[An auctioneer sells off the human race for the greatest cost possible. Written for an Easter service, focused on John 3:16 - in a very lateral way. Never turn your back on the audience they say... and God has never turned his back on you!]
[auctioneer has his back turned on the audience, speaking to the universe.]
AUCTIONEER:
Creations of the universe, Welcome to Galactic Auctions!
[SLIDE - Galactic Auctions logo]
We have some amazing lots to offer you today.
· There’s some huge galaxies, which would take you several thousand light years to travel across.
· Some spectacular nebula’s you have to see to believe.
· We also have some black holes for sale,
· and there’s even some rare inter-galactic comets.
Our first lot today is a set of 3 galaxies in a quiet corner of the infinite universe.
[SLIDE - 3 GALAXIES]
The winner of this auction will be acquiring more than 300 billion stars between them, and these galaxies have the ratio of one in every 10 stars having a habitable planet.
I trust anyone interested in this lot got to spend a good 10,000 years inspecting some of the amazing worlds there. I think anyone who’s visited will agree this is a once in a galaxy’s rotation-opportunity to own a glorious set of galaxies like these.
Who will start my bidding at 10 trillion Quintilian credits.
We have 10 trillion Quintilian credits, do I hear 15?
15, do I have 20, 20, 25, 30, 35…. 35 sir, you’re out? Give me one, make it 36,
36, 37, one more sir? All done?
All done, all silent, ok AT 36 trillion Quintilian credits, second call AT 36 trillion Quintilian credits, Final call, AT 36 trillion Quintilian credits... SOLD! Thank you very much.
Next lot is a clearance sale.
We have the inhabitants [points back to the audience] of a single planet that frankly, seems beyond help.
[SLIDE - group of HUMANS]
These once perfect creations were created in the image of God Himself, but since its takeover of ownership, by Heaven’s once highest ranked Angel, the inhabitants have really started to let themselves go, and destroy themselves and each other, as they stray away from God’s original plan for them.
Located in one of the solar systems of the small and obscure Milky Way galaxy, these inhabitants are a perfect-first planet owners collection of beings, which you could put in any experimental ecosystems and, in all honesty, you would not feel the slightest bit of guilt should any harm, or even destruction, come upon them.
The current owner has actually set a reserve, for some reason, so we’ll sell today to anyone who reaches that requirement.
So who will start the bidding, at say 8 credits - that’s just one credit per billion of living humans. And don’t forget the bones of the billions who have perished, which you also get with this lot.
Who will give me 8 credits? A very quick opening bid, thank you… oh, from the son of God himself! Welcome! We are honoured to have you involved in one of our auctions for the first time!
So it looks like the loving creator is in the market to buy back his creation after several thousand years. We’re at just 8 credits, who else might bid? Anyone out there? At 8 credits we are going once. AT 8 credits we are going twice, no need to be frightened of bidding against God! AT 8 credits three times…. All done?
Just excuse me, while I speak to the current owner…
[walks to one side to chat, then comes back]
Creations of the universe, I need to inform you that at 8 credits we have not made reserve. The current owner is not willing to hand over the humans for the current bid.
I can announce the reserve required to transfer ownership of these humans has been set at… the sacrifice of a perfect human.
Now we know there’s none of them in existence, so, really, unless we have anyone in the universe willing to be re-born as a human and die to purchase life for these beings, then we’ll pass on this lot and leave them to their own eternal destruction.
Let’s not waste any more time on this and move on. First and final call. To sacrifice one’s life for…. What? [amused] We have a bid?
NO seriously, we seriously have a bid!? [smirks] Who in their right mind would give up their life for these guys?
[shocked] What? Are you sure?
[silent shock – slow look up]
[muses out loud] There is no possible higher price - Sold!
[Turns around slowly and talks directly to the audience]
Ladies and gentlemen… everlasting life has been bought for you all - by the death of the son of God!
[SLIDE JESUS CROSS and John 3:16 text]
Performance: Castle Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church March 30, 2024