Amy Kelley, Dir. of Outreach (Gethsemane)

Esther 2:7-10; 8:15-17

Chapter 2

7 Mordecai had been a father to Hadassah (that is, Esther), though she was really his cousin, because she had neither father nor mother. The girl had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at. When her parents died, Mordecai had taken her to be his daughter. 8 When the king’s order and his new law became public, many young women were gathered into the fortified part of Susa under the care of Hegai. Esther was also taken to the palace to the care of Hegai, the one in charge of the women. 9 The young woman pleased him and won his kindness. He quickly began her beauty treatments and gave her carefully chosen foods. He also gave her seven servants selected from among the palace servants and moved her and her servants into the nicest rooms in the women’s house. (10 Esther hadn’t told anyone her race and family background because Mordecai had ordered her not to.) 

 

Chapter 8

15 Mordecai went out from the king’s presence in a blue and white royal robe wearing a large gold crown and a white and red-purple coat. The city of Susa greeted him with shouts of joy. 16 For the Jews it was a day of light, happiness, joy, and honor. 17 In every province and in every town—wherever the king’s order and his law arrived—for the Jews it was a day of happiness and joy. 

 

REFLECTION:

I encourage you to read the book of Esther or find an audio recording of the story. The story of Esther and Mordecai is complicated, messy, and full of moral ambiguity. But it is also a story of trust and hope. When God seems absent, does it mean we are abandoned? No. God is not mentioned once in this book. Not once. Yet, we get the sense that God is moving and working despite our mistakes and epic fumbles. 

In a nutshell, Mordecai adopts Esther as his own daughter because she doesn’t have a mother or a father in the picture. Interesting fact, they are cousins and Jewish. Soon, Esther’s beauty won her the title of queen by King Ahasuerus. They learn of a plan to destroy all Jews.

 

As they work to save the Jewish people from the wrath of Haman, you’ll notice in the Book of Esther that anxiety rears its ugly head throughout the story’s twists and turns. Sleepless nights. Pacing. Drinking. Rage. We all are human and experience anxiety in so many forms. Even though we’ve been taught that God uses the broken for God’s good, we still think that God can’t use us for God’s purposes when WE are a mess. But God does. Look at Esther and Mordecai’s relationship. They had trust and hope in each other. Their world was a mess. The city was a mess. The leaders were a mess. But God worked in the midst of all of that to drive out evil and restore some peace in the land. As humans, sometimes it’s hard for us to see God’s work for all of the mess.

 

But that’s where this relationship of Esther and Mordecai can give us hope. When we love and care for each other, we can accomplish big things in our lives. Yes, sometimes trust, hope, and love look like pacing the floor, falling to our knees in prayer, tears, and sleepless nights. But when we put our trust, hope, and love in God first, that’s how we can really accomplish big things for the Kingdom.

 

PRAYER:

Sometimes Quiet God,

Thank you for moving and doing even when I don’t see it. The messes I can make sometimes block my view of you. I know our human messes don’t just magically go away. So, God, I pray that you use my relationships to work towards your good. Help me to trust, hope, and love You so that my relationships reflect the Kingdom.

In Your Great Name, I pray, Amen.