On Sunday, at our Breakfast Church Service at St Mary’s, we are exploring the Old Testament story of Esther. It is a powerful story from long ago and far away and yet it resonates with our own world in several ways. It is an ancient story that carries themes that are very familiar today.
Firstly, it takes place in Iran, a country that has featured so much in the news recently.
And then, it is the troubling story of a vulnerable young woman who is taken to a foreign country and caught up in the world of a powerful and wealthy man.
There is cruel antisemitism and we find human pride contrasted with compassion and courage.
The story is one of deliverance and it takes centre stage during Purim, a Jewish holiday and festival celebrated every year in February or March.
At the heart of the story is the orphan Esther and her cousin Mordecai.
Esther finds herself faced with a dangerous situation. She has a difficult choice to make – will she keep her identity secret and remain silent or will she risk speaking up for the sake of others?
She courageously chooses to overcome her fears, to make a clever plan, and to speak up. In doing so she prevents a great injustice and saves many lives.
Nelson Mandela was keen to remind people that courage is not the absence of fear. After all, if you are not afraid you do not need to be brave. Courage is being afraid but doing the right thing anyway.
Esther had the courage to speak up when something wrong was happening and in doing so she has left us with the challenge to be brave enough to do the right thing even when it is hard to do so.
Esther’s life was full of very challenging circumstances and yet she also found herself in a situation where she could use her voice to make a real difference to the lives of other people. Like Esther we might be facing very real struggles in our lives, but it is also true that in the midst of our difficulties we can make a difference to others by the words we speak.
I hope you are managing to stay cool in this week’s heat wave!
With best wishes,
Stephen