Esther 8:17 In every province and in every city, wherever the king’s command and his edict came, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a festival and a holiday. Furthermore, many of the peoples of the country professed to be Jews, because the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them.
Yesterday's seed has sprouted. Esther had become queen while her identity as a Jew was hidden. Later, some of the king's assistants goaded him into issuing a decree that all Jews should be killed; but Esther was in a position to put a stop to it. Esther revealed her identity and used her influence with the king to save her people. A celebration of life and victory is still celebrated by Jews today in the holiday called Purim: it's a king of Thanksgiving for all those who have helped to preserve life and hope.
In Esther's case, the witness that she was able to bear was so strong that her people were saved. Not only that, many people professed to be Jews because of what she was able to accomplish. The tables were turned. Instead of Jews hiding their identity and pretending to worship other gods, others were pretending to be Jews. God can do amazing things, even in a book where God's name doesn't appear. Even in a life where God's identity and reality seem a little bit less real than it sometimes seems in the Bible, God can do amazing things.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Remember to invite your friends to Thanksgiving Eve worship at 7 pm on Wednesday (bring a bag of food pantry groceries), Thanksgiving meal Thursday from 11-2, and Sunday morning worship 8:30 and 11 as we kick off the Advent season.
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