Astonishment and Joy

Philippe de Champaigne, via Wikimedia Commons

Reception to follow in the Gathering Place.

All are invited to a dramatic monologue written and performed by Dr. Robin Gallaher Branch. Robin wrote the piece to honor Elizabeth, a biblical character she particularly likes. Robin and others have performed it numerous times in the United States and South Africa.

The monologue examines the events that Luke chapter one recounts, retelling them from the viewpoint of Elizabeth, the elderly wife of Zechariah, a priest.  The monologue showcases, honors, and analyzes Elizabeth, an overlooked yet pivotal character in Luke’s gospel, by letting her speak about the astonishing recent events in her lift and thereby inviting hearers to share her joy.

Dr. Robin Gallaher Branch is Extraordinary Associate Professor at North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa, where she has a research appointment. She is currently a Collegeville Institute Resident Scholar working on a project about widows in the Bible.