.
The Lord God is triumphant.
I know --
my name is Gabriel;
I stand in the presence of God;
I was there.
That is why the angels sang at His birth --
that is why we continue to sing,
"Glory to God in the highest!"
Salvation history is not a series of whimsical happenings. What happens is by design. The Biblical witness suggests not only a loving God, but cosmic evil forces in combat with the Almighty. The archangel Gabriel shares all this from the perspective of an "eyewitness."
SETTING FOR THE SERMON MONOLOGUE:
I have used this monologue on two occasions. The first time, I used it in slightly different form for Easter. The second time, I wrote it for Christmas. With slight modification, it could be used for any Sunday.
* * *
You look out into the sky and call it the heavens.
You look beyond that immediate atmosphere you see into space,
where your mighty spaceships have explored.
You see the sun, the moon and the stars.
That, too, you call heaven.
But I come from a place, beyond time and space,
that you also call heaven.
I am Gabriel.
The gospel of Luke tells you of my words to Zechariah announcing
to the old man and his barren wife
the conception of a son, John the Baptist.
"I stand in the presence of God, and I bring good news," I said.
Because of my unique position --
standing in the presence of God,
I have been privy to the plans of the councils of heaven.
I have listened to the dreams of the Almighty;
I have also seen the attempts to thwart those dreams
and purposes.
Let me assure you that He is the Almighty --
the King of Kings --
Lord of Lords --
there is none like Him.
It may seem, though, at times, that His plans are being derailed --
that evil and injustice are triumphing.
The message of the birth of a babe in Bethlehem --
the message of the empty tomb is that He,
the Creator has won --
He -- the Creator -- shall continue to win --
and that the kingdoms of this world
shall become the kingdoms of our Lord --
and of His Christ.
Yes, I was there.
I was there when Lucifer, the beautiful one,
the shining one,
rebelled and led one third of the angelic beings in an
attempt to dethrone God.
Lucifer lost the battle, but still war rages on in the heavens.
The plans and schemes made there are often carried out on the earth.
But --
the Lord God, the Creator continued His creative work.
He created the earth, the sun, the moon and the stars.
I saw the Lord breathe the breath of life into man --
and man, Adam, became a living being,
made in the likeness of his Creator.
And God looked upon His entire creation --
and "behold it was good."
It did not remain so, however.
The evil schemes of the Shining One --
Lucifer,
the Satan,
perverted the purpose of God in His creation.
A terrible darkness settled over the earth.
It looked as though the Satan had won.
Sin, disease, injustice became rampant in the world.
Men slaughtered one another.
The self-centered ego of man became ascendant --
you would have thought the Satan was their father.
Certainly, mankind followed him and his ways.
But, God dreamed another dream.
His children were gone astray,
but He would single out a people,
the descendants of Abraham and Sarah,
to represent Him and point the way back to Himself.
However, Sarah was infertile;
again, it appeared that Lucifer had won.
But --
in her old age God created life in her womb --
with, of course, a little assistance from Abraham.
A people was launched to represent Him.
The Lord had hardly won that battle,
when the Satan launched a new offensive.
The great destroyer launched a famine in the land of Abraham's
descendants that threatened to destroy them.
My God is a winner, however,
and He made provision for His people.
The grandson of Abraham --
the Sons of Israel,
went into Egypt --
won favor for them with the Pharaoh.
Lucifer was undaunted.
In time, he made the Israelis seem to be a threat to the Egyptians.
To wipe out the future of the race,
he induced the new Pharaoh to decree
that all male descendants of Abraham be killed
as soon as they were born.
But I, who stand in the presence of God,
saw the Almighty counter
by warming the heart of Pharaoh's own daughter towards
one tiny Israelite male --
Moses --
It was this Moses who led His people out of Egypt --
out of slavery.
In fact he became the great lawgiver --
the one who transmitted the very laws of God to the people.
We angels looked on the ingenuity and majesty of God with wonder and delight.
But --
the Israelites did not always honor their Creator and His laws in their hearts.
They often forsook Him and followed after false gods --
gods inspired by the Satan himself --
whose ways "led the people into destruction."
They became weak and captive to other nations.
Still the Almighty was working out a plan --
He would send His only son to make a way,
and show that way to this mass of confused humanity.
He would be born of a virgin as a special sign.
He would be the second Adam.
In the first Adam men would all die.
In the second Adam, all would be made alive.
I myself, Gabriel, brought the message to Mary that she would be
the mother of this child --
the child whose birth you celebrate this day.
Satan does not give up easily, however.
He had a decree go out from the ruler Herod that all male Israeli
babies in the Bethlehem area be put to death.
But, my God, in whose presence I stand,
whispered into the ear of Joseph,
Mary's husband to be,
to flee into Egypt, taking Mary and the lad along.
When Herod was dead, Joseph, Mary, and Yeshua returned to Israel,
and settled in Nazareth.
I watched him grow up.
He was "some kind" of a boy.
He became "some kind" of a man.
At age thirty, He became a rabbi,
and kept saying He was uniquely related to the Father --
that to see Him was to see the Father.
He indeed embodied the essence of the Father,
He also reflected humanity's own highest aspirations.
The people loved him --
perhaps too much.
It aroused jealousy in religious leaders.
The Satan used the jealousy, as well as the pettiness of the Roman leaders and some of the Jewish rabbis and priests
to have Him executed.
So much for the plans of the Creator.
It appeared to be all over.
His execution was awesome and bloody.
It was a terribly dark moment.
The skies rumbled --
literal darkness swept the land --
an earthquake ravished Jerusalem.
Even Yeshua, hanging on a cross, was heard to say,
"My God! My God!
Why have you forsaken me!"
Moments later, as the earth and skies split apart,
the "Savior" of mankind was heard to yell,
"It is finished!"
It seemed hopeless.
All was silent.
The curtain that limited access to the Holy of Holies in the temple,
the temple where He had so often taught,
was split from bottom to top!
In hell, Lucifer and his demonic angels were heard to be uttering loud,
raucous,
sardonic laughter.
Please forgive this anachronistic depiction,
but can you imagine the Saturday morning obituary in the
Jerusalem Post, if this had happened in your time?
It would read:
Yeshuah Bar Joseph, age 33, citizen of Nazareth.
He was a carpenter until three years ago
when he became a self-appointed,
itinerant
rabbinical teacher.
Loved by many, he was nonetheless controversial.
He was rejected in his own city of Nazareth.
Members of his own synagogue once attempted to stone him for blasphemy:
He had made himself equal to Yaweh.
Several of his own brothers proclaimed him mad.
Still others called him Lord,
the Messiah,
the deliverer,
King of the Jews --
the one who would throw off the yoke of the
Romans.
He was executed yesterday as a revolutionary.
He died on a criminal's cross during the time of the earthquake.
He was buried in the tomb of one Joseph of Arimathea.
He leaves behind his mother Mary,
an unknown number of brothers and sisters,
numerous friends and followers.
No memorial service has been announced.
Early Sunday morning,
they would have interrupted the regularly scheduled program on Jerusalem TV networks with the following
news announcement:
"Officials are alarmed at the discovery that the body of
Yeshua Bar Joseph,
the revolutionary who was crucified on Friday,
is missing.
He called himself the Son of God,
and declared that if executed,
He would rise again on the third day.
Guards were posted at His tomb to insure that His body could
not have been snatched.
Even though it is a capital offense to do so,
the guards have stated they fell asleep.
When they awoke, the tomb was empty.
JTV looked for the guards to confirm or deny the rumor.
The guards are being held in seclusion,
and may not be interviewed.
Reporters on the scene at the mouth of the tomb confirm that the very large stone covering the opening
has been rolled away.
The tomb itself is empty.
We'll update as we receive more news --
now back to our regularly scheduled program."
I, Gabriel, was there at the empty tomb.
I observed as my fellow angels joyfully announced to the two
weeping Marys and Joanna that He is alive --
alive forevermore.
And in heaven, I, Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God,
saw the elders and the angels --
ten thousands by ten thousands,
gathered around the throne,
prostrate before the ascended Son.
In a loud voice they were singing,
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth
and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!
To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power
for ever and ever...."
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of His Christ,
and He shall reign forever and ever. (Revelation 5:12, 13b; 11:15b NIV)
Yes, it is finished!
So is Satan.
That's the message from the moment of His birth.
That's the message of the empty tomb.
Justice has triumphed.
A body of people has been born,
whose spirits and hearts have been awakened --
turned toward the God of love, and truth and justice.
He shall triumph gloriously.
Justice is come upon the earth!!
Remember this when the skies roll dark,
when the thunder claps,
when the foundations of the earth shake.
It is finished!
It is finished indeed.
The kingdoms of this earth have become the kingdom of our Lord
and of His Christ.
Because He lives, you too shall live.
Though it may seem at times that the forces of darkness are
overcoming the light,
that is an illusion.
So, I bring you a paradox:
the war is won,
but the battle continues.
Justice has been done;
justice is being done;
justice will be done.
The Lord God is triumphant.
I know --
my name is Gabriel;
I stand in the presence of God;
I was there.
That is why the angels sang at His birth --
that is why we continue to sing,
"Glory to God in the highest!"
