|
September 27, 2009 Unspectacular FaithfulnessGrace and peace to you. Have you ever heard the story of Esther? It's not one of the "top ten" books of the Bible... nor is Esther usually considered one of the "heros" of the faith. But it is a great story with a great message for us .The Book Of Esther, is a tale of twists and turns, ups and downs, ironies and reversals, and a mostly happy ending, at least for the people Israel. The story goes something like this. The story begins with King Ahasuerus, a.k.a. Xerxes, for those who know their history, getting rid of his first wife, Vashti. The queen chose not to drop everything to be at the kings beck and call. So the King Ahasuerus banishes Vashti and holds a search for a new queen. Esther enters the harem and gains favor of all who know her and when it is her turn with the king, she is chosen above all the rest to be queen. Esther's uncle Mordecai, who raised Esther, tells her to tell no one about being Jewish and she does not until just the right moment, until she has proven herself indispensable. Mordecai discovers a plot to assassinate the king and reports it to Esther who then saves the king's life. Ahasuerus appoints Haman, above all the princes, and orders all the people to bow down before Haman, Mordecai would not bow down, which is just the excuse Haman was looking for to kill all the Jews. Haman hated the people of Israel. In the meantime, the king asks Haman, "What should be done to a man the king delights to honor?" Since Haman imagines it is himself, he answers with great pomp and circumstance, "Let royal robes be brought, a crown on his head set. Let a prince conduct the man on royal horseback all through the square." Only it is Mordecai the king is planning to honor, and has Haman, the enemy who hates him, lead Mordecai through the square, all the time seething and plotting Mordecai's destruction with the rest of the people Israel... the first Holocaust. Esther figures out what Haman is planning and invites him and the king to a banquet in her quarters. And when the king says to Queen Esther, "What is your petition? It shall be granted, even to half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled." Esther tells of the plot to annihilate all the Jews, herself included. When the king asks who would presume to do this, Esther proclaims, "A foe and an enemy! This wicked Haman." So Haman is hung on the gallows prepared for Mordecai and Mordecai is elevated to Haman's position. That's pretty much the story of Esther. She enters the story as a slave; in a foreign place, a foreign culture, with little or no voice. As a woman and a Jew, Esther is among the least of the least. Even when taken into the king's court and made a queen, Esther still is relatively powerless. Yet, Esther manages to use what she has been given in order to save her people from ruin. She gives inspiration to the indignant and gives hope to the hopeless. May be you know someone, who, like Esther, inspires and give hopes. Think about those you know while I tell you about Sister Rose. She wasn't even 5 feet tall and probably didn't weigh more than 80 pounds, yet she was the toughest person at Peace House. Sister Rose founded Peace House in 1985. Located at the crossroads of the roughest neighborhood in Minneapolis, MN, Peace House became an urban refuge for street people tossed about by alcohol and mental disorders and crack cocaine. I got to know Sister Rose while volunteering at Peace House while I was in seminary. About 70 people a day cycle through Peace House, needing what we all need: warmth, food, someone to listen. Enter the squat two-story brick building and you will see them, arrayed on chairs around the long room that serves as cafeteria and confessional. Sister Rose accepted anyone who walked through the signature blue door. In an article printed in the MPLS StarTribune, shortly after her death, one of the regulars had this to say: "She didn't judge," said Pat. "I came from Chicago; I had some problems. First time I was there, I started talking to her. I was telling her all of these things about myself, and I thought she'd throw me out. When I was finished, all she said was, 'Would you help me make some sandwiches?' I've been a regular at Peace House ever since... more than 12 years. I think she was like Jesus would be if he came today. He wouldn't be downtown with the big, powerful people. He'd be here." A listening ear, an accepting demeanor, and a kind word, brought hope to one who was hopeless. I remember a retired couple who showed up at Peace House every day. For more than a dozen years, the couple paid daily calls on grocery stores and bakeries, filling garbage bags with day-old sandwiches and pastries, then delivering them to Peace House. One of the volunteers I worked with told me the couple delivered their daily pillage to five other non-profits serving the sick and homeless, too. Yet such was their affection for Sister Rose and the people she cared for, they saved the best sandwiches and pastries for Peace House. When you hear or experience the stories of people like Sister Rose or the retired couple, do you ever think to yourself, "There's no way I'd could do something like that." I do. It all seems so big... seems like such a commitment... such an investment of time... feels so spectacular. My own weaknesses and insecurities make me see limitations; limits I put on myself, limits brought on by culture and society, limits due to work and family schedules. That's not really Esther's story. What she did was not particularly spectacular. That's good news, because most of us are not very spectacular ourselves! Fortunately, most of the good that God needs doing is not too spectacular, either. Therefore, if God's work really is done by our hands, then... in little, ordinary, unspectacular ways, our little words, gestures, and acts... the kingdom of God is being advanced through us. That is Esther's story. Her unspectacular faithfulness carries out God's work, with her hands. That is our story, too; unspectacular faithfulness... doing God's work with our hands. Let us pray. |
St. Paul's Lutheran Church § 824 N. Lewis § Waukegan IL |
