In Advent, we usually hear the story of Mary…we sang it this morning…who receives an visit from the angel Gabriel about God’s plan for her to bring God’s presence into the world through Jesus. But on this Advent morning, we also hear the story of Esther…the young queen of Persia, who saves her people. What’s neat, though…is that this is a story Mary, a young Jewish girl, would have known by heart.
The story of Esther takes place when all Israel and all Jews lived under the rule of the Persian Empire. Many Jews had been forced to move to Persia…driven from their homeland. The king of Persia was the supreme ruler of the Empire…if he was displeased with anyone, they were swiftly punished and often killed. The story of Esther actually begins with the king’s displeasure with his wife, Queen Vashti. The king had been hosting a week-long banquet with free flowing wine for all the nobles and princes and military leaders of the Empire. They were all “high on spirits”, including the king, when on the last day, the king sends for the queen…ordering her to come and dance in her crown (and most interpret that as only her crown) for the drunken men…so they can see how beautiful she is and leer at her. Well…Vashti says “no”, that is wrong…as we all would hope our daughters would. But the king becomes enraged…and his advisors tell him that he needs to make an example of her…or else women all over will start to refuse to obey their husbands. So she is banished, and a replacement is sought to take her place as Queen. (Just an aside…you gotta love that this story starts with Vashti’s courage, standing up for herself.)
Anyway…so they rounded up the most beautiful young girls in the kingdom, and brought them together in the king’s harem to be given beauty treatments and such, so the king might choose from among them who would be given the title of Queen. Esther was one of those beautiful young girls. Esther was an orphan, who was raised by her cousin Mordecai, and she was included in the roundup. Esther quickly became a favorite of the one who was in charge of the harem, and was ultimately chosen by the king to be the new Queen.
Now, Esther had kept her Jewish heritage a secret, because the Jews were the objects of hatred for many in Persia. Anti-semitism is nothing new, to say the least. And the king’s advisor, Haman…shared that hatred….violently. And it isn’t long after their marriage, that he convinces the king that the Jews were a threat to his sovereignty, and offers money to the king’s treasury if he will sign a decree calling upon all of Persia to rise up against their Jewish neighbors and slaughter them all — young and old, women and children, on a single day. The king complies.
And that is where our story today picks up. Mordecai sends word to Esther about what has happened, and asks her to plead with the king to save her people.
And Esther…is overwhelmed. Terrified. She knows how little power she really has. She knows the king executes people who approach him without invitation. She knows that could easily be her. She knows she could stay anonymous…no one would ever know she was a Jew…and she would be safe.
This is not something Esther has to do to save her own skin….she could look the other way. But Esther chooses to act. And she goes uninvited to approach the king.
The king is in good humor, it seems, and spares her life. But at that point, all she dares to do is ask the king (and Haman) to come to dinner with her. They come…she is too scared to say anything, but invites them back…and finally, after a couple failed attempts, Esther speaks up, claims her Jewish identity and asks the king to save her and her people. And…he does. Esther saves her people.
Mary knew this story. The story of Esther was one told over and over in Jewish families, as a reminder of how God uses people in the places they find themselves. Mary would have grown up celebrating the festival of Purim with her family and Esther would have been a role model for her just like every other young Jewish girl. And it is partly Esther’s story that would have given Mary the faith and the courage to say to the Angel…”Let it be with me according to your word”.
But one of the things that is very different about Esther’s story than Mary’s, is that no angel appears to Esther with reassurance. For Esther, there is no burning bush or voice from a cloud speaks to her, prompting her courage to step forward. In fact, God is never even mentioned in the book of Esther. Not once. Esther has to find the courage in herself to do the right thing.
In truth, the story of Esther is more like our own, isn’t it? Most of us do not live in a world where God speaks clearly to us…through angels or visions or voices. We do not see the road mapped out that God has planned for us. We just travel along, making the best of what comes our way. But that does not make our lives less holy than Mary’s…or Moses’ or any other Biblical figures. The choices we make, the courage we find to care for others, to speak up for what is right…is just as surely part of God’s sacred work in the world.
As I was reflecting this week…it seemed to me that Esther’s story is the story of Lum Zawng, who was arrested a few days ago in Burma for simply asking the government to help rescue innocent children, elderly, and women (some of whom were pregnant) who had been trapped in the jungle by the military. His courage to step forward and speak out…is the courage of Esther. But Esther is also the story of Shelley Zinghang, Lee and Chris’s daughter, who is now raising money to pay for their release in 6 months. Esther is the story of foster parents who risk their comfortable lives taking in children with huge needs…and it is the story of Amber Lewis, who started the nonprofit organization Spokane Angels to support foster kids and their parents. Esther is the story of every ordinary person who has seen a need….and stepped forward and done something about it. It’s the story of ordinary people who stick their necks out instead of keeping their heads down…who risk looking stupid or being judged or being hurt in order to save people’s lives. And friends, there is a world of people out there whose lives need saving.
I love that Esther comes to us in Advent this year. Because Esther is Mary’s story. And it is our story. Every one of us. We were all brought into the world, formed in our mothers’ wombs…for such a time as this…to care for those who are in need. No…we may not hear angels this Advent…but may our eyes and ears be opened to see where God is at work in the world around us…raising up the lowly, feeding the hungry…and may we let God use our ordinary lives to do holy things this Christmas. Amen.
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