September 27, 2009
Esther 4
John: 15-18, 25-27
“Yet, I Have Not Been Called”
Let me offer three images for you from the Bible. First, from the book of Daniel, is the story of the three Hebrew boys and the fiery furnace. We all know the miraculous ending when King Nebuchadnezzar looks into the furnace and sees not three, but four figures walking in the middle of the fires untouched and unharmed. But there is one line in this story that we might miss. It is highlighted on your insert. (Daniel 3: 8-18)
Called before the King to explain their refusal to bow down and worship the King’s golden statue the three say this to the King, “We have no need to present a defense to you in this matter. If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up.” (Dan. 3: 16-18)
Their faith was absolute and unconditional. They knew there were no guarantees for their safety or their longevity, no assurance that they would survive the furnace or anything else the King might order. But their faith was not grounded in a safe passage through the flames. As they said, even if God did not save them, they would never bow down to the King or his golden statue.
There is no bargaining here. There is no, “If you do this for me God, then I’ll do something for you.” This moment is the hinge point in the story. We, say the three Hebrew children, will worship only our God no matter what.
Second image: Esther is a young and beautiful Hebrew woman who is taken into the Harem of the great Persian king where she rose to the position of Queen. In one sense, she has it made. Her life is pampered and safe. She wears the finest of cloths, eats only the best of foods and adorns herself with the richest of jewels.
Then she learns that her people, the Jews in exile in Persia, are to be put to death by royal edict. All Jews are to be killed.
Esther has the opportunity to ride out the decree, to survive because of her position in the palace of the King. But then, in a message from her uncle Mordecai, she receives word that rather than being in a place of safety she may be in a place of opportunity. She, who is near to the King, may be able to help her people. Her immediate response is to try to shut out this voice. Esther sends word to Mordecai:
“Only those called by the King into his presence can approach him. Unless called, “there is only one law – all alike are put to death. I myself have not been called to come in to the King … “ (Esther 4:11)
Mordecai sends her these fateful words in response: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape this time; relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place; but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Esther approaches the King, the decree is withdrawn and her people are saved. The terrible question asked by Mordecai is answered: Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Who knows why you are here at this time? Who knows if you act what will happen? Who knows? God perhaps. But the only way to know is to act, not to preserve or protect yourself, but for the good of your people.
Then there is Peter, a mix of the glorious and the shameful, shear bravery and terrible cowardice. Peter the rock was also Peter the weak. He had been warned, he knew what was coming, and yet he could not at the key moment, acknowledge that he knew Jesus. Three times he is asked, and three times as he warms his hands within hearing distance of his beloved Master’s cries, Peter denies ever knowing the man.
We know Peter is forgiven and saved, but we also know - probably all too well - the pain of his denial, the shame of his betrayal if even in a small way. Much more than a hero to look up to, Peter is a mirror for us to look into to see how we are doing, to see how we truly look.
These stories are but a few of the many contained in our Bible, our Holy Scripture. From Adam and Eve to Sarah and Abraham, from Job to Jeremiah, Joseph to Judas, the Bible is filled with stories of people who make choices at critical times in the life of the faith. These are stories for us, stories of hinge points in the faith. Whether these events actually happened, they are true because they contain truth for us to live by.
It seems that our choices actually do make a profound difference. We have the ability to say “yes” or “no” to God, “yes” or “no” to the church, yes or no to the people around us. These stories tell us our “Yeses” and our “Nos” count.
Etty Hellisum, a young, beautiful, and care-free Jewish woman in Amsterdam made a like the three Hebrew boys who would not bargain away their faith. Etty decided her life and faith did not exempt her from the fate of her people. Because of that choice she died, but she left a diary that is one of the most compelling works I have ever encountered. She left a story of faith that was not contingent on God saving her, or lifting her up to safety, or protecting her because she was special. After all, she was literally one of millions just like us. She left a story that tells us God is always with, but we have real decisions to make and how we decide, how we live and perhaps how we die makes an enormous difference.
In 1965 Rev. James Bevel spoke to a group of shell-shocked, terrified blacks and told them they had to march to Montgomery to petition the Governor to free their people. Rev. Bevel told them Esther’s story and gave them Mordecai’s words that they might be in this place for just such a reason as this. Esther’s decision to go to the King though not invited, to risk her life for her people, became part of the Selma March that rocked the country to its very foundations.
These stories are part of who we are; they are our guidance and the mirrors of our lives. They tell us this: Our wonderful faith, preserved and handed down to us over the centuries is not a guarantee of peace or comfort, safety or pleasant companionship.
It may offer these things from time to time, but at its core it is much more about us deciding to be faithful and heeding the call. We are free to ignore the call, to say, “I’ve done enough. Let someone else do something.” We are free to say, “I have not been called. I don’t hear anyone calling me to decide. I’ll just sit here a while. I’ll just let this moment pass me by.”
The problem for me is this: Everything I have ever read, everything I have ever heard, everything I have ever witnessed tells me we are free to let this moment pass, to ignore the voice of God, but that is never the right decision.
The right decision is to be faithful and loyal to God, to Christ, to the church, and to each other. It is the right decision to be faithful that forms our faith and keeps it alive.
The comfort and peace our faith offers comes in this way: In doing the Lord’s work, in resting in Him, in seeking to follow in his footsteps. Our peace comes in listening to God, heeding His word and finding our place in His plan for us, for His church and for His people. This is the peace God offers to us, this is the peace that passes all understanding, this is the peace of Christ.
Let me finish with a picture of our faith that I carry with me and that I often wish I could shake off but I cannot. We are called all the time to be like Esther, to be like the three Hebrew youths, but in truth we are more like Peter in the courtyard. We are living stories of great strength and terrible weakness. And hovering over us all the time is God who calls us, we who are mere flesh and bone, to be a faithful reflection of God’s image if only for a moment. Grace and forgiveness are always present, but so is that call asking for my decision to be faithful.
That is what weighs on me today. That is what lifts me today. Amen
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