11.13--A Time Such as This (Sermon on Esther 4)

I spent the summer of 2009 working as a lifeguard at the TLU Maybee Pool. I've got the body for a lifeguard, right? The physique? This was one of those jobs that came with so many perks that I absolutely could not pass it up. The school paid for my lifeguard and CPR certification, it came with free housing, I’d be working with some of my best friends, and my favorite summer hangout spot—the Comal River—was just a short drive away. It was perfect.

Now, in years prior, both my wife, Jess, and one of our good friends, Kelli, had worked here, and as far as I knew, no one had ever had to make any kind of life-and-death save; there had been no major accidents, and even the first aid kit was only brought out once in a blue moon. So we expected to have a pretty laid back summer spent getting a good tan, teaching kids how to swim, and floating the river on our off-time. And, honestly, that is what we got. No one had to put their rescue training to use, and even this big white boy was a few shades darker.

It was a great summer.

Then one of those moments happened. You know the kind I’m talking about: the thing you both yearn for and fear happens; the moment you know has to come finally has. It’s the point where everything seems to culminate in one action, one choice. For me, I was at the river with a church group. It was the end of summer, and I was lounging in the water talking with a friend. Out of nowhere, we hear this loud THUNK and a kid crying out. About twenty yards away, two brothers had been playing, and one of them had thrown a large rock at the other, hitting him in the head.

This was it. This was my time to shine. I had spent all summer watching people swim and play, just waiting for that one person who needed me to spring into action and save him. And now it finally happened.

And I froze. I sat where I was and watched as people ran/swam over to him, picked him up out of the shallow water, and carried him to the shore. He ended up being fine, with just a small cut near his ear, and I finally did go over and offer my services as someone trained in first aid. We got him bandaged up and sent off to the hospital with his parents just to make sure there wasn’t any lasting damage.

My training, my job, had all been for a time such as this, and I failed to step up.

Have you ever encountered a situation like that? Have you ever felt like everything you had worked toward, everything that had happened to you, everything you were all culminated in one make-or-break moment? How did you react to it?

In our reading this week from The Story, we encountered the story of Esther, a Jewish-virgin-turned-queen who put her life on the line for her people. She was willing to face the chance of death to save her people from annihilation. She was willing to step up when she saw her time to act. You see, the king had agreed to issue a decree that would lead to the destruction of the Jews because one of his high officials made him think that they were close to sparking up a rebellion.

This included, unbeknownst to the king, his new queen, Esther.

The queen’s cousin, Mordecai, begged Esther to approach the king and change his mind. But here is the kicker: approaching the king without a summons was grounds for death unless the king decided he would see you. Mordecai was asking Esther to risk immediate death for the sake of her kinspeople. To make matters worse, the only reason Esther was able to become queen was because her predecessor had angered the king by not following orders. By going to the king without a summons, Esther took the chance of being viewed as insubordinate, just like the last queen.

But listen to what Mordecai tells Esther. When he is trying to convince her to do this thing, he says, “who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” Mordecai asserts that maybe, just maybe, Esther was placed by God in this position so that she might be able to stop the genocide of the Jews from happening under Xerxes’ rule.

And you know what? I think he’s right. I think that this was exactly why God gave Esther her beauty, placed her in a position where she would be noticed by the king, and moved the king to love at the sight of her. Because that is just how God works. Holy Scripture attests that God works in and through God’s people, and this is absolutely an example of that.

So Mordecai convinces Esther that she was placed here for a time such as this, and Esther listens. She goes before the king, and is lovingly welcomed. She shares with him her plea, and he immediately moves to rectify the situation.

Friends, I am here to tell you that this story is not just the story of Esther, the Jewish woman who saved her people from annihilation. It is a challenge for all of God’s people. This Old Testament book is a call to action, a call to stand up and listen to God’s voice saying that you have been called for a time such as this.

And this might even be different for every person. Just as Esther was in a unique place to speak to the king, we are all in unique places to do the work of Christ to which we have been called and equipped. Maybe you are called to reach out to those who are struggling with addiction and show them that in Christ, there is freedom from those shackles. Maybe you are called to comfort a family member or friend who is dealing with something that you experienced earlier in your life. Maybe you are called to help someone down on her luck get back up on her feet.

The question is whether or not you are willing to answer that call.

But let’s take this a step further. The church, and each individual church even, is called and equipped for a time such as this to do the work of God. So what is it that we are called to do? Maybe we are called to reach out to the communities around us and find new ways to bring the love of Christ to them. Maybe we are called to find those who are hurting and work to bring healing and wholeness to them. Maybe we are called to leave the confines of our church building and go to where the people are to bring Christ to them.

The question is whether or not we are willing to answer that call.

This is a rather short message, but this is one of the times that I’m willing to admit that someone else can say it better than I probably ever could. Let us listen together to this song by the worship group “Phillips, Craig, and Dean.” It is called A Time Such as This…

So may you be ready for that time that God will call you to stand up and act. May you not freeze up and watch other people act in your stead, but may you readily and eagerly go to the work to which God has called you. And may you remember that God has raised you up, equipped you, and sent you out for a time such as this. Amen.