REFLECTIONS
December 10, 2006
 
 
The angel answered, "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.
Luke 1:19
 
 
Gabriel’s Job
 
When I get to heaven, I want Gabriel’s job. What better job can there be than his. His name means “Man of God,” he stands in God’s presence, and serves as the messenger of good news.
Wouldn’t it have been exhilarating to stand before Daniel and explain his visions to him! I can only imagine what it might have been like to watch the look on Daniel’s face as he heard the explanation of the coming events and the revelation of the Messiah.
And then there was the visit to Zachariah in the temple. Can you even visualize how uplifting it would have been to stand before him and tell him that his aging and barren wife is going to have a son—and not just any son, but one who “will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:17) Now that would be neat.
But even better would have been the visit Gabriel made to Mary. There she was, an innocent young girl making wedding plans with no idea that a messenger was going to appear from nowhere bearing news of something that was unheard of. Now that would have been fun!
Though not identified by name, Gabriel may have been the angel that delivered the message to Joseph, and he may also have been the one to tell the shepherds in the field. And he may have been the angel that appeared to John on the island of Patmos. What a great job having and an assignment to explain the revelation of the Messiah…
Someday I want Gabriel’s job. So, maybe I should train for it now. I expect I need to keep learning about the story of the Messiah, and I need to practice telling it over and over. And God has given me many subjects to practice on. He has blessed me with friends and business relationships and avenues to people I have never met. Most important, He has blessed me with a family, children and grandchildren. I can practice being a messenger to all of these. Maybe that is what God calls us to do everyday.
Maybe we have Gabriel’s job already.
 
“You are the light of the world.”
Richard Ì
 


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