Choose Your Own Adventure: There Comes a Time (MPLS)

Esther 1:1-5, 9-13a, 16-19; 2:5-11

This happened in the days of Ahasuerus, the same Ahasuerus who ruled over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia. In those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in the citadel of Susa, in the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his officials and ministers. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were present, while he displayed the great wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and pomp of his majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all.

When these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in the citadel of Susa, both great and small, a banquet lasting for seven days, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace. Furthermore, Queen Vashti gave a banquet for the women in the palace of King Ahasuerus.

On the seventh day, when the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who attended him, to bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing the royal crown, in order to show the peoples and the officials her beauty; for she was fair to behold. But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command conveyed by the eunuchs. At this the king was enraged, and his anger burned within him.

Then the king consulted the sages who knew the laws (for this was the king’s procedure towards all who were versed in law and custom, Then Memucan said in the presence of the king and the officials, “Not only has Queen Vashti done wrong to the king, but also to all the officials and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. For this deed of the queen will be made known to all women, causing them to look with contempt on their husbands, since they will say, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, and she did not come.’ This very day the noble ladies of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen’s behavior will rebel against the king’s officials, and there will be no end of contempt and wrath! If it pleases the king, let a royal order go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes so that it may not be altered, that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she.”

Now there was a Jew in the citadel of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair son of Shimei son of Kish, a Benjaminite. Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with King Jeconiah of Judah, whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had carried away. Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is Esther, his cousin, for she had neither father nor mother; the girl was fair and beautiful, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai adopted her as his own daughter. So when the king’s order and his edict were proclaimed, and when many young women were gathered in the citadel of Susa in the custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king’s palace and put in the custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women.

The girl pleased him and won his favor, and he quickly provided her with her cosmetic treatments and her portion of food, and with seven chosen maids from the king’s palace, and advanced her and her maids to the best place in the harem. Esther did not reveal her people or kindred, for Mordecai had charged her not to tell. Every day Mordecai would walk around in front of the court of the harem, to learn how Esther was and how she fared.

(Today’s reading is a selection from the first two chapters of the book of Esther. You can listen to Pastor Meta tell the entire story of Vashti and Esther as a bedtime story here: https://alterguild.podbean.com/e/vashti-and-esther/)

And so begins the story of Esther and her rise to royalty and the moment of decision that will arrive on her doorstep. It’s a story from the Hebrew Scripture that’s told in dramatic and participatory fashion by Jews around the world every year on the holiday of Purim. It’s got a villain and a hero, a heroine and a hapless king. Its genre is satire, and although its approach is comedic, it recounts the tale of a serious subject: thwarted genocide. “Perhaps you have been born for just such a time as this,” our heroine will eventually be told, for she alone will have the chance to ward off disaster. 

While the primary story is indeed a tale of a villain and a hero, a heroine and a hapless king, it is also the story of two queens who stand up to the empire’s claims of power and demand dignity for God’s people. Queens Vashti and Esther never meet, but their stories are intertwined. Vashti’s story comes first and makes way for Esther’s story.

Vashti is regal, and she knows how to carry herself as queen. Her name means “beautiful,” and she is indeed lovely. She is also willful and independent. She seems to navigate the world of power with ease. 

Esther, on the other hand, is young and docile, and her name means, “I am hiding.” She is Jewish, a minority living in a majority-centered world. Her ancestors were brought by force to Persia a century before. Esther is also an orphan, and her only family is her cousin Mordecai. She keeps her Jewishness hidden until the villain exposes a plan to kill the Jews. 

Well, the king with the really hard name – Ahasuerus – has come to the throne rather recently. He’s now in his third year – and although he hasn’t yet logged 10,000 hours and mastered the job, he’s sitting comfortably, and he’s feeling confident, so he invites all the governors and officials from all 127 provinces to come to Susa for a party. It’s not just a dinner party or a weekend retreat but a party that lasts 180 days! That’s right, they left their posts for six months and came to the palace. They’re surrounded by opulence. Booze is flowing. It’s a party meant to impress, a feast meant to showcase power. 

At the end of six months, the king invites the locals to join them for another seven days. The alcohol flows even more plentifully. The king continues to strut his power. 

Queen Vashti has a party for the women in the palace, too, but, thankfully, their banquet is far away from the drunken brawl. But then, the king gets the bright idea to flaunt his power by putting his wife on display. He’ll show them one more thing that they will never have. He commands his wife to come and parade before them wearing her crown… And she says “no.” She refuses to let her body be the object of their desire and their jokes. She refuses to be the symbol of her husband’s power, to be treated as his property. 

Vashti, the woman whose name means “beauty,” becomes the woman whose actions imply, “I am hiding.” 

Maybe you heard the news this week that the Norwegian beach handball team refused to wear regulation uniforms of bikini bottoms for the European Beach Handball Championship in Bulgaria. After 15 years of lobbying for a change in rules, they wore shorts. And then they paid a fine. 

Vashti’s penalty was much more serious. She was banished from the palace, banished from the king’s presence forever. She lost her position and her reputation. Even she became a pawn in the game of power. And for refusing the king’s request, she became an object lesson for women everywhere: this is what happens when you stand up to your husband. The king issued a decree that every man should be master of his own house. (Remember, this story is told with exaggeration, and this part brings gales of laughter – maybe because the king was so clearly not the master of his own house.)

We rarely pay much attention to Vashti’s story. Hers is the backstory that makes way for Esther. But we know Vashti’s reality, too. Hard choices get made all the time when people are subject to sexual harassment or abuse, to domestic violence, and to bullying at school or work. Is it safe to speak up? Will I be believed? Will there be public humiliation and more loss of dignity? Will anyone help me?

Well, the king gets lonely and when the search for a new queen gets underway, Esther seems like the perfect foil to Vashti. Esther is passive and compliant. She accepts what comes her way rather than taking initiative. She’s obedient to her cousin. She happens to be beautiful, as well. When the king falls in love with her and makes her his queen, all is well. She knows how to fit in with the palace rules. 1) No one approaches the king unless summoned, and 2) she knows from Vashti that it’s the queen’s job to come when she’s called. The one whose name means, “I am hiding,” knows how to stay under the radar. 

But then, a crisis happens. Esther’s people have been sentenced to genocide, and only she can possibly get an audience with the king. But because of No. 1 above, it would come with great risk. Her cousin Mordecai comes to her and says, “Don’t think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 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 royal position for such a time as this?”

Esther didn’t ask for this – not to be queen and not to be in this position. She’s a rule follower, and this goes against her grain. She’s not the type to thumb her nose at rules. Saying NO is risky, and it will have consequences. But indifference is not an option. And so she acts, and the Jews are saved. 

I wonder… What do we do when asked to step up and lean into an act of courage? How do we live in a way that courage is available when we need it? Anna Carter Florence says the opportunities for us to step up and lean into a great act of courage might come along so seldom that we only get one of two in a lifetime. Will we recognize the moment when it comes? Will we find the courage to rise to the occasion, or will we hesitate just long enough for the moment to pass? “The issue isn’t whether we have enough power to confront injustice. It’s whether we recognize that it’s time to step up and try.” ^[1]  

Here’s a curious thing: God is not mentioned in the book of Esther. The story is an invitation to look for God’s activity and to see where God’s purpose is being fulfilled. It turns out that God acts through willing human agents. 

Six years ago, a woman named Bree Newsome climbed a 30-foot flagpole on the grounds of the South Carolina State House and removed a Confederate flag. She got up early in the morning, and with a friend standing by, she climbed the pole. It was 10 days after nine people from Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina were murdered by a man who posed with a Confederate flag. She climbed the flag pole to say NO to continued acts of violence against black people. She said to the police who started to gather around, “I know I’m going to be arrested.” And then she quoted Psalm 27: “The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?” She prayed the Lord’s Prayer. When she came down, she was arrested. An hour later, the flag was restored, but now it’s housed in a museum. ^[2]

Maybe Esther is not a singular hero but one person in a long line of people saying NO in the places where they find themselves. 

A few minutes ago when ____’s family came forward for his baptism, Pastor Ben spoke these words, “The world will waste no time telling ____ lies about power, value, and love. The church is called to speak God’s truth about these things.” 

The promises of power and possessions don’t last. They are empty promises. But God’s faithfulness lasts forever. No matter how crazy this world may seem at times, God is committed to redeeming it. God came to us in Jesus and said, “I love you this much,” and in his life, death and resurrection, God showed that God’s power is made perfect in weakness. 

God can and does work in the mess and ambiguity of human history, and God uses the faithfulness of imperfect people like us to accomplish God’s purposes. In baptism, God calls us by name and calls us beloved. “I see you,” God says to all of us who are hiding. “You are beautiful. Come, be part of my vision for a healed world. Come, join me in the work of liberation.” Amen. 

1 – Anna Carter Florence, “A Preacher’s Alphabet.” 2019 Festival of Preaching in Christ Church, Oxford, England. (Retrieved 7/24/2021)

2 – Kevin B. Blackistone, “As Confederate Monuments Fall, Don’t Forget Bree Newsome,” Wall Street Journal, 7/12/2020. (Retrieved 7/24/2021)