Courage in critical times: The story of Esther
January 11, 2015 | Anita Retzlaff

Grace and peace to you from God the Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus the Christ. Just over two years ago Patty Friesen spoke to us about the book of Esther on our first go round through the books of the bible.  Her sermon was titled, "For such a time as this." Two years later we come to this story once again as we focus on ways in which the biblical story connects to our faith at work and how the Spirit of God moves through the bible and into our lives and actions. Today's story of Esther could not have been, for our congregation, more opportune or spirit-led and I cling to that same phrase that Patty did two years ago.  As Esther becomes Queen and consort to King Ahasuerus of Persia, Mordecai says to her, "Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this." (Esther 4:14)

Hear the story of Esther.  Once upon a time there was a King whose name was Ahasuerus.  He ruled over all Persia from his palace in Susa.  Things are going well for the King and for the country and there is much feasting in the land. [In fact, the story of Esther is filled with feasts and drinking parties.  May we deduce from this then that potlucks are a good thing?] Now at one of these feasts the King is entertaining his friends while Queen Vashti is hosting a banquet of her own for her friends. It is Day 7 of the party and one can only imagine that state of affairs. The King suddenly decides to summon the Queen so that he might show off her beauty to all of his merry-making guests.  Well, Vashti refuses his summons and the end result is that the King turfs her from his harem and begins a search for a new and “better” wife.  The side bar to this story is that the king is embarrassed, humiliated by Vashti's outright refusal and is warned by his advisors that this could cause a revolt among all women in the kingdom. What if Persia's wives were to refuse their husbands requests?  Now wouldn’t that be an interesting story to pursue? But I digress.

The long and the short of it is that Esther, cousin and adopted daughter of Mordecai, a servant of the king, is chosen by King Ahasuerus to be his new wife. She is chosen for her beauty. Unbeknownst to the king and many others, Mordecai, the servant and Esther, his gorgeous cousin, are Jews.

A crisis erupts then when Mordecai refuses to bow in obeisance to the king's right hand man whose name is Haman.  Haman is the villain in this story, a social and corporate climber and member of an historically rival nation of the Jews. Mordecai refuses submission to Haman, with the unstated assumption that Mordecai's allegiance is to the God of the Jews. Haman, having been informed of who Mordecai's people are, is enraged and plots to destroy Mordecai and the Jewish people with him.  Haman proceeds to trick the king into proclaiming the destruction of all Jews. And Esther, at her peril, intervenes to save her people...

Now the story is much more intricate than I have outlined and is filled with the suspense of Esther's careful negotiations with her husband the King.  Esther puts her life on the line as she uncovers Haman's plot and courageously convinces her husband Ahasuerus to rescind his edict to wipe out the entire Jewish community. Esther is an unlikely hero. As a woman and a Jew she is among the most vulnerable and powerless in that time and place except that because of her great beauty and Mordecai's connections she is unexpectedly cast into the spotlight.  At any moment the king can do away with her if she provokes him to anger and King Ahasuerus is an insecure type and easily upset.  Not only that, it is against the law for anyone to go to the king unless they have been summoned by him. This law includes his wife.

As the story unfolds there is a great deal of suspense. However, from the depths of the firestorm both Mordecai and Esther are acutely aware that the time for action is now.  Mordecai encourages Esther with these significant words as they face the danger before them. "Who knows?” says Mordecai, “Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this." (Esther 4:14)  And Esther’s is courageous as she determines her course of action, “…I will go the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.” (4:16)

And so it is now, to the unlikely nature of the heroes in this story, that we turn our attention.  Neither Esther nor Mordecai were groomed or trained to be spokespeople for the Jewish community let alone to be the ones to save the day.  A terrible predicament presents itself that calls for quick and courageous action and these two gather their wits and muster the necessary courage to change the mind of the King and save the lives of all the Jews throughout the land. Esther risks everything in that critical moment: "If I perish, I perish," she says.

What of other unlikely heroes who take a stand and put themselves at risk in critical situations?  Malala Yousafzai comes to mind immediately.  Here is a young Pakistani girl who, through the writing of a blog, stands up to the Taliban, promoting education for girls. She does so with the knowledge that members of the Taliban believe that girls should be banned from attending school.  On October 9, 2012 Malala boards her school bus, is accosted by a man with a gun calling her by name and then shot in the face. As you know Malala survives and goes on to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her courage and her passion for change.

I think of another unlikely but courageous individual and that is Pope Francis.  Yes of course, he is the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church which has 1.2 billion members worldwide but Pope Francis comes from relatively humble beginnings and lives with great modesty.  He is turning the institutional church upside down at a time when many Roman Catholics are demanding change. It will be a miracle if he is not assassinated because of his unrelenting critique of the church and the changes he is bringing about within this huge and influential and wealthy organization.

What makes people heroes of the faith or agents of social and economic change? It may be that they recognize that their action is necessary and is required now...for just such a time as this. Esther is neither politician nor leader.  She is a young and inexperienced person who sees a dangerous threat, is in the position to make a difference and responds with great courage. It is for her courage that she is remembered by her Jewish descendants from that time on, in the annual celebration of the festival of Purim.  Esther, Malala, Pope Francis, Martin Luther King Jr., Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dirk Philips, David Toews: you add the names of those who have been brave, shown courage and leadership in the face of adversity and personal peril.  These people of modest beginnings have made a difference to many.

We have our own story to consider today about taking action for just such a time as this. Our congregation has been discerning for quite a few years now our response to people of various sexual orientations.  We have not taken this journey lightly or quickly; it has been years in process.  We have not necessarily been in agreement along the way yet we have opened the door for inclusion and for open acceptance of GLBTQ folks. And you all know that on New Year’s Eve a whole congregation gathered and many communities around us came together to celebrate the marriage of Craig Friesen and Matthew Wiens.  These two young men, our friends here, are committed, faithful and brave. 

Besides the overwhelming positive responses, I have received mail that suggests most Christians around the world are cursing me behind my back: that I am going to hell and a variety of other such condemnations.  Patrick has received the same.  We are expecting some such responses yet when they actually materialize it is sobering and painful.   I mention this only to say that some of you may also encounter similar difficult reactions from friends, family and other members of the Christian Church as the conversation around this continues to unfold. I can only imagine how it feels for Matt and Craig and their immediate families.

So, what I hope for all of us, today, is that we can take the spirit of the story of Esther to heart.  It just may be that all of our work together as a congregation over the years has been prepared and poised for just such a time as this.  We often feel that decisions are made too quickly and that some of us are not ready for the changes that come. Craig and Matt have the courage to enter into a covenanted marriage and they did so in the context of our church community, of Osler Mennonite Church as well and other congregations that are closely connected to them.  The celebration of marriage on New Year’s Eve was a service of worship that gave thanks to God in song and scripture and prayer.  So, when people who don’t know me or know us, condemn our actions and state that deep within our hearts we know that we are sinning, I cannot agree.  The Spirit tells me otherwise. Take heart!  Take courage!  All of us! 

Taking action now; doing something that has not been done before can be frightening.  But we seek to do what is faithful; what is right.  We do not wish to be an offense to anyone and we do not wish to destroy anyone’s faith or relationships or community structures. Yet, we cannot control the outcome of the actions of others.  We can only continue along the path that we feel convicted is the path of God’s call. 

And so, my friends in the congregation, I can only say how amazed I am by your thoughtful and prayerful action.  I do regret that Nutana Park has been held up under such scrutiny and has become the object of derision by some. But I believe that we have prepared ourselves for just such a time as this and that God will give us the courage necessary to stand together and to be witness to the ever-changing wind of the Spirit.  Though some friends may forsake us, God will not. When we feel insecure let us reach out to each other for encouragement and conversation.  Let us remind each other to be respectful and responsive and compassionate.

We might think ourselves to be unlikely vessels of change within the church. Well, love changes things.  With love in mind and in our hearts we give thanks to God who gives life and strength and courage. May we feel the nearness of our Creator in the unfolding of these days.  In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  AMEN