The Messenger: Gabriel Shares the Vision

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This Advent, I'm preaching a sermon series called "The Messenger" about Gabriel's role in Daniel and Luke, ending with his message to Mary.

November 30, 2014 - First Sunday of Advent

Daniel 8:15-27

15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I tried to understand it. Then someone appeared standing before me, having the appearance of a man, 16 and I heard a human voice by the Ulai River, calling, “Gabriel, help this man understand the vision.” 17 So he came near where I stood; and when he came, I became frightened and fell prostrate. But he said to me, “Understand, O mortal, that the vision is for the time of the end.”

18 As he was speaking to me, I fell into a trance, face to the ground; then he touched me and set me on my feet. 19 He said, “Listen, and I will tell you what will take place later in the period of wrath; for it refers to the appointed time of the end. 20 As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 The male goat is the king of Greece, and the great horn between its eyes is the first king. 22 As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power.

23 At the end of their rule,

    when the transgressions have reached their full measure,

a king of bold countenance shall arise,

    skilled in intrigue.

24 He shall grow strong in power,

    shall cause fearful destruction,

    and shall succeed in what he does.

He shall destroy the powerful

    and the people of the holy ones.

25 By his cunning

    he shall make deceit prosper under his hand,

    and in his own mind he shall be great.

Without warning he shall destroy many

    and shall even rise up against the Prince of princes.

But he shall be broken, and not by human hands.

26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true. As for you, seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.”

27 So I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days; then I arose and went about the king’s business. But I was dismayed by the vision and did not understand it.

Sermon: “The Messenger”: Gabriel Shares the Vision

Think of the wisest person you’ve ever known.  Perhaps your grandfather’s face comes to mind, or a clear-eyed child, or a favorite writer or thinker.  (If you’re thinking of yourself, try a little harder!)

Daniel was as wise as they come.  His wisdom became his meal ticket, you see.  Dan was one of the unfortunate many exiles of Judah when Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took over like some sort of John Wayne renegade, claiming everything in sight as his.  This would have been the time for Dan to fade into irrelevance and obscurity as a refugee in a land where he had no rights whatsoever.  But Dan was wise.  News of his wisdom spread in that subversive sort of way that can make kings of paupers.  Never underestimate the power of a good reputation, whatever your station in life. 

When that gold-craving king was plagued by troubling dreams and visions, none of his so-called “wise men” could help.  His magicians and diviners tried their best, but were about as helpful as a hole in a fishing boat.  Old King Neb was not the most forgiving, you know, and he ordered all of those phonies to be killed.

This is where our man Dan comes in.  His reputation preceded him and he was brought to the king.  He interpreted those strange dreams, and I’ll not bore you with the details except to say that they all had the same basic idea: many kingdoms would rise, and many kingdoms would fall.  God’s kingdom would endure forever. 

Dan was made a high official and, in the changeable ways of kings and powerful folk, he was praised throughout the land for that wisdom of his.  And so, we really did think Dan was the man for the job.

Oh, you might at this point be wondering who “we” are.  You might wonder who I am, too!  I got so busy in telling this story that I forgot to introduce myself.  I’m Gabriel, and “we” are the heavenly host of angels who go about doing the work of God. 

I’m sometimes called The Messenger, often called an angel, and am rarely understood.  It’s not fun showing up and having people turn white as a sheet and nearly pass out, I’ll tell you.  It makes it awfully hard to blend in at dinner parties.

I’ll say those words I nearly always say when I show up somewhere: do not fear.  Yes, an angel appearing is admittedly a bit weird, but there’s always a reason for it.  My reason for showing up to Dan was that this person famous for his wisdom was really, really not getting it.

He had a vision of some wild horned beasts, and again I’ll not go into too much detail except to say that, yep, it had to do with the kingdoms of humanity falling through their own corruption and greed while God’s kingdom would be established forever.  Sounds somewhat simple right?

Well, in short, it’s not.  This is apocalyptic stuff – the story of heaven breaking in to earth in bewildering ways, and even the wisest of people can’t really understand it.  Dan couldn’t.  I tried to explain this bizarre vision to Dan, but it was like trying to feed a cheeseburger to a newborn.  It didn’t work very well, and just made us both frustrated.

I started by explaining the vision that the kings of Media and Persia were depicted as a two-horned ram.  Two kingdoms united by their will to destroy.  Then I got a little carried away talking about the king of Greece being a goat, and more weird horns growing that represented other kingdoms rising up.  I finished by talking about a final king who would wreak the sort of widespread devastation that Dan had never seen.  I did not enjoy sharing this vision with him. 

Dan looked back at me, Gabriel, with the fearful eyes of a little boy, desperate to be told it would all be okay.  But behind those eyes, I could tell he wasn’t really grasping all of this bizarre imagery.  He, the wisest of the wise, was completely stumped.  And, though God had sent me to explain this vision clearly and help him understand, I realized something that day.

I realized that there are more important things than understanding.  Sometimes, the assurance that, no matter how dark the nights may seem, the sun will rise of its own accord is more important.  Sometimes, knowing a vision brings no peace at all.  I’m not touting ignorance here, or willful distractions from reality.  I’m saying that sometimes you need to know what you need to know when you need to know it, and not before then.

And so, I said, “The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.”

Seal up the vision.  Set it aside for a time until you’re meant to understand it.  This is a common call in scripture: Isaiah told the people of Israel broken by captivity and poverty to bind up the vision of the future and, as absurd as it sounds in the midst of such a time, wait on the Lord, and trust in him.  In Revelation, the vision is sealed up still – even then at the very end of things (and beginning of new things), until the last possible second when, in a forest by a river with living water, where leaves on a tree give healing to the nations, it is time for the vision to be unsealed.

And so, as I looked at that tired, befuddled Daniel, I told him to keep a vision of the evening and the next morning at the forefront, and leave the bigger vision to another time.  Think of what you’ll have for supper and whom you’ll serve the next day, and leave the apocalyptic end times in God’s hands. 

But, don’t let your focus on the immediate cloud your ability to recognize the eternal when it appears.  Because, take it from me, the unexpected happens.  God is bringing a kingdom that will defeat darkness with light, guilt with grace and fear with love.  And sometimes, when God decides to be a bit more obvious about it, God sends angels like me to reveal a small part of that kingdom.

There are lots of us, you know.  Some are in heaven – you’ve known and loved many of them.  And some are still mortal like you, but just a little special in their ability to reflect the eternal.  Each of us angels bears a message, and mine was always a vision for God’s new kingdom coming and overturning all we thought we knew about this world’s kingdoms.  That’s why I came again and again: to Daniel, to Elizabeth and finally, to Mary, explaining to her the vision of a baby that would really change it all.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.  We’ll journey together through all those events this Advent.

Let me leave you again with those words God told us angels to repeat over and over again: do not be afraid.  You don’t have the complete vision – you’re not meant to.  But you do have enough – enough of a heavenly glimpse through angels like me – to recognize when God’s kingdom is breaking into this world.  When God is bringing down the powerful and lifting up the lowly, proclaiming the sort of justice this world is baffled by (and desperate for).

It might seem strange and unreal and other worldly, but take it from me, the work of God in your place, in your time, even in your complicated life, is the most ordinary, real, earthly thing there is.  You don’t have to be particularly wise to recognize it, either.  Dan showed us that.  You just have to be open to messengers of light bringing you hope of a new world this Advent. 

Because a new world is coming, even now, maybe through you, if you’ll let it.  And even if you don’t understand how or when or why, that is reason enough to hope.  So do not fear.  Have hope.  The vision will be revealed.  When you need to (and not before), you will understand it.  

Well, that is my first message for you about Dan and Neb, about sealing up visions and hoping for God’s kingdom to come.  For now, I need to cash in my frequent flyer miles and jet on to the next place God’s sending me to announce God’s reign.  It’s a busy job, but the in-flight entertainment is fabulous.  See y’all next week!  Amen.