Sunday, July 20, 2025
Scripture: Esther 4:9-17
Sermon Title: The Call of Esther
Last week I got to meet some of the quilters during their quilting retreat. They were working on some beautiful quilts for Quilts of Valor and some other projectsas well. And I will admit, I don’t have as cool of a hobby as that, I’m not very crafty. My biggest hobby, if you can call it a hobby, is that I love to read fiction. To me there’s nothing better than curling up on the couch with a good book or reading under an umbrella at the beach. I’m constantly following the various famous Book Blub Picks and putting those books on hold at the library as soon as they’re announced. And yes, even though I’m young, I still prefer the feel of an actual book in my hand instead of a kindle. Anyone relate?
And while I read all sorts of genres, if I had to say my favorite, I would probably have to say Historical Fiction, specifically WW2 Historical Fiction.
I think there’s something about that time period where you see such complete and utter disregard for human life, but also such courageous people standing up to fight against it. I especially love a good story where women are rising up and resisting the Nazis whether its being spies or hiding and smuggling people to safety.
And in a way, if you read the Book of Esther, it kind of reads like a good WW2 book.
If you haven’t read Esther or it’s been a while, maybe read the Book of Esther this week and see what I mean. It’s only 10 chapters. Not too long.
For those who have never read Esther before, or maybe it’s been a while, here’s a quick recap of what is going on in the Book of Esther.
First, King Xerxes ordered Queen Vashti to come out before him. She refuses to, so he says he will find another queen. They decide to look for young, beautiful women, and one will be chosen to replace Queen Vashti.
For people who think the Bible is boring, Esther is like an HBO miniseries, all sorts of drama going on.
Then we find out there is a man named Mordecai who is Jewish. He is living in exile from Jerusalem. And he has a cousin named Hadassah, also known as Esther, who he has raised because her mother and father died.
After this edict by the king was proclaimed, Esther was taken into the harem of women for the King. But she did not tell people her nationality and family background because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so. And the king was most attracted to Esther and had her become queen.
But then, later in the story, an edict was put forth to annihilate all of the Jews.
So, all of this is the lead up that brings us to today’s scripture. And in today’s scripture Mordecai has asked Esther to go into the King’s presence and plead on behalf of her people that the king would show the Jewish People mercy.
Mordecai is asking Esther to stand up for her people. Mordecai is asking Esther to use her position of power for good.
But Esther, understandably is scared. She explains that if anyone goes into the King’s presence without being summoned, they can be killed unless the King shows mercy. And she said the king had not summoned her in 30 days.
And then Mordecai sends her back these famous words, probably the most famous words in the entire book of Esther.
Esther 4:13-14, “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
For such a time as this.
Sometimes, we are put in a certain place and time for reasons we don’t understand, but God has a purpose and wants to use us.
For Esther, being placed in the King’s Harem probably didn’t make much sense to her. And now, Mordecai is suggesting she has been placed there for such a time as this. To speak out and save her people.
Now I want to be clear about this, because I don’t want us misunderstanding me and hearing bad theology. God doesn’t make bad things happen or put us in bad situations to make good things happen. However, God often brings about redemption, brings about good out of our bad situations.
Often, timing is everything.
In the appointment process of being a pastor in the United Methodist Church, Ihave had to trust in God’s timing.
It’s interesting, a few years back I was casually asked about Tomoka UMC, nothing formal, and at that time I wasn’t feeling called to leave my first church, Highlands in Jacksonville yet. It just didn’t feel right. Then maybe a year or so later, I was asking for a move because it was hard on us with my husband Jesse commuting from Jacksonville to his work here in Ormond.
And we were told that there was nothing available and I would not be moving. And then I learned that Pastor John Gill was being moved to Tomoka. I’ve told Pastor John this story before. I didn’t know him then, and I thought to myself, “why does this guy get to move to Ormond?” But then I learned his history at Tomoka and how he had been commuting even longer than my husband Jesse, so I said, “ok I understand, he deserves it.”
Then a year later we got moved to Community UMC in Daytona Beach.
And in these moves, it is my belief that although Pastor John came to Tomoka when I would have probably liked to, the timing was right for him to come back to Tomoka at that time. And it wasn’t the right timing for me yet to be the pastor of Tomoka UMC.
My hope is that now is the right time for me to be here. My hope is that like Esther, God has called me here to Tomoka UMC for such a time as this.
For the Greeks, there were two different words for time. “Chronos”, where we get our word “chronology” from is all about quantitative time and measuring time.Think of all our busy calendars and schedules.
“Kairos” on the other hand is about qualitative time. And I’ve often heard it referred to as “God’s Time.”
So often in the busyness of life, we are focused on “Chronos” time instead of “Kairos” time.
Last Sunday there was a homeless man from Cuba outside after worship and he needed a ride back to Deland. For a second let me brag about my husband Jesse. He gave the man a ride back to Deland. Now if Jesse were focused on “Chronos” time he might have thought to himself, “I don’t have time for this. We need to get lunch for the kids figured out.”
But thankfully, Jesse was open to “Kairos” time. He was open to God’s time andbeing open to the Spirit to be used by God.
As we think about this idea of calling, sometimes calling isn’t as big of a thing as what your career will be or where you’ll live. Sometimes it’s a simple thing, like will you hear the Lord calling you to give this person a ride?
As we think about callings, sometimes we are called to certain things “for such a time as this.”
Sometimes we are called to different things for different seasons. And sometimes the timing is just not right.
I can’t tell you how many times in churches I’ve heard before, “well we’ve tried that before, and it didn’t work.” Anyone heard that? I’ll admit, I’ve been guilty of saying it myself. But sometimes, it’s not that an idea was bad, it just wasn’t the right timing.
And so, we can pray, Lord, where are we called for this time, for this season? Is this time, is this season, the right time for this ministry?
The Call of Esther, just like last week with Samuel anointing David is another time where we see someone being called not by God speaking to them directly, but through another person. Esther is being called by her cousin Mordecai to stand up and do what is right.
Its interesting, Esther is the only book in all of scripture where God is not mentioned. Sidenote: Brenda, maybe make that a trivia question for next month’s WOW meeting and we can see how many people are listening to the sermons.
And yet, even though God is not mentioned in the Book of Esther, we can clearly see God at work. It’s a reminder that even when it feels like God is not at work, God is at work behind the scenes. God is clearly at work in this story through Mordecai and through Esther.
Even if you don’t feel God or sense God’s presence in your life, I assure you, God is at work in your life, working behind the scenes.
So the story of Esther is a story of God at work behind the scenes. But Esther is also a story of standing up against injustice.
The idea that the King is going to kill the Jewish People is absolutely an act of oppression and injustice. And Mordecai is rightfully trying to get Esther to stand up and use her position of power for good.
Esther is scared. Sure, she’s the queen, she has power, she has influence, but the King could choose to kill her. She’s still a woman living in a very patriarchal culture.
But Mordecai reminds her that she has been put into power for such a time as this. You see, when we are put into positions of power, it’s not for our own benefit, but to help others, to stand up for others.
One of the ministries that I have heard this church is very involved in is F.A.I.T.H. For those who don’t know, F.A.I.T.H. is an ecumenical organization, meaning it is made up of all sorts of different churches and even different faiths working together to fight against injustice in our community. F.A.I.T.H. stands for Fighting Against Injustice Towards Harmony.
From my understanding, the big issues they are working on are Affordable Housing, Prison Reform, and flooding in our area. I’m excited to learn more about F.A.I.T.H. and get involved with F.A.I.T.H this upcoming year.
If you would like more information about F.A.I.T.H. talk to Pastor Sharon. I believe Elizabeth Flynn and Luci are involved in F.A.I.T.H. as well.
Would you raise your hand if you are involved in F.A.I.T.H?
So, look around, if you are interested in becoming involved with F.A.I.T.H these are the people to reach out to and ask your questions because I’m sure they can answer them much better than I can.
But being involved in justice ministry is a way that we can be like Esther. We can use our power to speak up for the powerless. We can use our positions in the community to speak out against injustice in our community.
In our Baptismal Vows in the United Methodist Church, we are asked this question: “Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?”
We are all called just like Esther to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.
F.A.I.T.H. isn’t just a cool club to be a part of. It’s a way to live out our Baptismal Vows.
How is God calling you individually “for such a time as this?” How is God calling Tomoka UMC “for such a time as this?” Will we be open to the Spirit of God moving in our lives and the life of our Church? Will we be open to God’s call?Will we be open to standing up against injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?
I hope the answer is yes.
Hear God’s call. Whether God is speaking to us directly, or God is using an annoying cousin like Mordecai to speak to us. Let’s be the people who God is calling us to be. Let’s use our positions of power for good in this world, for such a time as this.
Amen