esther, mordecai and facing our worst fears · dignity for just such a time as this.” then esther...

Message Created by Tami Bradshaw-June 20-21

"Esther, Mordecai and Facing Our Worst Fears" Scripture: Esther 4: 13-17, Romans 8:38-39 Things I’d like to remember from today’s sermon: _____________________________________________________________________________________________

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Meditation Moments for Monday, June 22 – Read the Introduction to Esther in your study bible. It is interesting to notice that God is NOT mentioned anywhere in the book of Esther, and yet God is clearly at work behind the scenes. A main theme of Esther is the idea of Providence. Merriam Webster defines Providence as “God conceived as the power sustaining and guiding history.” ● Can you think of a situation in your life when after you’ve had a chance to look back and reflect on it, you could see how God was working through that situation? Tuesday, June 23 -Read chapter one of Esther. The story of Esther is structured around several drinking parties. What happens to Vashti in chapter one? How secure is the position of queen in Persia at this time? ● Can you relate to any of the characters in chapter one? Wednesday, June 24 – In chapter two of Esther we meet both Esther and Mordecai. Both Esther and Mordecai are Jewish, and are foreigners in the land of Persia. Adoption was not a common practice in ancient societies. As both an orphan and a girl, Esther holds a vulnerable place in society. ●Who are the vulnerable members of your community? Lift them up in prayer. Thursday, June 25 – Continue reading in Esther. Pay attention to the character of Mordecai. Mordecai is seen by many as a biblical example of Fatherhood. As an adoptive father Mordecai shows how it is possible to love a non-biological child. ●What other admiral qualities do you see in Mordecai? Friday, June 26 – In chapter three of Esther we see Haman plotting to destroy the Jews. Notice how at the end of the chapter the juxtaposition of Haman and King Ahasuerus toasting the new edict in contrast to the confusion and despair in the streets of Susa. ●Pray for anyone in your life who may be feeling confused or in despair. Saturday, June 27 -Chapter four of Esther is where we see Esther called by Mordecai to move from isolation and denial to courage and action. ●Who are the people in your life that have called out goodness and courage in you? Thank God for them. The book of Esther is an inspiration to be brave. Let go of your fears. Trust in God. Help the others around you see their calling. In this way we participate in God’s Kingdom!


“Esther, Mordecai and Facing our Worst Fears”

Message created by Tami Bradshaw

June 20-21, 2015 at First United Methodist Church, Durango

Scripture:

Esther 4:13-17

Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think that in the king’s palace you

will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silence at such a time

as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you

and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal

dignity for just such a time as this.” Then Esther said in reply, to Mordecai, “Go

gather all the Jews found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat

nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do.

After that I will go the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.”

Romans 8: 38-39

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things

present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else

in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our

Lord.

DANCE PRESENTATION BY MARISA SMITH TO “KEEP HOLDING ON”

SLIDE KEEP HOLDING ON

Would you please pray with me? O Lord of the Dance, we ask that you open our

hearts and our minds to your presence. May your Spirit move us in a new and

fresh way today. In this time of worship we ask you give each one of us what we

need; whether it’s a challenge, some comfort or an injection of hope and

inspiration. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be

acceptable to you God, Our Rock and Redeemer. Amen.


SLIDE ESTHER, MORDECAI AND FACING OUR WORST FEARS

I want to thank Marisa for embodying what I would like to speak about today; the

courage we can find in God to move through our lives with strength and grace.

Today, we will look at the story of Esther from the Old Testament and see what

she and her father figure Mordecai can teach us about facing our fears.

Since it’s been awhile since I have last given the message, I wanted to take a few

minutes to re-introduce myself to those who know me and to give a little

background to those of you who are meeting me for the first time. I pulled a few

pictures to share with you.

(Introduction of Self)

GRAPHIC 1 PHOTO OF COLLEGIATE UMC AND WESLEY FOUNDATION

I thought you might like to see where I first met Jeff. I have pretty much been

following him ever since.

GRAPHIC 2 WEDDING PHOTO

GRAPHIC 3 PHOTO OF OUTSIDE OF TRINITY

GRAPHIC 4 PHOTO OF TRINITY SANCTUARY

GRAPHIC 5 WESTERN PHOTO

GRAPHIC 6 PHOTO OF TAMI WITH DOGS

GRAPHIC 7 PHOTO OF HUBER FAMILY

GRAPHIC 8 PHOTO OF SMALL GROUP

I want to thank these beautiful women for helping me to Keep Holding On this

past school year.


(Introduction of the Sermon)

While I’m tempted to tell you my entire life story, the story I really want to talk

about is from the book of Esther. I invite you to pull out your Message Notes and

Meditation moments. This will give you a place to jot down anything you might

want to remember later. Also you will find some prompts for taking another look

at Esther on your own throughout the week.

A few years ago, in the home of my friend Nancy Smith, I participated in a Beth

Moore bible study called, Esther; it’s Tough Being a Woman. In her six week

study, Beth Moore helped Esther come alive for me in a new and exciting way.

Esther is a fascinating and beautifully written book of the bible. It is considered a

masterpiece of literature because of its use of drama, irony and suspense. If you

have ever done a Beth Moore study, you know that Beth speaks with passion and

from a reservoir of biblical research. In her introduction to the book of Esther

Beth Moore says,

SLIDE BETH MOORE QUOTE

“Tucked between the Chronicles of the Kings and the thundering of Prophets we

find the book of Esther sitting quietly until someone dares to open her mouth

and be shaken by her story.”

I have been shaken by Esther’s story and I am hoping it might also impact your life

for good. The idea from Beth Moore’s study that shook me up the most is the

idea of Unconditional Trust which she talks about half way through the study.

SLIDE UNCONDITIONAL TRUST

When Beth Moore challenged me to have Unconditional Trust in God, I it may

have saved my faith. I was in the midst of a faith crisis. I was realizing that my

son Thomas was “not going to make it”. He was headed down a path that no

longer included me going to Lacrosse tournaments, buying him a suit for prom or

planning a graduation party for him. I had my heart set on those things. My

dreams for my son were dying. My faith in God was deeply damaged, my sense of


purpose and calling deeply confused. Esther’s and Mordecai’s story helped me

face one of the hardest seasons of my life- watching my son’s life spin out of

control.

I have been holding on to this idea of Unconditional Trust to share with you. I am

hoping that exploring this idea together might save us all some suffering and

confusion. Heaven knows I am still trying to wrap my mind around it and live it

out.

Now I am familiar with of the term “Unconditional Love” and I feel pretty

comfortable with what it means. In my best moments I believe that God has

unconditional love for me. No matter how badly I might behave, God will always

love me. As a parent I try to have unconditional love for my children. I don’t want

my kids to believe that I will only love them if they perform the way I want them

to. But the idea of Unconditional Trust is definitely a growing edge for me.

Unconditional trust in God means that we trust in God no matter what. Even

when things don’t make sense to us or when situations break our hearts.

Unconditional trust means that we believe in the end, everything is going to be

okay. When we have unconditional trust in God, we know that the worst thing in

our lives won’t be the last thing in our lives. When we have unconditional trust,

we can move from living out of fear and to living with courage. (We’ll keep

exploring the idea of unconditional trust as we move through Esther’s story.)

GRAPHIC 9 MORDECAI: A BIBLICAL MODEL OF FATHERHOOD

In the Book of Esther, we find the wonderful character of Mordecai, who some

see as a biblical model of Fatherhood. (How appropriate for this weekend!) It is

Mordecai who calls upon Esther to have courage and claim her calling. Mordecai,

who is Esther’s much older cousin, adopts Esther as his own daughter when

Esther’s parents die. Together, Esther and Mordecai are an inspiring illustration

of how a father calls his daughter to fully participate in the Kingdom of God.

GRAPHIC 10 MAP OF PERSIA


The story of Esther and Mordecai is set in the fifth century BCE in the Persian

Empire. We meet them in the second chapter of the book. I invite you to pull out

your pew bibles and take a look at the story with me. I am going to read out loud

beginning at Esther 2, verse 5. You will find this on page 385. Please follow along

with me.

“Now there was a Jew in the citadel of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of

Jair son of Shimel son of Kish, a Benjaminite. Kish had been carried away from

Jerusalem among the captives carried away with King Jeconiah of Judah, whom

King Nebuchandnezzar of Babylon had carried away. Mordecai had brought up

Hadassah that is Esther, his cousin, for she had neither father nor mother; the

girl was fair and beautiful. And when her father and mother died, Mordecai

adopted her as his own daughter. So when the king’s order and edict were

proclaimed, and when many young women were gathered in the citadel of Susa

in custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king’s palace and put in

custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women. The girl pleased him and won

his favor and he quickly provided her with her portion of cosmetic treatments

and her portion of food, and with seven chosen maids, from the king’s palace,

and advanced her and her maids to the best place in the harem. Esther did not

reveal her people or kindred, for Mordecai had charged her not to tell. Every

day Mordecai would walk around in front of the court of the harem, to learn

how Esther was and how she fared.”

So, with Mordecai’s protective presence nearby at the palace gate, Esther rises up

the ranks of the Harem to become Queen of Persia, her identity as a Jew hidden.

Shortly after Esther becomes queen, her new husband, King Xerxes, appoints a

man named Haman to the highest position among the King’s officials.

Right away this new appointment of Haman becomes problematic for Mordecai.

As an Agagite, Haman’s people are old enemies of the Jews. When the palace

officials were commanded to bow down to Haman and honor him, Mordecai

refused.


Esther 3:5 and 6

“When Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down to him, Haman was

infuriated. But he thought it beneath him to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So,

having been told who Mordecai’s people were, Haman plotted to destroy all the

Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.”

Haman persuades King Xerxes with a donation to the royal treasury to write an

edict that legalizes the destruction of the Jews in Persia. When Mordecai learns

of plans to kill his people he puts on sackcloth and goes into deep mourning and

wails in the streets. Because of the way he is dressed, Mordecai cannot go into

the palace. So Esther and Mordecai start communicating through a messenger.

Mordecai tells Esther about the edict to kill the entire population of Jews and asks

her to go to the King and entreat him for her people. Esther’s first response is

filled with fear. She says to Mordecai:

Esther 4:11 All the kings servants and the people of the kings provinces know

that if any man or woman goes to the King inside the inner court without being

called, there is but one law-all alike are to be put to death. Only if the king

holds out the golden septor to someone, may that person live. I myself have

not been called to come into the king for 30 days.

Can you hear the fear in Esther’s voice? Esther has not been summoned by her

husband in thirty days. Would he receive her if she approached him? What will

the king do if he learns that Esther is Jewish?

One of the most common commands in the bible is “Do not be afraid.” It seems

God’s messengers understand our human tendency to be fearful. Throughout

the books of both the Old Testament and the New Testament, we are constantly

reminded to “Fear Not”. The biblical message to “Fear Not” is radically counter-

cultural. In today’s media we are encouraged to be afraid, very, very afraid. We

are supposed to be afraid of aging, of global warming, of droughts, floods and

tornados. We are afraid of spiders and dogs and public speaking.


Sometimes our lives seem like the life an especially little mouse named

Desperaux. (In this clip Desperaux’s parents and school superintendent try to

convince him that his job as a mouse is to be afraid.)

VIDEO Tales of Desperaux - LEARN TO BE AFRAID

In some ways I think our culture is like Desperaux’s school. Our culture wants to

teach us to be afraid. But are we mice or are we men? Are we not people of

faith? We are not meant to cower our way through life. Jesus life and mission

was to fear us from our fears….

Hebrews 2:14-15

Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it’s logical that the Savior took

on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death,

taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil’s hold on death and freed all who

cower through life, scared to death of death. (The Message)

The turning point for Esther comes in chapter 4. In chapter 4 we see Esther move

from self-preservation to brave determination. We see her move from fear to

courage.

SLIDE ESTHER 4:13-17

Esther 4:13-17

Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think that in the king’s palace you

will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silence at such a time

as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you

and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal

dignity for just such a time as this.” Then Esther said in reply, to Mordecai, “Go

gather all the Jews found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat

nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do.

After that I will go the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.”


It’s incredible to me that Ester can get to a place where she can say, “If I perish, I

perish.” Esther is looking death straight in eye and makes a plan.

SLIDE HOW DOES ESTHER MOVE FROM FEAR TO COURAGE?

How does Esther make this move from fear to courage? Well first of all, she is

called, inspired and supported and by her Father figure. Mordecai shows his grief

and distress to Esther by dressing in a sack cloth and mourning publicly and

loudly. Mordecai is not trying to protect Esther from the reality of the situation.

Mordecai is no longer telling Esther to keep her true self hidden. He says, who

knows? Maybe you are right where you are supposed to be.

Like Esther, we need to recognize when we are being called. Sometimes out of

fear, we protect ourselves from our callings. And often we try to protect our

children from difficult callings. But who knows? Maybe moving through that

difficult situation we are afraid of will help us become the people God wants us to

be.

In my experience, Dads, are a little better at being open to scary situations than

moms. I am not sure that if Esther’s mother had still been living, that she would

have encouraged Esther to approach the king! If I were Esther’s mom, I would be

tempted to keep her hidden.

I think of young dads with babies-how they toss them in the air, while mom looks

on nervously. I remember my own mom getting anxious about my brother and

my safety and my dad would say flippantly, “Oh, they are fine!” Of the two of us,

Jeff is more likely to encourage our kids to take a risk than I am. Now, guys, don’t

get all crazy on me, throwing babies all over the place! But Dads and Grandpas

we need you! Uncles and masculine friends and male mentors, we need you to

help us see our calling! I invite you to challenge me. To challenge our kids!

Empower them to take risks! Encourage them to hard things!

A few years ago Jake Forsythe, from our church staff, encouraged the youth team

to read “Do Hard Things” by Alex and Brett Harris. Maybe as a Father’s Day


challenge you could pick up the book “Do Hard Things,” read it and find a young

person to try out with.

The second way Esther moves from fear to courage is that she draws on the

spiritual resources available to her. She said to Mordecai, “Gather all the Jews

and hold a fast for me for three days and three nights. My maids and I will do the

same.” I imagine Esther grabbing hold of the hands of her maids and praying

fervently. I imagine her drawing strength from those around her. For three days

and night she hunkers down with her community and together they pray up some

powerful courage.

This morning I was still writing this sermon and I was getting nervous that I would

not finish in time. I was worried that it would not go well and I would embarrass

myself in front of you all. I was tempted to say to Jeff, “Would you do this for

me?” Then I thought , come on Tam, you better practice what you are trying to

preach. So I texted some girlfriends and asked them to pray. And those beautiful

women prayed up some courage for me.

We need each other and we need God. When we are facing a situation that is

overwhelming to us we need to gather together and pray. And we need to pray,

by modern standards, for a long time. Esther and her maids, Mordecai and all

Jews gather together, and keep holding on to each other for 3 days and 3 nights.

They held a vigil to help them face the fear of death.

In Charleston, South Carolina vigils are being held to face the reality of murder

and death in their midst. Nine faithful people were gunned down during an

evening bible study. Now that is something I have not thought to be afraid of –

coming to bible study and watching my class get shot. Trust in God does not

mean we are protected from bad things happening to us. Trust in God is the

assurance that the Spirit is with us when they do.

The gracious families of the victims of the shooting in Charleston are showing that

they have unconditional trust. They are saying things like “God will help us

through this.” “We forgive.” “Love will win.”


Chris Singleton, son of slain Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, attended a vigil in his

mother's honor Thursday at Goose Creek High School in suburban Charleston.

"We forgive, that's one thing we are going to do," he told NBC station WCBD.

"She's the best mom I could even ever ask for. Honestly, it's going to be tough but

I know we will get through it as a family." To be able to say” I know we will get

through it as a family is to have unconditional trust.

Consider again Esther’s words and her to choice to face her fear.

SLIDE AND IF I PERISH, THEN I PERISH

Notice the if- then formula. Let’s see if we can make Ester’s formual work for us.

Consider one of your worst fears. In your notes, write If______, Then ________

SLIDE IF ______________, THEN __________________

One of my worst fears used to be that Jeff will die in a car crash like my biological

father. So let’s spin this out into the worst case scenario…okay, Jeff dies in a car

crash. Then what? Then what, then what? (Then, eventually God) (Have

congregation fill first blank with their own fear and then second blank with God.

SLIDE IF ANY OF OUR FEARS, THEN, GOD

When he writes to the Romans, Paul expresses his unconditional trust:

SLIDE Romans 8: 38-39

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things

present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything

else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ

Jesus our Lord.


No matter what, God will always be with us. Unconditional Trust is believing that

and having it be enough. We need to let go of what we think should happen and

open ourselves to God’s bigger mission. Let’s find within ourselves the attitude of

Esther who said, “If I Perish, I perish.” ( If my worst fear, then still God.) God’s

purposes WILL be accomplished. Because of Jesus we can say “oh death where is

your victory, where is your sting?” Today let’s choose to be brave. Let’s

recommit ourselves to trust in God. Let us show our children that we believe that

love will win. Let’s Keep Holding on; to each other and to God. Amen.

esther, mordecai and facing our worst fears · dignity for just such a time as this.” then esther...

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