I Am Gabriel

“I am Gabriel - I stand in the presence of God.”

Move #1 – read text – Luke 2:1-14

Introduction:

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Gabriel.

I’m an angel. Now I don’t wish to boast but some people even consider me angelic.

Where I come from, “Star Wars” is small potatoes… I find those movies it a little boring actually. If they had consulted me, I could have helped jazz up the special effects!

I’m a courier… something like UPS … only bigger, faster and stronger.

I don’t deliver parcels and online purchases from Amazon… I deliver messages … messages from Heaven. From God himself.

This particular message was about the first Christmas… the long-awaited Messiah was ready to arrive.

** you see even the angels of heaven were beginning to wonder… when is the Messiah going to make his move?

…Heaven had sent plenty of prophets… only a few people listened.

Many of the prophets were mocked and even killed.

Now …finally, the story was beginning to unfold…

Hundreds of years of waiting were finally over!

And I had a lot of messages to deliver …

Move #2 --- --My first message was for a priest… named “Zachariah” (Luke 1:11)

Zach was a righteous and godly man… he had a wonderful wife and a respected position in society… but there was one large and unfulfilled longing… zach and Elizabeth had no children.

Now, Zachariah was an old man – and his wife, Elizabeth were still childless… some of you know what that’s like…

Some have never married…

So, you know how they felt…

The dreams had died… and no dose of positive thinking was going to be enough to change that fact – the calendar doesn’t lie.

Zachariah was waiting his turn to serve in the temple – this was a once in a lifetime opportunity…finally the moment came

The message delivery went like this ….

Luke 1:11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.13 But the angel said to him:

“Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.

14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.

17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

18 Zechariah asked me… {the angel,}

“How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

{19 The angel said to him},

I stared at him…

“I am Gabriel.”

I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now ! you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, --- which will come true at their appointed time!!!”

Sometimes when we angels feel skepticism from people were trying to help …it gets rather annoying!

So, I just looked Zachariah…as if to say…

seriously, you don’t believe me…

“I’m…I’m Gabriel! … I stand in the presence of God!

And you have the nerve to question me!

… so…Yes… I’m not proud of it but yes… I pushed the mute button…just like you do with the TV – well I did that to Zachariah…I have feelings to you know!!

Ok… maybe I over-reacted…

Anyway…moving on…here’s what I told him…

Now I’ve delivered some heavy-duty messages in my day… but nothing quite this big…

Your son… born to you in your old age…. Will be given a special assignment;

• “he will go before the Lord” – his role is to set the table.

• he will turn hearts back to God

• he will make the people ready for the entry of the messiah himself. …The long awaited messiah.

• And…

• He will be a joy and a delight to you!

• He will be great in the sight of God!

• And… he will be filled with the Holy Spirit –even from birth!

Zechariah wasn’t too happy about losing his voice for 9 months – but I had to make my point – his name must be John.