October 1
This Sunday is World Communion Sunday.
Esther 3:7-11, 4:9-17, 7:1-10
This Sunday is the only day in three years of lectionary readings that we get anything from the book of Esther. Esther is known for, among other things, never mentioning the name of God. In fact this disturbed some folk so much that somewhere along the line a piece of Esther was added which includes a prayer (if your Bible has the Apocrypha in between Old and New Testaments, you can find it there). I have added a piece to what the lectionary calls for to try to flesh out the story, but it really would be helpful to read the whole book of Esther (not that long and very interesting story) to get the full picture. Our Jewish kin read this book (and often act it out) every year on the feast of Purim. (Pur is the Hebrew word for the "lots" that were cast - in essence dice - by Haman to determine the starting date for the pogrom against the Jews).
Here's the set-up: Esther is a beautiful young Jewish girl who gets chosen by the King of Persia for his new wife, after being suggested for such a role by her uncle, Mordecai, who was a minor official at court. He urges her, however, to keep her Jewish heritage a secret. (The whole story of the King's first wife, Vashti, told in chapter one is worthy all on its own as a story of a courageous woman!). One day Haman, a higher official at court, noticed that Mordecai never bowed to him at court (implicit here is that Mordecai did not do so because his sovereign was only God, but this is not stated, BTW, the same reason I do not place my hand over my heart when I recite the pledge of allegiance -- my heart bears allegiance only to God. But that's another sermon). Haman gets mad and wants to punish Mordecai, so he convinces (attempting a bribe) the king to let him destroy all the Jews for not following law and custom of Persia. Mordecai goes into mourning ahead of time when this is announced (he wears sackcloth and ashes), and when Esther sends a message to ask him what is wrong, he suggests she might do something about all this. She declines, valuing her life. Mordecai reminds her that she, too, is a Jew, and will be discovered and killed. She asks Mordecai to call a fast for her people (which again implies prayer to God, though this is not stated), and she successfully gets the King's attention, inviting him and Haman to a feast. She repeats this feast twice and then lays out her desire that her people's lives be spared (chapter 6 has an interim act whereby the king honors Mordecai for past service, which further enrages Haman). The king is furious with Haman for threatening the queen's people, and when Haman throws himself on Esther to plead for his life, the king thinks he is threatening the queen's body, and so has him put to death.
That might have been the end of the story, but actually the book has a rather bloody ending. The King's decree, once issued, could not be withdrawn, but a separate decree goes out allowing the Jewish people to be armed to defend themselves. A considerable slaughter and plundering is described in chapter 9, as well as the instructions to observe the festival of thanksgiving that followed.
I will be concentrating (I think), on the central portion of the story, where Esther thinks what will happen is not her concern, that she can do nothing about it, that it is all far away from her reality. Mordecai's words to Esther are perhaps the most well-known from this odd book, "Who knows? Perhaps you have come to this place for just such a time as this?" In the context of World Communion Sunday, this is one to think on. Shelly
Esther 3:7-11, 4:9-17, 7:1-10
This Sunday is the only day in three years of lectionary readings that we get anything from the book of Esther. Esther is known for, among other things, never mentioning the name of God. In fact this disturbed some folk so much that somewhere along the line a piece of Esther was added which includes a prayer (if your Bible has the Apocrypha in between Old and New Testaments, you can find it there). I have added a piece to what the lectionary calls for to try to flesh out the story, but it really would be helpful to read the whole book of Esther (not that long and very interesting story) to get the full picture. Our Jewish kin read this book (and often act it out) every year on the feast of Purim. (Pur is the Hebrew word for the "lots" that were cast - in essence dice - by Haman to determine the starting date for the pogrom against the Jews).
Here's the set-up: Esther is a beautiful young Jewish girl who gets chosen by the King of Persia for his new wife, after being suggested for such a role by her uncle, Mordecai, who was a minor official at court. He urges her, however, to keep her Jewish heritage a secret. (The whole story of the King's first wife, Vashti, told in chapter one is worthy all on its own as a story of a courageous woman!). One day Haman, a higher official at court, noticed that Mordecai never bowed to him at court (implicit here is that Mordecai did not do so because his sovereign was only God, but this is not stated, BTW, the same reason I do not place my hand over my heart when I recite the pledge of allegiance -- my heart bears allegiance only to God. But that's another sermon). Haman gets mad and wants to punish Mordecai, so he convinces (attempting a bribe) the king to let him destroy all the Jews for not following law and custom of Persia. Mordecai goes into mourning ahead of time when this is announced (he wears sackcloth and ashes), and when Esther sends a message to ask him what is wrong, he suggests she might do something about all this. She declines, valuing her life. Mordecai reminds her that she, too, is a Jew, and will be discovered and killed. She asks Mordecai to call a fast for her people (which again implies prayer to God, though this is not stated), and she successfully gets the King's attention, inviting him and Haman to a feast. She repeats this feast twice and then lays out her desire that her people's lives be spared (chapter 6 has an interim act whereby the king honors Mordecai for past service, which further enrages Haman). The king is furious with Haman for threatening the queen's people, and when Haman throws himself on Esther to plead for his life, the king thinks he is threatening the queen's body, and so has him put to death.
That might have been the end of the story, but actually the book has a rather bloody ending. The King's decree, once issued, could not be withdrawn, but a separate decree goes out allowing the Jewish people to be armed to defend themselves. A considerable slaughter and plundering is described in chapter 9, as well as the instructions to observe the festival of thanksgiving that followed.
I will be concentrating (I think), on the central portion of the story, where Esther thinks what will happen is not her concern, that she can do nothing about it, that it is all far away from her reality. Mordecai's words to Esther are perhaps the most well-known from this odd book, "Who knows? Perhaps you have come to this place for just such a time as this?" In the context of World Communion Sunday, this is one to think on. Shelly
posted by shelly @ 9:39 AM
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