|
Sermon: "That All May Have Life"
- October 1, 2006
Quiet now reigns in that household but has justice really been served? Can there ever be peace when there is no justice? And if peace and justice go hand in hand what does it mean to be a peace maker? The story of Esther is a story of greed, power, and hate. At the center is the struggle between the evil Haman (the King's right hand man) and the Jewish Mordecai and his beautiful niece, Esther. Caught in the middle is the weak, malleable, lover of wine, women and feasting, King Ahasuerus. It is the stuff of which soap operas are made. Author Joanna Bos suggests that the story is a folktale which should be viewed through the screen of a particular historical situation. It is thought that the book came into final being during The reign of Antiochus Epiphanes when Palestine was a part of the Greek Empire founded by Alexander the Great. It was a time of severe persecution for the Jews. She says "In such times, trickster stories like the one of Esther take on crucial significance, somewhat like the stories of Uncle Remus. How does one survive in times when it is not apparent that God is on the side of the oppressed? One of the ways of surviving is to tell the tale of the trickster who outwits the powers in charge. Esther is such a tale. " (Johanna Bos, Ruth, Esther, Jonah. p 42) This book is a controversial one in the Judeo-Christian canon because it does not mention the name of God. However, as we look at the story we might ask ourselves is it by chance or by Divine Providence that Esther is chosen Queen, that Mordecai uncovers a plot to kill the King, that Mordecai reminds Esther "perhaps you have been brought to royal dignity for just such a time as this, that the King one sleepless night reads the account of Mordecai's discovery, that the King's scepter is held out to Esther when she dares to approach him, and is it by chance or by God's providence that the King hears her request and Esther and her people are saved. Our reading for today comes in the midst of this drama. As you may remember Esther is approached by her uncle to intercede for the Jewish people who have been slated to be destroyed on the 13th day of the 12th month, a day chosen by lot or Pur. After fasting Esther dares to approach the King and when he beckons her to come in she invites him and Haman to dinner. Our passage tells of the second banquet to which Esther has invited the King and Haman. Haman is feeling very full of himself, puffed up to be included in the company of the Queen. As they are drinking wine the King asks Esther, "what is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you." And she replies, courageously, succinctly: "Let my life be given me and the lives of my people." The King is astounded. He obviously hadn't been paying much attention when Haman had come to him with a request to issue a decree to kill a certain people who are different and who are scattered and separated among all the peoples in the Kingdom. They are a threat, said Haman. They must be gotten rid of. So the King, trusting his right hand man had signed the decree. Now in the light of Esther's request, the decree takes on a whole new meaning. But you know the story. Haman is pointed out as the ogre, he's hung on gallows he had made for Mordecai and the people are saved. Thus every year Jewish people around the globe celebrate the holiday of Purim, the day when they were saved from their enemies. So what does this story have to say to us? Several things! First, crucial to the story but left out of the lectionary reading is Mordecai's statement to Esther when she questions her ability to change the King's mind. "Perhaps you have been called to royal dignity for just such a time as this." I believe that is God's challenge to us today: perhaps you have been called to a particular position or situation for just such a time as this. Think about it. Who at work needs you to mentor them? Who in your community needs you to speak up for them? What supportive role could you be playing on the Session, Deacon Board, in the congregation? What organization needs your volunteer time? Second, we as persons of faith do have the power to change things. The twist to the story is that Esther, seemingly without power, a woman, a foreigner, and sheltered in the harem yet she is the one who with her question changes the direction of the story and through her God is able to save God's people. It was no doubt scary for her, it was certainly risky, for she had no way of knowing for sure what the King would do, how he would react to her request. So her approach to the King was given much thought and preparation. There is a midrash - a commentary on Hebrew scriptures - which suggests that Esther asked Vashti, the Queen whom she replaced, for advice on how to win the King's attention. Vashti tells her: "The King wants beauty and submission. .. give him what he wants. Dress up in your finest! Perfume yourself exquisitely! Prepare a sumptuous banquet!" (Just Wives, Katharine Doob Sakenfeld, p.65) The author goes on to say: as we seek to promote justice, mercy and peace, we must not think that tactics do not matter. Over the long haul, a variety of approaches to challenging the status quo will be needed. (Ibid) So Esther using the means she had did just that and won! There once was a monk by the name of Telemachus. In 400 AD gladiatorial games were still popular throughout the Roman Empire. The gladiators were usually slaves or political prisoners who were condemned to fight each other unto death for the amusement of the crowd. Telemachus was disturbed that the Christian Emperor Honorius sponsored these games and that so many people who called themselves Christians went to see them. However, he realized that talking about this evil was not enough. Something needed to be done…but what? He was a lone monk and had no power. And the games had been going on for centuries. For a long time Telemachus agonized about the problem. Finally he could not live with himself any longer and he set out for Rome. The games were about to begin when he arrived and he followed the crowd to the Colosseum. The gladiators came out into the center of the arena. Everyone was quiet. The two young men drew their swords and the fight was on! Suddenly Telemachus rose from his seat and ran into the arena. He held high the cross of Christ and threw himself between the two combatants. "In the name of our Master," he cried, "stop the fighting!" The two young men hesitated, not knowing what to do. But the spectators were furious. They yelled wildly and stampeded toward the center of the arena. Deprived of their entertainment, they became a mob and with sticks and stones they beat Telemachus to death. Suddenly the mob grew quiet as they looked at the little battered body of the monk. A feeling of revulsion at what they had done swept over them. The Emperor rose and left. Abruptly the games were over. An edict was soon issued forbidding all future gladiatorial games. So it was that in about the year 404 AD because one individual dared to say no, all gladiatorial games ceased. (Peace Be With You, by Cornelia Lehn, p.27) Violence is rampant in our society. People are harassed, victimized, even murdered solely because they are different. To even think about changing the way things are seems so futile at times. But I believe each of us has the power as Esther had to change the way our world functions. We can ask questions, write letters, speak up and out for those who are not able to speak for themselves. As Vashti told Esther, we are to use whatever tactics are available to us. For some that may mean going to Salem to meet with legislators, marching for peace in downtown Portland, or simply challenging those who denigrate others. Phone calls and e-mails to our Senators and Representatives on matters of importance to us do make a difference. Letters to the editor also help. And always there is prayer. Praying for our enemies is a step in the right direction. As long as injustice prevails whether it is in the matter of housing, employment, salaries, lack of good health care, discrimination, ethnic cleansing - you name it - there is and will be no peace. Are we willing to take the risk of speaking out? Are we willing to put our money where our mouth is in terms of
paying taxes that will help provide a good education,
adequate health care for all, sufficient police and fire
coverage? Where can we volunteer to help make life better
for someone? Can we learn to live with and appreciate
the differences among us? Are we able to see one another
- Muslim, Jew, Christian, male, female, black, brown,
white, young and old, gay and straight as brothers and
sisters in the family of God? In the book Chicken Soup for the Soul - Stories for a Better World Brethren pastor Andrew Murray tells a story about a "Fire for Peace." In the early 1990's a small but vicious civil war broke out in the small West African nation of Mali. The Tuareg people, an Arabic, nomadic people to the north of Timbuktu felt essentially powerless because their government was controlled by the Bambura and other neighbors to the south. The war took thousands of lives and created nearly a million refugees. Alpha Ounmar Konare, the first democratically elected president
of Mali, decided he would do what it took to put an end
The question then became "What do we do with the weapons?" It was a question that threatened to undo the fragile peace. Then a young UN officer floated a simple but radical idea: The weapons should be burned. Finally, the government and the rebels could agree on something! It was an idea that everyone hated. For nearly a year, the young U.N. officer, in a quiet, humble, persistent manner, negotiated, talked, cajoled, pushed and pulled to reach agreement. At times it seemed as if violence might break out again. In the end, however, gentle persuasion and persistence carried the day, and everyone came to agree that this fire might be the best thing. On March 27, 1996 three thousand instruments of war were piled high on a cement platform made for the occasion. They were covered with straw and diesel fuel and in the ancient city of Timbuktu, a fire was lit that many hope will become a national symbol for that young, struggling, democratic nation of Mali. Murray goes on to say: "There is an image from that fire, captured by a U.N. filmmaker ….of two soldiers, one black and one white, one government and one rebel, one Bambura and one Tuareg, standing with their arms around each other, gazing almost wistfully into that magnificent flame. In the cool desert night, in the warmth of the burning guns, two young enemies, who had probably known nothing in life other than carrying a rifle, were cleansed of their hatred and freed from a desperate and violent future by a Fire of Peace." (pp112-15) Peacemaking is not for sissies. It takes persistence if nothing else. We as disciples can't change the whole world but it doesn't mean we shouldn't try. We can change our portion of it, however, in the corner in which we live, the world in which we move. Hear again God's challenge to us in the words of Mordecai: Perhaps you have been called to your particular place in society for just such a task - to work for justice so that others may have life. |
| Return to Sermons |