For Such a Time as This

Esther 4:12-16  When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, ¹³ he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. ¹⁴ For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" ¹⁵ Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ¹⁶ "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."

The biblical account of Esther’s life found in the Old Testament book that bears her name is truly a fascinating account – filled with kings, queens, political intrigue, assassination attempts, jealousy and bloodshed. From a beauty contest that is used to pick the next queen, to an excessive 75-foot high gallows used to hang just one man. It is an action packed book. It is American Idol, Survivor and 24 all rolled into one.

But if you were to read through the 10 short chapters of Esther, you might notice that something is missing. Throughout the entire book of Esther, God is never mentioned. Nor does it talk about worship or prayer or the promise of a Savior. You might wonder, “Why is this book in the Bible?” But as you read it over again, you see that the main characters like Esther, her cousin Mordecai and King Xerxes are not really the main focus of the book. Instead, through these people, we are able to see God’s gracious hand guiding history, events and people in order to carry out His holy will.

Esther lived during the time of the Babylonian Captivity. King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and carried many of the Jews into exile, settling them throughout his empire. Then the Persian king, Cyrus the Great, defeated the Babylonians and took over and extended their empire. During his reign, Cyrus allowed some of the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. Many of the Jews did not return to Judah, but stayed in the only home they had known. That included Esther, a very beautiful, young Jewish woman.

King Xerxes, the Persian king at the time of Esther, became upset with his wife, Queen Vashti, for disrespecting him, so he removed her from royalty. Now he was in the market for a new queen. Xerxes had his men search the entire kingdom for the most beautiful women they could find. Out of all the women in the land, Esther caught the king’s eye. Sound like one of those romantic tales you only hear about in Disney movies, right? From the poorhouse to the palace, the lowly commoner captivates the heart of the king, becomes his queen and they live happily ever after.

Well, not exactly. Life may have been good for Esther, but the very existence of her people was being threatened. There was a high official of the king named Haman who became upset that Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, refused to bow down to him. In fact, Haman was so incensed with Mordecai’s insolence that he didn’t just want Mordecai dead, he wanted all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews, dead, too. When Mordecai heard about this plot, he sent a message to Esther saying, “Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”

Esther was afraid of entering the king’s throne room. She knew the king was paranoid about assassination attempts and if she approached him without an invitation, this could mean death for her. But Mordecai basically told his cousin, “Yes, Esther, if you approach the king, you might die. But if you don’t, you most certainly will! You and your father’s family will perish!” Then comes the pivotal verse in his message. He says, “And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”

In a book where the name of God is not mentioned at all, Mordecai sees God at work. Why was it that Esther, of all the women in the land, was picked to be Xerxes’ queen? Was it her elegance? Was it her beauty? Or was it the silent hand of God, putting her in that “royal position for such a time as this?”

What would it cost? A throne, a crown, a claim to the kingdom, a royal name, royal position, royal perks – it was all on the line, all for the sake of others. I’m not talking about Esther. I’m talking about our Savior. He gave up heaven, glory and praise to live among the common folk of this sinful world, complete with temptations, rejection, enemies, beating, scourging, crucifixion and death. And when did He do this? “When the time was right, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5). “Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world” (Luke 2:1). So Joseph and Mary moved to Bethlehem, not by chance, but by God moving His people into proper position because the time was right. For such a time as this – for the salvation of His fallen creation.

When Jesus faced the dilemma of people heading to extermination, to an eternity of hell, He didn’t think of Himself. He couldn’t think of Himself. All He could do was think of you and your need to be saved. In ways that we can never fully understand, Jesus went through hell for us, so that we might one day enjoy His heaven. Jesus had His “for such a time as this” moment, only His was far greater, because it meant the saving of all people of all time. And it’s that great grace of Jesus that we celebrate every day of our lives – His willingness to put His life on the line, far more than Esther did. His life was taken so ours would not be. His righteousness makes us acceptable in the sight of the King of heaven instead of appearing like conniving, selfish, condemned people. His compassionate plea and His shed blood caused the King of heaven to change the edict of extermination to one of eternal life.

We need to hear and consider Mordecai’s words often. For we live in a world that is enthralled with itself. We are people who are absorbed in our own lives, our own good looks, our own busy schedules, our own social networking. We want the world to resolve around us. We think that everyone should care about what is going on in our life. We enjoy looking in the mirror and asking, “What about me?” But today we learn that it is time to look past the mirror and look at the rest of humanity and ask, “What about them?”

Have you ever stopped to think that maybe God has put you in this place at this time to contribute to the needs of others? We see this encouragement throughout the pages of Scripture. In the New Testament, Jesus, the apostles and others use the phrases “one another,” “each other,” and “others” over 150 times. These words pull our attention away from ourselves and towards the needs of others. These words move us towards less navel-gazing and a more faithful vision of thinking about the needs of others, much like Mordecai urged Esther to see the bigger picture.

As we celebrate God’s love through Christ to us every day, Christ’s love becomes our calling in life. As we have been saved, we now have the opportunity to save others by sharing with them the love of Christ. Our lifetime is really our “for such a time as this” moment. Is there someone you know who is suffering unnecessarily because they don’t know about their Savior? Then look for a time and a way that you can “comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” (2 Corinthians 1:4). Is there someone who would come to church, if only they had someone to sit with, or if only they had someone to give them a ride to church? Then maybe this is your “how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news” (Romans 10:15) moment. Maybe you are a more quiet and reserved person. Becoming a private prayer warrior, praying intensive intercessory prayers on behalf of others may be just the thing for you for such a time as this.

At Epiphany, we have a number of opportunities to do just that. When you help at workdays in the church or the school, you are contributing to the needs of others by giving them buildings that are in good working condition. If you have a joy for talking to others about Jesus, you can help with outreach or teaching Sunday School or helping out in the classrooms. If you have organizational skills and a passion for children, you can serve on one of the many committees for the IPSC or Epiphany’s Church Council. With your offerings you are supporting the ministries of not only Epiphany and WLS, but also the ministries of Shoreland, the WELS and home and foreign missions. With your generous gifts of money and talents you are beautifying our worship facility with paintings, our worship service with music and everything we do with God’s glory.

There is a beautiful truth that shines forth in the words from the book that doesn’t even mention God’s name. God, in His grace, hides Himself behind people whom He gives the privilege to be co-workers in His saving plan. God could have preserved the Jewish people and the line of the world’s Savior in any number of different ways. He’s God! But, in His grace, He chose to do it while working behind the scenes, giving His children Mordecai and Esther the opportunity to live their faith by using their positions, their talents and their gifts to serve God by serving the needs of those around them. What a gift of grace it was for Mordecai and Esther to be active participants in God’s plan! To be instruments of God! For such a time as this.

March 19 is the date the Jewish people celebrate the festival of Purim. Purim involves exchanging gifts of food and drink with neighbors and doing acts of charity for the poor. In other words, it’s about contributing to the needs of others and being generous in doing so. It is a celebration in honor of Hadassah, or Esther, and the rescue of the Jewish people.

The Bible says that the angels rejoice when a sinner repents and comes to faith (Luke 15:10). It is a day marked and celebrated in heaven for the rescue of God’s people.

Maybe you compliment the floor mopper at your grocery store. You compliment him every time you see him at work. Finally, you strike up a conversation that eventually leads you to ask him if he has a church home. He doesn’t. So now he’s worshiping with you and attending adult instruction classes. For such a time as this … and the angels rejoice.

Maybe your neighbors are impressed with how respectful, well-behaved and thoughtful your children are. They praise your parenting skills, but you shift the praise to your Savior, His church and school. Your neighbors enroll their children in our grade school and the whole family is baptized at the font. For such a time as this … and the angels rejoice.

Maybe your curmudgeony grandfather is in the hospital with a terminal illness. He’s been estranged from God for decades after a disagreement in the church. You’re nervous, but you sit next to Grandpa’s bed and read a devotion to him and then pray for him. When you open your eyes, you see that Grandpa’s eyes are filled with tears. He asks you to bring your pastor with you the next time. After daily visits, the pastor is able to say to your grandfather on his deathbed, “Today you will be with Jesus in paradise.” For such a time as this … the angels rejoice, the saints celebrate and the date is marked on heavenly calendars.

May God remind us to expand our vision so that we see that the harvest fields are ripe. There are so many ways to show generosity to others. But before we can show generosity, we need to keep our eyes open to see the need for it. Maybe this is your “for such a time as this” moment, a time for contributing to the needs of others – helping people not only with their physical needs, but also their spiritual needs. What a gift of grace it is for us to be active participants in God’s plan! To be instruments of God! Christ’s love is our calling, and our calling is for such a time as this. Amen.

Christ’s Love, Our Calling: Different Gifts, Same Grace at Epiphany on October 9, 2011