Esther 4:14-17
April 7, 2002
When I was growing up in Boston, there were very few Chinese Americans. My two brothers and cousins who lived on the other two flats in our three-family house made up all of the Asian Americans at the Phillips Brooks Elementary School. While my cousins’ names were pronounceable, like Ang and Chin, mine was not. How do you say, “NG?” One time my teacher asked all of us little kids to write down our names on these little cards that would be inserted in a seating chart. In those old days, the chairs and desks were nailed down to the floor in rows. So I wrote as instructed, “NG, D”—last name first followed by your first name’s initial. When the teacher got to my card, he blurted out, “Is this a “No good desk!?” I was so embarrassed that I wanted to hide under my desk.
All of us probably have a story like mine to share when we just wanted to hide ourselves away and not be seen. To be invisible means that we also won’t get involved. Remaining unnoticed enables us to go on with what we’re doing. The status quo can continue on without any interruptions.
Esther’s Change of Heart
From this one chapter in the book of Esther chapter 4, we can see another lesson for us this weekend. After Mordecai via a messenger told Esther about the impending doom of the Jewish people, he proceeded to challenge her that even the king’s palace will not hide her from the threat that was about to happen. And that if she had any shred of integrity and self-dignity left, this was not the time to keep silent.
We’re not sure what convinced Esther to change her mind from remaining hidden in the king’s palace and not getting involved to revealing her identity and taking action. Maybe it was Mordecai’s words that jolted her from passivity to activity. Maybe it was the possible threat on her life and that at this time, she had nothing to lose. Or was it the thought that she had a remote chance in being successful at a time like this. We don’t really know but for Esther it was a moment of choice.
She decides to take charge. There’s no hiding now. She gives orders to Mordecai to gather all the Jews in Susa to hold a fast on her behalf. They are not to eat or drink for three days. Where before in the palace Esther hid her Jewish-ness and repressed all the customs and traditions that defined who she was. Now she announces to the Jews that they are to fast in her name for all to see.
On top of that Esther and her maids will also fast for three days
Esther becomes her own person and finally and publicly throws her identity with the Jews. She breaks away from her secret identity with her harem and the king. Esther was no longer worried about her kinship that would imperil her life. She wasn’t worried about her feelings of rejection in terms of her standing up against the king. Esther was able to choose a greater purpose for her life. It wasn’t to please the king.
Esther discovered her purpose in life was to save her people. At the end of this chapter, Esther said, “If I perish, I perish.” She was giving her life for such a time as this.
Purpose of Your Life
God has a unique plan for each of us. Our job is to discover what that is. We know that it doesn’t take a whole lot of distractions to lead us away from our God-given vocations. For Esther she had lived in the palace of the king for a long time. She could have chosen the path of remaining silent and keeping her identity a secret. Esther’s contacts and relationship with the king would have been wasted if she didn’t act on behalf of her people. We all may have years of preparation for the task, but we still need to perform in such a time as this.
I could have retreated under my little desk in the fourth grade when my teacher intimidated me by calling me, “No good.” But I know that God prepared me for ministry way back when I was in high school and I was President of my BYF and preached when it was Youth Sunday at my home church in Boston. Even now as I serve as the pastor of the church in San Francisco. I realized that all the years that I served in Valley Forge have prepared me to be a humble servant with the saints at First Chinese Baptist. As Mordecai challenged, Esther, “Who knows?” I ask myself, “Who knows where God may be calling me into ministry next?” We must be open to listening to God’s call for us right now.
There are three things that we can learn from Esther about giving oneself to God.
Like Esther, we may first need a change of heart. Our lives might be on cruise control because as far as we can see, things are going well. We have the safety and security of a king’s palace. But for us to listen to God’s plan for our lives, we may need to give up what we have gotten used to and to choose to follow Jesus Christ.
There’s a story of two soldiers who were on the front lines in Europe during World War II. They looked a lot alike, but their lives had been very different. The first man had been successful in several different fields. His companion had been in and out of prison, and his future looked bleak when the war is over. Then a shell landed in their trench mortally wounding the first soldier. As he lay dying he said, “Take my name and make a new life for yourself.” The soldier couldn’t and didn’t do that, but there came a day when he heard the words of his buddy said now spoken by Christ. He took Christ’s name and made a new life for himself.
God wants to change your life only if you are willing to follow. You can have a change of heart like Esther did when you trust God with your life.
The second thing we can do is to work together. Not only did Esther get Mordecai to mobilize the Jews to publicly fast for three days and three nights, she and her maids fasted too. They found strength and power to protest their impending threat by working together.
The American Baptist youth of Indiana, Indianapolis, and Kentucky have always been one of the most dedicated and active groups in the entire denomination. You always have the largest delegations attending the national gathering of American Baptist Youth. Your mission support and involvement in mission projects like collecting school supplies for San Francisco children are unsurpassed by any other. Like how Esther and Mordecai and the others worked together, Indiana youth are working together and you are making things happen!
There was a time after a timber company cut all the trees from a two hundred-foot strip of forest, a magnificent pine was left exposed on the west side. It was straight and perfectly formed. Before long, it crashed to the ground. It had stood many storms when it had been surrounded by the other trees but when they were taken away, it fell when the rains softened the ground and the winds blew.
Working together successfully requires that we are all included—it’ll take all of us to make a difference in the world in such a time as this.
And finally, when we give our life to God there’s a cost. It could truly cost your life. Esther declared, “I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.” Our Christian faith at times will call us to give our lives to Christ. We’ve been singing this weekend, “This Is Your Time” about the girl who died at Columbine High School when she affirmed her faith in Jesus Christ.
Christians have been persecuted and ridiculed down through the ages because of their faith in Jesus Christ. In 1 Peter 1:3-9, we read,
“By God’s great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is
imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being
protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be
revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you
have had to suffer various trials, so that genuineness of your faith—being more
precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to
result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
The Christians in 1 Peter were not being persecuted by any government; rather they were being ridiculed, ostracized, and verbally abused by their neighbors and other citizens. And we all know that the pain that these Christians suffered of hate mail, anonymous phone calls, ugly graffiti spray painted on garage doors, social slights, bodily threats, and even calling someone, “No good” can amount to greater cruelty than the clearly defined opposition of a government.
As young Christians today and especially on the first Sunday after Easter, we must ask ourselves are we ready to pay the cost of discipleship for Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you and I ready to suffer various trials inasmuch that our faith will be tested by fire resulting in bringing praise, glory, and honor to Jesus Christ the resurrected Lord? Esther was willing to perish. Are we ready to say, “If I perish, I perish.”
For Such a Time
The value of time that we have is often overlooked. For young people you feel you have plenty of time ahead of you. For people like me, well, I need more and more daylight saving times just to keep up! But for all of us, God is calling us to use the time that we do have for his glory.
There’s a poem about time that I would like to share with you.
To realize the value of ten years: Ask a newly divorced couple.
To realize the value of four years: Ask a graduate.
To realize the value of one year: Ask a student who failed an exam.
To realize the value of nine months: Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.
To realize the value of one month: Ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of one week: Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of one hour: Ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of one minute: Ask a person who missed the train, bus or plane.
To realize the value of one second: Ask a person who has survived an accident.
To realize the value of one millisecond: Ask the person who has won a silver medal in the Olympics.
To realize the value of an ABY Convention: Ask yourself how God is calling you to give your life to Christ.
(Time waits for on one. Treasure every moment you have. You will treasure it even more than you can share it with someone special.
To realize the value of a friend: Lose one.)
This weekend I hope that you have learned that as God called Esther to such a great task as to save her people from doom, God is calling you too for a special purpose in life. As you decide on the choices that you have in the coming months and years, we pray that you would choose Christ to serve. And utilizing your creative gifts and many talents, we pray that God will be calling you to serve your church in the only way you can. We want you to bear a Christian witness at school so that they will not call you, “NG—No Good” but call you sisters and brothers in Christ.
I know that it seems that we adults have made a mess in the world for you. But if Esther can stand up to the king at the risk of death, you too can stand up to all the powers and principalities that anyone can put up against you. If Esther can come out of her fake identity and change her heart from “I don’t care.” to “I and my maids will also fast as you do.” then you and I can too.
As young Christians there is no better time than such a time as today to proclaim that we are followers of our Lord Jesus Christ and nothing will stop us now!
Dancing with God
In closing, we have all heard and seen the “footprints in the sand” story. Here’s a variation of that story.
Imagine, you and the Lord Jesus are walking down the road together. For much of the way, the Lord’s footprints go steadily, consistently, rarely varying the pace. But your footprints are a disorganized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures, and returns. For much of the way, it seems to go like this, but gradually your footprints come more in line with the Lord’s, soon paralleling his consistently. You and Jesus are walking as true friends!
This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens. Your footprints that once etched the sand next to Jesus’ are now walking precisely in his steps. Inside his larger footprints are your smaller ones, you and Jesus are becoming one. This goes on for many miles, but gradually you notice another change. The footprints inside the large footprints seem to grow! Larger! Eventually they disappear altogether. There is only one set of footprints; they have become one.
This goes on for a long time, but suddenly the second set of footprints is back. This time it seems even worse! Zigzags all over the place. Stops. Starts. Gashes in the sand. A mess of prints all over. You are amazed and shocked. Your dream ends.
Now you pray: “Lord, I understand the first scene with zigzags and fits. I was a new Christian; I was just learning. But you walked on through the storm and helped me learn to walk with you.”
“That’s correct.
“And when the smaller footprints were inside of yours, I was actually learning to walk in your steps; followed you very closely.”
“Very good. You have understood everything so far.”
“When the smaller footprints grew and filled yours, I suppose that I was becoming like you in every way.”
“Precisely.”
“So, Lord, was there a regression or something? The footprints separated, and this time it was worst than at first.”
There’s a pause as the Lord answers with a smile in his voice. “You didn’t know? That was when we danced.”
We know that in every season, there’s a time for every purpose under heaven. For such a time as this, we must not keep silent but to speak out for the Lord. For such a time as this, we must wear sackcloth and ashes to protest and work for peace and justice. For such a time as this, we must give our lives to God and pay the cost of discipleship.
As we mature in our faithfulness, this is your time to dance with the Lord!
Let us pray.
Dear God, thank you for your redeeming love in the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord. We pray that we may give more and more of our lives to you as we grow faithfully through the years—believing that in faith we are received into your kingdom. In praise we thank you for this wonderful convention and continue to bless the American Baptist youth to serve in such a time as this—right now. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ who calls each one of us into discipleship, we pray. Amen.