Sermon by Rev. Jessica Johnson
Date: November 8, 2020
Scripture: Esther 4:14, Psalm 78
The World We Know
2020…what a year we have had! The year of 2020 seems to be one problem after another. The news and social media are full of anger or hate, over this issue or that policy. All of the catastrophic and horrible things all over the world can be overwhelming when we get such a steady stream of it from major news and media outlets as well as social media. Just this last week, there is so much uncertainty surrounding the election. And the year is not over yet.
Our world is changing. Just in the last year or so, we have seen changes in technology, in how we do school, in how we are doing church, in the economy, and so on. Some of these changes are for the good, and some are not. But with so much change at once, it can just seem like the world is spiraling out of control sometimes, and you feel helpless against such deep hurts.
This is the world we know. It’s not always sunshine and daisies.
God
I have been teaching science this year, and I tell my students that science is always changing as we learn more and more about how our world works. There is one thing that we have that never changes: God. God and His Word are unchanging. He is consistent and trustworthy. His message is the same as it has always been. God desires a relationship with us. Since the Fall of Man from the Garden of Eden, God has pursued us. And God does not waiver in His purpose.
If you read the Old Testament, a pattern starts to emerge. God is consistently saying, “Hey, if you follow me, you will be my people. I will bless you and take care of you. There will be none that can stand against you. However, if you don’t follow me, then you will be cursed or punished.” Throughout the days of the judges of Israel and then, thereafter, throughout the days of the kings of Israel, this cycle begins. The people follow God, and they are a strong nation, even feared by other nations. The other nations know the people of Israel and the reputation of their one true God. God blesses His people and provides for their needs. But then, Israel would turn away from God. God would withdraw His presence and blessings from them. He would allow them to be taken over by other nations. Then, the people cry to God to save them, and from their midst, God would raise up a person, a redeemer, to help save them or free them from oppression. And the cycle would begin again.
Haman’s Plot
During one of these cycles, the Israelites fell under the Persian Empire and the rule of King Xerxes. Esther, a Jewish orphan raised by her cousin, Mordecai, became the wife of King Xerxes about 480 B.C. However, the king did not know at first that Esther was Jewish. After he had banished his first queen, Queen Vashti, King Xerxes had held a contest and finally chose Esther as his next queen. He was very pleased with her and all seemed well, except for his second in command, Haman, who also did not know that Esther’s Jewish heritage.
Haman was a very ambitious and prideful man. He definitely sought honor for himself as he rose in the ranks of the king’s palace. He expected everyone to bow down to him, and, when Mordecai refused, he became angry and vengeful. Mordecai was a devout Jew, and he would not bow down to anyone except God. Now, Haman did not lay hands on Mordecai himself. He wasn’t dumb. Rather, he sought out to extinguish and destroy all of the Jews. Now, it seems a bit of an extreme overreaction to someone not bowing down. He probably figured if one guy didn’t bow down to him, and the only reasons he gave was being a Jew, then the other Jews probably wouldn’t either. They were persecuted simply because of the actions of one person, simply for being Jews. It’s all in the name. Haman allowed hate and anger to consume him.
Mordecai discovered the plot and pleaded with Esther to go to the king. Even though she could be killed going before the king without the king calling for her, she agreed to speak to the king on behalf of her people. She made her decision, and the first thing she did was pray to God and fast. She prayed before she acted. We all need to remember that, especially in turbulent times. Praying to God should be the first and primary action we take.
For Such a Time as This
The thing that finally convinced her to step up and help her people was something that Mordecai told her. Esther 4:13-14 says:
13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
For such a time as this…God places us where He wants us to be. He works through our lives with purpose. Esther’s act of faith and courage led her to helping her people. Just as in the many cycles of the history of Israel, God raised Esther as the one to redeem her people.
A Time of Preparation
The Israelites had endured 11 months of a death sentence hanging over their head. Now, I don’t know what I would have done during those 11 months, but I probably would have seen it as a time of preparation. That is the sense that I have had for the past year: that as Christians, we need to be prepared. We need to spend time in praying and reading the Bible. We need to gird ourselves with God’s truth and embody God’s love. We cannot forget our purpose and mission. Our purpose is to glorify God, and our mission is to spread the gospel.
The Psalm for today comes from Psalm 78:1-8, which says:
Psalm 78:1-8 ESV
1Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
2 I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have heard and known,
that our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
5 He established a testimony in Jacob
and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
6 that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;
8 and that they should not be like their fathers,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
whose spirit was not faithful to God.
We have been given the task to share the deeds and commandments of God with generations that follow us. And we need to feel that sense of urgency for such a task. Psalm 90:12 ESV says: “So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.” We do not know when Jesus Christ will return again. But we need to be ready.
Going Forward
Lately, I have been thinking about the Old Testament prophets. They did not always have a message that people wanted to hear. But the message they shared was the same: if the people followed God, then they would be His people. He would bless them and take care of them. However, if they didn’t, then they would face punishment, separation from God. To some people this message is dangerous. They don’t want to change. They hated and feared the messengers. But to others, it was a message of hope and salvation, and they repented, turning back to God. Throughout the Old Testament and the messages of the prophets was the hope of redemption, the promise of a redeemer. In the New Testament, that promise was fulfilled in the coming of Jesus Christ, our Ultimate Redeemer.
Just over a year ago, a pastor friend and I were talking about the state of the 21st century church. He made a statement that stuck with me. He said that he thought the Church would go underground within our lifetime. I dismissed it and said no, that I didn’t think that would happen. Then, 2020 happened, and look where we are a just a year later. The Church isn’t underground. However, we are unable to meet like we normally would. There have been limitations throughout the country on where and how we worship. The world is changing. The Church is changing. But God doesn’t change. He still pursues us. We are His children, and He wants a relationship with us. The message is the same: God desires us to be His people, His children. Not everyone will want to hear the message, but that doesn’t mean that we stop saying it. People are in desperate need of the hope that the Gospel provides.
Roman Oppression
The early Christians lived under a time of oppression. The Romans were polytheistic, worshipping many gods. To them, Jesus was just another god to add to their collection. I am reading a book called Resilient Faith by Gerald Sittser, and it is about those early Christians and how Christianity survived in those early days. In the book, he points out that in the year AD 40, shortly after the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven, there were estimated to be about 5,000 Christians. By 300 AD, there were about 5 million Christians worshipping in about 65,000 house churches. These Christians did not have the state support or cultural privilege that we have had in our lifetime. In fact, they faced a great amount of hostility. However, under such an anti-Christian government and culture, Christianity, not only survived, but it thrived. How did they do that? Here is a quote from the book:
“Christians had to guard the newness of the message without isolating themselves from the culture or accommodating themselves to the culture, which required them to form people in the faith and thus grow a movement of genuine disciples who could survive, and even thrive, in such a world. Rome would have ignored Christianity if Christians had been too isolated; it would have absorbed it if they had become too accommodating. For the most part it did neither.”
They chose a Third Way, and they became known as the Third Way movement. They retained their identity as God’s children as they shaped the culture around it by engaging it. The early Christians did not set out to create a new way of life for themselves. Rather, this new way was a by-product of what it meant to keep Jesus Christ at the center of their lives. Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world. The kingdom of God transcends this world, yet has everything to do with this world.
What does that mean for us? We are facing shifts in our culture, specifically our government this year. This world is changing. But God and His Word never change. We need to keep Jesus Christ as our center. Our identity is found in being followers of Jesus Christ and children of God. Our purpose is still to glorify God, and our mission is still to proclaim the Gospel. Not everyone will be receptive to our message. But we are still called to share it.
Our world, maybe even the very concept of Church, is changing. But God has always promised to be with us and provided us the gift of the Holy Spirit to comfort us and to empower us. We have been blessed with gifts and talents by God in order to do His will.
Perhaps God has created you for such a time as this.
Date: November 8, 2020
Scripture: Esther 4:14, Psalm 78
The World We Know
2020…what a year we have had! The year of 2020 seems to be one problem after another. The news and social media are full of anger or hate, over this issue or that policy. All of the catastrophic and horrible things all over the world can be overwhelming when we get such a steady stream of it from major news and media outlets as well as social media. Just this last week, there is so much uncertainty surrounding the election. And the year is not over yet.
Our world is changing. Just in the last year or so, we have seen changes in technology, in how we do school, in how we are doing church, in the economy, and so on. Some of these changes are for the good, and some are not. But with so much change at once, it can just seem like the world is spiraling out of control sometimes, and you feel helpless against such deep hurts.
This is the world we know. It’s not always sunshine and daisies.
God
I have been teaching science this year, and I tell my students that science is always changing as we learn more and more about how our world works. There is one thing that we have that never changes: God. God and His Word are unchanging. He is consistent and trustworthy. His message is the same as it has always been. God desires a relationship with us. Since the Fall of Man from the Garden of Eden, God has pursued us. And God does not waiver in His purpose.
If you read the Old Testament, a pattern starts to emerge. God is consistently saying, “Hey, if you follow me, you will be my people. I will bless you and take care of you. There will be none that can stand against you. However, if you don’t follow me, then you will be cursed or punished.” Throughout the days of the judges of Israel and then, thereafter, throughout the days of the kings of Israel, this cycle begins. The people follow God, and they are a strong nation, even feared by other nations. The other nations know the people of Israel and the reputation of their one true God. God blesses His people and provides for their needs. But then, Israel would turn away from God. God would withdraw His presence and blessings from them. He would allow them to be taken over by other nations. Then, the people cry to God to save them, and from their midst, God would raise up a person, a redeemer, to help save them or free them from oppression. And the cycle would begin again.
Haman’s Plot
During one of these cycles, the Israelites fell under the Persian Empire and the rule of King Xerxes. Esther, a Jewish orphan raised by her cousin, Mordecai, became the wife of King Xerxes about 480 B.C. However, the king did not know at first that Esther was Jewish. After he had banished his first queen, Queen Vashti, King Xerxes had held a contest and finally chose Esther as his next queen. He was very pleased with her and all seemed well, except for his second in command, Haman, who also did not know that Esther’s Jewish heritage.
Haman was a very ambitious and prideful man. He definitely sought honor for himself as he rose in the ranks of the king’s palace. He expected everyone to bow down to him, and, when Mordecai refused, he became angry and vengeful. Mordecai was a devout Jew, and he would not bow down to anyone except God. Now, Haman did not lay hands on Mordecai himself. He wasn’t dumb. Rather, he sought out to extinguish and destroy all of the Jews. Now, it seems a bit of an extreme overreaction to someone not bowing down. He probably figured if one guy didn’t bow down to him, and the only reasons he gave was being a Jew, then the other Jews probably wouldn’t either. They were persecuted simply because of the actions of one person, simply for being Jews. It’s all in the name. Haman allowed hate and anger to consume him.
Mordecai discovered the plot and pleaded with Esther to go to the king. Even though she could be killed going before the king without the king calling for her, she agreed to speak to the king on behalf of her people. She made her decision, and the first thing she did was pray to God and fast. She prayed before she acted. We all need to remember that, especially in turbulent times. Praying to God should be the first and primary action we take.
For Such a Time as This
The thing that finally convinced her to step up and help her people was something that Mordecai told her. Esther 4:13-14 says:
13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
For such a time as this…God places us where He wants us to be. He works through our lives with purpose. Esther’s act of faith and courage led her to helping her people. Just as in the many cycles of the history of Israel, God raised Esther as the one to redeem her people.
A Time of Preparation
The Israelites had endured 11 months of a death sentence hanging over their head. Now, I don’t know what I would have done during those 11 months, but I probably would have seen it as a time of preparation. That is the sense that I have had for the past year: that as Christians, we need to be prepared. We need to spend time in praying and reading the Bible. We need to gird ourselves with God’s truth and embody God’s love. We cannot forget our purpose and mission. Our purpose is to glorify God, and our mission is to spread the gospel.
The Psalm for today comes from Psalm 78:1-8, which says:
Psalm 78:1-8 ESV
1Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
2 I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have heard and known,
that our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
5 He established a testimony in Jacob
and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
6 that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;
8 and that they should not be like their fathers,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
whose spirit was not faithful to God.
We have been given the task to share the deeds and commandments of God with generations that follow us. And we need to feel that sense of urgency for such a task. Psalm 90:12 ESV says: “So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.” We do not know when Jesus Christ will return again. But we need to be ready.
Going Forward
Lately, I have been thinking about the Old Testament prophets. They did not always have a message that people wanted to hear. But the message they shared was the same: if the people followed God, then they would be His people. He would bless them and take care of them. However, if they didn’t, then they would face punishment, separation from God. To some people this message is dangerous. They don’t want to change. They hated and feared the messengers. But to others, it was a message of hope and salvation, and they repented, turning back to God. Throughout the Old Testament and the messages of the prophets was the hope of redemption, the promise of a redeemer. In the New Testament, that promise was fulfilled in the coming of Jesus Christ, our Ultimate Redeemer.
Just over a year ago, a pastor friend and I were talking about the state of the 21st century church. He made a statement that stuck with me. He said that he thought the Church would go underground within our lifetime. I dismissed it and said no, that I didn’t think that would happen. Then, 2020 happened, and look where we are a just a year later. The Church isn’t underground. However, we are unable to meet like we normally would. There have been limitations throughout the country on where and how we worship. The world is changing. The Church is changing. But God doesn’t change. He still pursues us. We are His children, and He wants a relationship with us. The message is the same: God desires us to be His people, His children. Not everyone will want to hear the message, but that doesn’t mean that we stop saying it. People are in desperate need of the hope that the Gospel provides.
Roman Oppression
The early Christians lived under a time of oppression. The Romans were polytheistic, worshipping many gods. To them, Jesus was just another god to add to their collection. I am reading a book called Resilient Faith by Gerald Sittser, and it is about those early Christians and how Christianity survived in those early days. In the book, he points out that in the year AD 40, shortly after the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven, there were estimated to be about 5,000 Christians. By 300 AD, there were about 5 million Christians worshipping in about 65,000 house churches. These Christians did not have the state support or cultural privilege that we have had in our lifetime. In fact, they faced a great amount of hostility. However, under such an anti-Christian government and culture, Christianity, not only survived, but it thrived. How did they do that? Here is a quote from the book:
“Christians had to guard the newness of the message without isolating themselves from the culture or accommodating themselves to the culture, which required them to form people in the faith and thus grow a movement of genuine disciples who could survive, and even thrive, in such a world. Rome would have ignored Christianity if Christians had been too isolated; it would have absorbed it if they had become too accommodating. For the most part it did neither.”
They chose a Third Way, and they became known as the Third Way movement. They retained their identity as God’s children as they shaped the culture around it by engaging it. The early Christians did not set out to create a new way of life for themselves. Rather, this new way was a by-product of what it meant to keep Jesus Christ at the center of their lives. Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world. The kingdom of God transcends this world, yet has everything to do with this world.
What does that mean for us? We are facing shifts in our culture, specifically our government this year. This world is changing. But God and His Word never change. We need to keep Jesus Christ as our center. Our identity is found in being followers of Jesus Christ and children of God. Our purpose is still to glorify God, and our mission is still to proclaim the Gospel. Not everyone will be receptive to our message. But we are still called to share it.
Our world, maybe even the very concept of Church, is changing. But God has always promised to be with us and provided us the gift of the Holy Spirit to comfort us and to empower us. We have been blessed with gifts and talents by God in order to do His will.
Perhaps God has created you for such a time as this.