A Cunning and Careful Queen, with Rev. Dr. Steven Koski

A Cunning and Careful Queen, with Rev. Dr. Steven Koski. Series: Beloved. Belonging. Delightful. A Spacious Christianity, First Presbyterian Church of Bend, Oregon. Scripture: Esther 1-10.

Feeling stuck or wondering about your purpose? This Sunday, we’re diving into an incredible story of courage, identity, and finding your moment. Join us online or in-person to discover how ordinary people can make extraordinary differences.

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Keywords:

Esther, Vashti, human dignity, moral courage, empathy, leadership, storytelling, Davidson College, Auschwitz pilgrimage, King Xerxes, Queen Vashti, Haman, Mordecai, love and justice, courage, presbyterian, church, online worship, bend, oregon

Featuring:

Rev. Dr. Steven Koski, Rev. Sharon Edwards, Becca Ellis, Brave of Heart, Guests

Transcript

Whitney Higdon: 0:00

You you. Welcome to worship at First Presbyterian we, at First Presbyterian, practice a spacious Christianity, which means no matter where you are in your faith journey, you belong and there is space for you at the table, there is space for your doubts and questions. We believe doubts and questions are a gift that invite us into deeper conversations and a more authentic faith. We believe diversity is a strength. Every story is sacred and everybody matters. We do our best to live the spacious and radical love of Jesus so that all might have a chance to flourish in this world. We are so glad to connect with you in this way. We would also love to worship with you in person if you're ever in the neighborhood on Sunday mornings at 830, or 10am and never hesitate to reach out to us to learn more about us or how we might support you. I hope you enjoy this worship service. Welcome.

Sharon Edwards: 5:08

We continue our summer storytelling this week. The story is about two women, Vashti and Esther. The story begins with Esther, whose real name is Hadassah. She is about 13 or 14 years old, and life has already been very tough. She knows about grief and loss, as both of her parents have died and she is being raised by her uncle, Mordecai. Hadassah wasn't seeking to be a heroine or a leader in her culture. She was simply hoping to survive far away in Susa, where those in power lived, there was a king named xerxi who threw a giant party. He was a powerful king, but very insecure. He showed off his wealth and possessions to feel big and important. This king had quite a fragile ego. He demanded his Queen Vashti to parade in front of his drunken friends as a trophy. Queen Vashti refused. What courage. Remember, women had no voice or value in her culture, Vashti had the courage to stand up to for herself, and she refused to be treated as less than Vashti was banished and loses her crown, but she kept her dignity and self worth. She lost the comfort and security of the palace, but left with her soul and integrity intact. The King's advisors tell him his popularity is plummeting in the polls, and he needs to fix this problem. Their solution a beauty contest to select the next queen. They rounded up all the beautiful maidens in the land so the king could pick the fairest one of them all, Hadassah was taken away to the palace for the contest, but her uncle Mordecai fears for her life and whispers in Hadas ear. Don't tell them you are a Jew, hide your ethnicity, blend in, assimilate. That's when Hadassah became Esther. She changed her Jewish Nick Jewish name to a Persian one. Esther is beautiful and wins the contest. She is now Queen Esther palace. Life becomes comfortable. She has attendance and spa treatments. She forgets. There is another life beyond the palace walls. There's a powerful man named Haman who is a friend of the king. Haman, like the king, is also insecure, with a fragile ego. He insists that everyone bow when he comes into a room, and everyone bows except Mordecai. Haman hates Mordecai and tells the king he will make it worth his while financially, if he makes Haman s people, God's people suffer. Of course, the king agrees, because it will make him richer. One day, Esther is walking past the palace window and sees her uncle Mordecai. Mordecai is trying to get Esther's attention. Mordecai says there are things going on beyond the palace walls that Esther needs to know. Mordecai wants Esther to know that her people are suffering. Their lives are being threatened, and he will keep crying out until his cries are heard. Mordecai wants Esther to see and hear what's going on. Mordecai then says to Esther, I need you to use your position and power and privilege. I need you to speak for those who can't speak for themselves. I need you to speak truth to power. What good is it for you to live such a good life, hidden away if you stand by as others suffer? Esther says, Who me? I can't talk to the king. You know what happened to the last queen who challenged the king Mordecai says to Esther, who knows maybe you are right where you are for such a time as this Esther prays and fasts for three. Three days, and God gives her the courage she needs, and she says to her uncle, I will go to the king, and if I perish, I perish. Esther spoke up on behalf of her people, and because of her courage, a whole generation was saved

Steven: 10:25

when I used to coach a little league baseball, and I could see that my 12 year old pitcher was struggling, feeling the pressure on the mound, feeling a whole bunch of self doubt. I'd call a time out, and I'd go to the mound, the first thing I would do is I'd ask if this 12 year old had a girlfriend, just to break the tension always worked, and then I would smile and say, you are right where you're supposed to be. This right now. This is your moment. Mordecai says something similar to Esther in today's scripture. Who knows? Maybe you are here for such a time as this. Davidson College is a small Presbyterian College just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. Basketball fans know it as the alma mater of Steph Curry. Davidson's basketball coach, Bob McKillip, decided to take his entire basketball team on a pilgrimage to Auschwitz and not your typical summer training program. Coach McKillip said the volatility of our world right now requires a response informed by both a respect for human dignity and an understanding of what happens when it is absent. He said, I'm taking these young men back into a moment in time when for millions, evil seemed to have triumphed and humanity had vanished. I want these young men to understand what happened in the past that they might become the leaders the world needs for the future, leaders who will have the courage to be champions for human rights and defenders of human dignity. That is why we are going on this trip. He said, Every generation inherits a moment when the impossible becomes necessary, and we are that generation this. This is our moment. We're continuing our summer of storytelling, telling the story of two women today, Vashti and Esther from the book of Esther. Now the story begins with Esther, whose real name is Hadassah. She's 1314, years old, and she knows she knows grief and loss as both her parents are dead, she's being raised by her uncle, Mordecai thou, far away in Susa, where the powerful people live, there was a powerful but very insecure King. Now that's a dangerous combination. King Xerxes threw a party to show off his power and his wealth. This king had quite the fragile ego. The King demanded that Queen Vashti be paraded in front of his drunken friends like a trophy, wearing only a crown and nothing else. Queen. Vashti refused. She said, I will not come. Imagine the courage. Remember, women had no value, no voice in that culture. Vashti says my self esteem, my self worth and dignity are not for sale. Vashti had the courage to stand up for her own dignity, and in doing so, stood up for the dignity of others. Now Vashti is banished. She loses her crown, but she kept her dignity and self worth. She lost the comfort and security of the palace, but she left with her soul and integrity intact. You know, sometimes I wonder if we've simply become accustomed to violence, become accustomed to sexism, racism, if we become accustomed to people being treated as less than accustomed to a lack of moral center. I wonder if we've become accustomed to lie. Custom to division, accustomed to name calling, demonizing those who are different. I wonder if we become accustomed to cruelty being normalized, what would it look like like Vashti to have the courage to say, No, I refuse to attend that party. I refuse to participate in anything that diminishes the value and the life of others. I refuse to compromise my integrity. Vashti is banished. Now, the king's advisors suggest, not surprisingly, a beauty contest to pick the next queen. They rounded up all of the beautiful young maidens in the land, and that's when the story brings us back to Hadassah soldiers from Susa come to her village. They see Hadassah beauty, and they round her up with all of the other young maidens. Her uncle Mordecai fears for her life and whispers in her ear, don't tell them you're a Jew. Hide. Hide your ethnicity, blend in, assimilate, and that's when Hadassah becomes Esther. She changes her Jewish name to a Persian name. Now Esther is beautiful, and she actually wins the beauty contest. She now becomes Queen Esther. Now palace life becomes comfortable. She has attendants and spa treatments. And ex Esther began to forget that there is another life beyond the palace. Now there was a powerful friend of the king named Haman, who, like the king, also has a fragile ego. Do you notice that those powerful people often have a fragile ego? While Haman insists that everyone bow, if you can imagine this, that everyone bow when he comes into a room. Well in fear, everyone bows, except Mordecai. Haman is incensed, and he hates Mordecai, and he tells the king that he will make it worthwhile financially if he punishes and makes Mordecai, his people, the Israelites, suffer. Now, of course, the king agrees, because it will make him richer. Now one day, Esther is walking past the palace window and Mordecai tries to get her attention. Mordecai says there are things going on outside the palace walls Esther that you need to see, that you need to know about. Mordecai wants Esther to know that her people, her people, are suffering. I don't know about you, but there are things. There are things I don't want to see. There are things I don't want to hear about. I was watching television the other day, and there were, there are these, this heart wrenching images of children starving in Gaza. Honestly, it was too much. I hate to admit it, but I turned the channel, and then it struck me, what if that starving child in Gaza was my child, and people simply turn the channel. Friends in God's heart, there is no such thing as other people's children. They are all our children. We need to see, we need to hear, we need to listen. We need to feel as uncomfortable as it is, we need to feel empathy. Empathy is the birthplace of moral courage. To turn away is to lose our humanity. The world's greatest moral failing is not scarcity, it's indifference. Apathy is not neutral. It's lethal. Well, in the story, Mordecai says to Esther, I need you, Esther, to use your position, your power, your privilege. Knowledge. I need you to speak for those who can't speak for themselves. I need you to speak truth to power. Mordecai said to Esther, what good is it for you to live such a good life hidden away if you stand by as others suffer, Esther said, Who me, I can't possibly stand up and stand up to the king and speak to the king. You know what happened to the last queen who challenged the king Mordecai says to Esther and says to us, who knows, maybe you are right where you are for such a time as this. Now, the beauty of the story is not that Esther is naturally courageous. She she is not Joan of Arc with a sword in her hand. She's actually a young woman caught between worlds afraid of what might happen if she does speak up. The story says, Esther prays and fast for three days, the turning point comes when she realizes that her position, her privilege, her very survival, are not for her alone. The call of God is not merely to keep her safe and comfortable. The call of God is to be used in the service of love and justice. God gives Esther the courage she needs. She says to her uncle, I will go to the king, and if I perish, I perish. Esther is stepping into the truth that that life's deepest purpose is found when we're willing to risk ourselves for the sake of others, when we're willing to risk ourselves for the sake of love. You know, I wonder if Esther heard stories, you know, that continued to reverberate through the palace about the astonishing courage of Vashti, how she had the courage to stand up for her own dignity and the dignity of others. I wonder if that gave Esther a little extra courage herself. You never really know the influence that you have on others. It was Esther's courage not to turn away. It was her courage to choose love over fear that saved an entire generation of people. There's an old story, older than our bones, older than the words we speak. It begins in the dark, as all real stories do in this story, the protagonist is not a hero carved of stone or crowned with gold. She is you. He is you. They are you, an ordinary soul with calloused hands, perhaps weary from a long journey, perhaps trembling at the thought of what lies ahead. In this old story, you do not set out seeking greatness. You're busy with the work of the day, preparing food, writing reports, raising children, doctor's appointments, tending wounds. Then as if a wind rises from nowhere, the world tilts. Something comes knocking. It doesn't say, are you ready? It says it is time, and in the marrow of your bones, you know you were made for such a time as this, you've been carrying the seed of this moment your entire life. So, beloveds, for such a time as this, when we are witnessing the worst of humanity, do not. Turn away, show the world the best of your humanity. Ask yourself every morning, what is love? What is love asking me to do today? Every generation inherits a moment when the impossible becomes necessary. You are right where you're supposed to be. This is our moment. May it be so. friends, every generation inherits a moment when the impossible becomes necessary. This is our moment. You were made for such a time as this go in the peace and the love of Christ, and May the love that you bring into this world in this moment in time, may your love bring peace to others. Amen.

Whitney Higdon: 28:22

Thank you so much for joining us, and we hope you enjoyed this worship service. If you would like to make a donation helping make these broadcasts possible or support the many ways, first, Presbyterian seeks to serve our community, you can make a financial gift online@bendfp.org every week, we hear from someone thanking us for the gift of these broadcasts and what a difference they make. Your support makes that possible. Our church is committed to reach beyond our walls, bringing hope where there is despair and love where it is needed the most. Your generous support helps us to be generous in love. Go to our website, bendfp.org, and click on the link. Give online Your support is really appreciated and makes a difference in people's lives. Thanks again. I hope to See you next week.

Unknown: 29:22

You you.