Amy Grant - Gabriel's Oboe Lyrics
Lyrics
Instrumental
from the album
A Christmas To Remember
Video
Gabriel's Oboe
Meaning & Inspiration
Amy Grant's instrumental rendition of "Gabriel's Oboe," released on October 19, 1999, as part of her album *A Christmas to Remember*, offers a profound and contemplative journey into the spiritual heart of the Christmas season. While the original composition by Ennio Morricone for the film "The Mission" is widely recognized for its poignant beauty, Grant's inclusion of this piece on a Christmas album by a beloved Christian artist elevates its inherent spirituality, inviting listeners to interpret its wordless narrative through the lens of divine revelation and the Nativity story. The absence of lyrics does not diminish its message; rather, it amplifies it, allowing the pure, soaring voice of the oboe to speak directly to the soul.
The title itself, "Gabriel's Oboe," immediately conjures the image of the Archangel Gabriel, the celestial messenger chosen by God to deliver the most pivotal announcements in biblical history. For Christians, Gabriel is most famously known for his visit to Mary, as recorded in Luke 1:26-38, where he declares, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." This divine proclamation of the coming Messiah, Jesus, is the cornerstone of the Christian faith and the very reason for Christmas. Through the "voice" of the oboe, one can almost hear the awe and wonder of that angelic pronouncement, a pure sound piercing through the ordinary, carrying news that would forever change the course of humanity. The melody, with its blend of reverence and ethereal hope, perfectly encapsulates the gravity and grace of such a momentous occasion, embodying the spiritual weight of Gabriel’s words.
This instrumental piece becomes a meditation on the Incarnation, the miraculous moment when God became flesh. The oboe's tender yet powerful melody suggests the paradox of the divine entering human fragility, mirroring the profound truth of John 1:14: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." It evokes the humility of Christ, who, as described in Philippians 2:6-7, "being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he emptied himself, by taking the very nature of a servant." The music conveys a sense of sacred peace that descended upon the earth with the birth of Jesus, echoing the angelic chorus that declared, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests" (Luke 2:14). It is a peace not merely of quietude, but of restoration and reconciliation between God and humanity.
Furthermore, "Gabriel's Oboe" prompts deep introspection, much like Mary "treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19) after the shepherds' visit. Without the constraints of human words, the music creates an open space for personal encounter with the divine. It becomes a catalyst for contemplation, inspiring a longing for God's presence, akin to the psalmist's cry in Psalm 42:1, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God." The soaring notes gently remind us of God's unwavering pursuit of us, His knocking at the door of our hearts, as promised in Revelation 3:20: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." Amy Grant’s rendition of this iconic melody, placed strategically within a Christmas collection, transforms it into a profound invitation to embrace the wonder, the peace, and the transformative love inherent in the Christmas message. It stands as a timeless reminder that some of the most profound truths are best conveyed not through explicit declaration, but through the universal, evocative language of sacred sound.