Esther 4:7-16

In one of my adventures with college students, I had to build a fire. It was in the month of May in Upstate New York and the buildings were cold with concrete floors. We gathered to have a meeting, but it was clear that no one was going to talk about anything until they got warm. I found out that I’, a terrible fire starter. I picked out a large log, because we needed a lot of heat. Lighting a match and holding it next to a log just doesn’t do much.

Others took over the task and gathered papers and small chips. Once those caught fire, they spread to some small branches that were added. The branches crackled merrily and flames danced higher, so our experts started to add the large log that I started with. They found a group of those and soon we were deep in plans for the three week training camp that we were about to start.

 For a log to ignite and burn, it has to be in contact with other burning logs. A log that doesn’t lean on another that is already afire will not blaze.

 There a lot of people who struggle to be better or different and they never realize their plans. They lack a log that is already on fire. If you are going to be a doctor, connect with a doctor you admire. Study that person’s career. Try to spend time with them. If you are going to be a bank robber, find somebody who’s done it. And you won’t find them in the local jail. Just a thought. And if you want to be more than a survivor in matters of the spirit, find someone who is already on fire.

 We’re going to look at the life of Esther today. She and Mordecai were in deadly danger. And they came through together and victorious. It’s another wonderful way you can be more than a survivor.

Our next teacher is a young woman named Esther. That was her Persian name. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah. She was an orphan from the tribe of Benjamin. She lived among the Jewish exiles in Persia. She was raised by her cousin Mordecai, who served as a minor government official. A king by the name of Ahasuerus,also known as Xerxes, was the leader of the Persian Empire. This most likely places the story approximately 500 years before the birth of Christ.

 Vashti, the queen, embarrassed the king at a party, and he divorced her. He needed to select a new queen. Women from all over the empire were selected and given a twelve-month beauty treatment. After that year, each night a different woman was sent to the king’s bedroom. When Esther’s turn came, the next morning she became queen. I’m sure if the king knew she was Jewish, she wouldn’t have received her crown. But Mordecai told her to keep her faith and ethnicity a secret.

 To make a long story short (read the book of Esther for the complete story), Mordecai would not bow to one of the king’s officials—the wicked Haman—and this enraged him. Haman got so incensed with Mordecai that he had a gallows built that was eighty-three feet high. Not only was he going to kill Mordecai, but every person of Jewish descent in the empire.

 Here is another soul alert opportunity, friends. Mordecai, Esther, and their people had great reasons to fear. Haman was going to see to their destruction. But although God’s name is not mentioned once in the book of Esther, his presence and his providence are clearly presented. So, what do I want you to remember this morning? Good question. Rally support to shine for God.

 A lesson we learn from Esther is that God often puts us in strategic places. Mordecai told Esther, “. . . Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” I believe that Esther became the Persian queen to save God’s holy people from the wicked Haman. What a strategic place!

 God has put you and me in strategic places. For such a time as this, God has placed you in that school, in that office, in that neighborhood. For such a time as this, maybe God has put you in a scary place. He’s there with you and he has something for you to accomplish for his kingdom.

 Finally, Esther also teaches us that God doesn’t want us to face down fear solo. Mordecai wanted Esther to go to the king and beg for mercy for the Jewish people. This was scary. There was a law in Persia. If you went to the king without being invited, you could be put to death. Esther hadn’t been summoned for a whole month. If the king did not extend his scepter to welcome her into his presence, it would be curtains for Esther. What does Esther do as this soul alert opportunity comes her way? How does she face down her fears?

 Esther realized she couldn’t face down her fears solo. She needed help. She needed support. She needed a team behind her. All the Jews in the city of Susa, all of Esther’s companions in the palace, everyone around her fasted with her for three days . I think the implication is that a lot of prayer went along with this fasting. It usually does in the Scriptures.

 What’s the point? As we trek through this foreign setting, we can’t go it alone. Christianity is not a solo sport. It’s a team effort. Being a Christian means we’re members of God’s family, sheep in his flock, branches in his vine, parts of his body. We are a new community in Christ. We can’t go it alone. Esther learned that. We need to learn it, too.

 The writer of Ecclesiastes informs us that “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:9–10). Yes, two are better than one. When times get scary, when those soul alerts come to you in those strategic places, you are going to need someone to help you when the road gets rough. You need a prayer partner. You need to find another “alien.” What do I mean by that? Well, remember a few weeks ago we learned that believers in Christ are aliens and strangers on this earth. So, we need to find “alien allies,” other believers, to help us thrive spiritually.

 For a fire to survive the night, it can’t abide alone. In order to shine for God, you have to look to others to keep your flame alive.

 How open is your schedule to other Christians? Christians, by definition, were followers of Christ who invested in each others’ lives. They were as much family as family. In Acts 2, the description of the first-century church is one of interdependent community. They were in each others’ homes to share a meal. They were in each others’ hearts, so pastoral care didn’t require a pastor.

 But then something in our culture began to shift.. In the seventies came the release of People magazine. In the eighties, it was Us. And in the nineties, Self. Pretty insightful, if you ask me. But our increased craving for independence has not been without a price tag. Sadly, the result of this process is a lot of logs that have lost their spiritual passion and blazing fervor. But thanks to our Spiritual Adventure, the fire of fellowship is being rekindled. The example of Esther is at once convicting and comforting.

A Chicago Tribune article with the headline “Bag Ladies plan for their futures by enjoying today” caught my eye several years ago. It featured a group of women in Oregon who realized they could easily become bag ladies if they didn’t make future financial and social arrangements. . . .

 Calling themselves Bag Ladies of the World, several groups of women—ranging in age from a twenty-four-year-old mother of twins to a sixty-nine-year-old divorcee —formed support groups.

 These groups of women realized that financial security in the future was important. So they began to pool a small, but continually growing, savings account. . . . The future aside, many of the Bag Ladies said that day-to-day emotional support from the others was their biggest reward. The sixty-nine-year-old divorcee has two sons who live some distance from her. “I have not felt lonely and I have not felt isolated at all,” she is reported to have said. “What is that song from the Beatles? . . . ‘I’ll get by with a little help from my friends.’”

 When I read this, I began to pull together a number of friends who would be there for one another. I wanted women for the long haul: friends who would help each other if husbands died, friends to laugh and endure the aging process with, friends with comparable strengths and interests. All the women in my covenant group are involved in professional ministry; all travel, some are on church or parachurch staffs. All are readers, thinkers. Some teach spiritual formation courses in colleges, many are published writers in the religious market. Due to the hunger for spiritual mentors, three have become trained and certified spiritual directors. . . .

 For eight years now, we have met together once a month and without a great deal of energy expended. . . . We have been there for one another during job reversals, the distresses of raising adult children, laments about the midlife process. We have shared excellent books and articles and ideas and enjoyed a few retreats. . . . I have rallied alien allies to help me do more than survive. They are in place to help me thrive spiritually but also to rally support for a task that is bigger than I am.

—Karen Mains, Soul Alert

 Those of you who have your Adult Journals with you this morning, please turn to the bottom of page 30. I want you to follow along as I read the Adventure Application for my message today. It’s entitled “Find Alien Allies.”

 “Esther understood the importance of rallying support in order to shine for God. She willingly welcomed Mordecai, who offered her wise counsel. Esther also realized that to thrive spiritually, she needed to call on others for the strength they could provide. It is no less essential for us to divulge our hopes and needs to friends if we are to reflect the light of God’s love in our spheres of influence.

Think of a few individuals whose faith stories you don’t know very well. Between now and the end of the Adventure, meet with them, maybe over coffee or snacks. Ask: How did you come to your place of Christian commitment? What challenges do you face being a follower of Christ between Sundays? Pray: Before your time together is ended, allow those who are comfortable doing so to pray conversationally about some of the hopes and needs that were expressed.”

 Included with the other items mentioned at the bottom of page 31 is this week’s prayer. I’d like us all to read it together. Please allow those sitting near you who don’t have access to the Adult Journal to look on. Let’s pray this simple but powerful prayer. Are you ready?

 “Lord Jesus, I live in a needy world. I believe you have put me where I am for a reason. May I shine like a star in the universe, holding out the word of life. Help me, like Esther, to discover friends who encourage me to thrive spiritually wherever I am. Amen.”

 I believe there are wonderful faith stories in this congregation. Some have happened already and just need to be shared. How God has provided for you through the help and encouragement of others. How God has rescued another from danger and his way of doing this involved a special believer who came alongside and helped defeat a Haman-like figure. How God answered the fervent prayers of a group of Christians in a tough setting.

 I also believe there are wonderful faith stories of beautiful people in this congregation that are yet to unfold. And as we begin to meet together and share with each other the challenges we face as followers of Christ and then spend time in prayer, I believe we will see unfold some of the best of days as a congregation. I can almost hear the music in the background already, can you?

 Yes, we are aliens and strangers, as Peter writes. But we are also a chosen people. Like Esther we are royalty—a royal priesthood, a holy nation. As we find “alien allies,” let us believe that before long we will have specific new reasons to declare the promises of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light.