Maybe You're the One (Esther 3)

It was one of those times when the Jews were not in charge of their own nation, but were under the rule of foreign powers.

It was the Persians who were in charge. When the Persians looked at the Jews, they saw people who were very different. They had strange customs. They wore strange clothes. They worshiped God in a strange language. They observed different holidays.

Haman, the grand vizier to King Ahasuerus, was convinced that the Jews did not belong in Persia. He believed that their ways were inconsistent with everything the kingdom stood for.

This sounds familiar. In recent weeks, presidential candidates have said basically the same thing, except instead of Jews in Persia, their comments were about Muslims in America. The way of Muslims, they said, are inconsistent with our nation and the constitution on which its governance is based.

After all, to many Americans, Muslims have strange customs. They wear strange clothes. They worship God in a strange language. They observe different holidays.

This is what Haman said to King Ahasuerus about the Jews. He said, “If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued for their destruction; do this, and I’ll pay big money into the king’s treasuries.”

Big money swaying the government is also something that sounds familiar. Why don’t we have better environmental protections in this country? Why is the tax code so unfair to poor and working class families? Why is junk food subsidized but healthy, organic food isn’t? It’s all about how the influence of big money in the government.

Read between the lines, and you’ll discover that this little book of Esther – which doesn’t even mention God – has some harsh, challenging, prophetic words to people in our own time.

So far, it’s been easy to read Esther and point all this out. After all, the blame seems to lie elsewhere. So far, the book of Esther doesn’t seem to be calling me out personally, challenging me to change my behavior… I don’t have big money, I don’t have any animosity for Jews or Muslims or anyone else… but perhaps it’s only a matter of time until Esther speaks an equally prophetic and challenging word to me.

Many of you are familiar with the story of Esther. If you aren’t, I encourage you to read it. It’s not very long. I actually haven’t mentioned the title character yet, so let me tell you a little about her.

King Ahasuerus, who I’ve already mentioned, had a beautiful queen named Vashti. One day, the king threw a party, and he ordered Queen Vashti to present herself so he could show off to all his guests just how beautiful his queen was.

But Queen Vashti refused to come.

So King Ahasuerus got rid of her. He searched the land for a new queen, and that new queen was Esther.

What the king didn’t know is that Esther had a secret: Esther was a Jew. Before she became queen, she had lived with her cousin Mordecai who was also a Jew.

When Haman got the king’s approval to destroy all the Jews, Mordecai sent word to his cousin Esther, telling her that she needed to say something to the king about Haman’s plan, to convince the king to stop their impending destruction.

Esther was reluctant. “Who am I?” she thought. “I’m just a woman, and look at how this king treats women! He dumped his first queen, kicked her out into the street, because she refused to put her body on display to his friends. Then he chose me as his new queen not because of love, but because he liked the way I looked in a beauty lineup. I may be the queen, but if I do something that displeases the king or angers him, that’s the end of me. Certainly it’s safer for me if I just keep quiet.”

But Mordecai said to her, “When Haman destroys the Jews, don’t think you’ll be safe from that just because you live in the palace. Besides, who else is there to speak out against this injustice, this oppression, this attack on our people? Who knows? Perhaps you’re the one! Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.”

Ah! There it is. The prophetic, challenging word to me. “Perhaps you’re the one! Perhaps you are where you are for just such a time as this.”

This challenge directly addresses my ongoing desire to discern what exactly is my call from God. What has God put me here to do?

There are some things I cannot change… and there are some things I can change. I doubt I can change the opinions of presidential candidates who speak judgmental, hateful, bigoted things in an effort to gain publicity and improved poll ratings. Not everything is in my control. King Ahasuerus wanted to control Queen Vashti, but couldn’t, and I cannot control many who I might, at times, wish I could control.

But I can speak out. I can preach and proclaim and share what my faith says, that hatred and prejudice is not a part of the biblical witness.

At this point, those of you who know your Bible well might squirm in your seat a little, because you know that stories of hatred and prejudice – and even genocide – do exist in the Bible; and if someone wants to use the Bible to justify their own hatred and animosity toward others, there are verses they can quote.

 But never do these stories appear as the final word. There is an arc, a progression, through scripture, a movement toward acceptance and affirmation of all people. As I’ve shared with you before, different voices within scripture engage in a debate that spans the centuries, arguing with each other over who is and who is not a part of God’s kingdom.

Some voices in scripture say certain people, certain ethnicities, certain nations, should be excluded; but other voices in scripture argue back, saying that all are welcome in the kingdom of God, that God’s spirit is poured out on all flesh, young and old, male and female, slave and free… people from all nations and all cultures [Joel 2:28-29; Isaiah 56:7 Galatians 3:28].

So even though there are stories in the Bible of cultural exclusivity and even ethnic cleansing, it is clear that the movement in scripture, the pushing of God’s spirit, is away from that, and toward acceptance and affirmation.

I remember as high school student in the 1980s, reading about World War II and the atrocities carried out against the Jews in Europe, and wondering how people could possibly have that much hatred toward someone just because of their race or religion. I could understand how one man could feel that way – there are always a few deranged persons in a society – but how could enough people feel that way to allow that one man to have the power that he had?

But, because it was history, and because all the photos were in black and white, it seemed like such a distant thing, as if that sort of thing could never happen in my time.

Now I know, it can happen. It is happening. An entire religion of one billion peaceful people is being blamed for the actions of small groups of terrorists.

A growing number of Americans agree that a Muslim – simply because of his or her religion – is unfit to be president. A growing number of Americans have negative attitudes toward Muslims, despite the fact that they have never so much as had a conversation with a Muslim in their community. That’s the very definition of prejudice: judging people without even knowing them.

Who is going to speak out about this? Who will challenge the rising tide of fear, animosity, and hatred?

Today, Oct. 10, 2015, anti-Muslim rallies have been planned to take place on the streets outside of mosques at various locations throughout the country. In states where it is legal, those protestors say they will be armed. In response, the Council on American-Islamic Relations has urged mosques to take extra security measures this weekend.

What does this have to do with you and me?

Bixby Knolls Christian Church is a multicultural, multiracial, open & affirming congregation. We are Christians who see and understand God through Jesus Christ, but at the same time many of us do have friends or even family members of other religions.

We have a partnership with the South Coast Interfaith Council, and some of us have even provided leadership to that organization. We have met people very different from us, yet very much the same as us when it comes to seeking and working for peace among all people, creating a beloved community – or, as the New Testament calls it, the kingdom of God.

Perhaps we, Bixby Knolls Christian Church, are the ones this world is waiting for. Perhaps we are where we are and who we are for just such a time as this.

Perhaps YOU are where you are for just such a time as this.

All this has me thinking of Bree Newsome. On June 27, she climbed a 30-foot flagpole at the South Carolina state capitol and took down the Confederate battle flag. What prompted her to do that? She could have left that symbolic action to someone else, but who?

She was promptly arrested, and the flag was raised back up. Two weeks later, though, the South Carolina government voted that the flag should no longer fly over the state capitol.

Every day, I become more and more convinced that we here at Bixby Knolls Christian Church are called to play a similar role in society, to be the ones who will speak out against hatred, whether that hatred is based on racial or religious prejudice, or prejudice against people of different sexual orientations or gender identities. This, I believe, is our calling.

As pastor, I feel it is my duty to continually present that calling before the congregation… It is also my duty to keep improving my own awareness and understanding of these issues. I say this, because I know I still have a lot to learn.

Fortunately we in the church have our reconciliation ministry. A few weeks ago Lisa Tunstall and I attended an excellent two-day training on confronting the powers of racism. I have attended other similar events in the past; and now our region has a leadership program for youth which is focused on overcoming the sin of racism, a program that Tristan is a part of. He and his fellow participants in that program will be among those participating in next week’s Regional Gathering.

I feel that God is calling Bixby Knolls Christian Church to be a leader in the pro-reconciliation, anti-racism movement of our church. When you think about it, who else but us is in such a position for this?

The reconciliation offering that we take today… that money doesn’t go to BKCC. It’s an offering that we take in addition to our offering in support of our congregation. It goes to support the pro-reconciliation, anti-racism work of our region and our general church.

But we are called to be a part of that. Financially. Prayerfully. And by taking advantage of every opportunity to learn more and to witness to the God who shows no partiality among people, who loves all and welcomes all into his kingdom.

This is our message to the world. This is what we are here for.