Courage

Today we heard from the book of Esther, one of the disputed books in the canon by both Jewish and Christian experts. In its 10 chapters there is no mention of God, the temple, the exodus, or the salvation history of the Jewish people. Esther doesn’t see God or hear from God. Yet Esther is a role model of bravery. She is not perfect. She would have broken all sorts of Torah rules in living in the Palace. Yet, when push came to shove, she chose to risk her life, for the life of her people.

The book of Esther could easily be a soap opera or melodramatic movie. We have a fickle King, a villain, plot twists, an unlikely heroine, war and death, triumph and tragedy. A Hollywood directors dream.

When we think of the action of God in the salvation of the Jews, it is often Moses, the one saved at birth, heard God speaking from a burning bush, and led people through the sea to escape the Egyptians. Esther is nothing like Moses, she is an orphan, there is no mention of her hearing God or anything supernatural happening. They are both times when the people of Israel were in trouble.

So often God's action in our life, God's activity in the world around us, is hidden from us; not because God is trying to hide, but because God acts in what looks like our ordinary life.

Most of us will never entertain an Angel, like Mary and Joseph did.
Most of us will not be able to tap a rock and have freshwater flow from it, like Moses.
Most of us will not touch the holes in the hands of Jesus as Thomas did.

We may wish for the certainty of the burning bush, or walking through the Red Sea, but reality is, most of us will not have those experiences.

We can learn from Esther.
We can learn what it is like to be ‘undercover’ believers.
To be the good news,
To be hope and light
to be ready.

Our lives, like Esther’s will not be perfect. We will break God’s heart at times, but God still trusts us and calls us to act for humanity.

This may seem like an unlikely reading for advent 2, when we focus on peace and the coming King of Peace.

Advent is a time of waiting, of preparation for the kingdom of God to come in completion. But what if instead of just waiting for God to waive some magic wand, what if we are being called on to collaborate with God?

What if instead of waiting for God to act, God is waiting for us to act?

“Advent waiting means reminding ourselves that perhaps God has been preparing us, too, for this very moment.

Advent waiting means taking action on behalf of God’s justice and mercy.

Advent waiting means refusing to hide behind our positions and privileges, risking action on behalf of those without access to power.

Advent waiting means realizing that our own well-being is tied up with those whose lives are threatened daily by the forces of bigotry and hatred.

While relief may come from another quarter, perhaps God has been preparing us for just such a time as this.”[i]

In advent we think of the nearness of the Kingdom of God.

The kingdom of God is near when we live it.

The kingdom of God is near when the hungry are fed.

The kingdom of God is near when we act in solidarity with indigenous people

The kingdom of God is near when we speak on behalf of people in detention centres, on Nauru, Manus island, and on the mainland.

The kingdom of God is near when we advocate for the homeless

The kingdom of God is near when we demand an end to violence

The kingdom of God is near when we open our hearts to the transforming power of the holy spirit

The kingdom of God is near when we recognise the face of Jesus in the people, we meet

Our individual stories all are woven together as part of the story of God.

Just as Esther took a risk in coming to the King uninvited,

Mary took a risk in saying yes to the Angel.

just as Jesus chose to live with the risk of loving,

we are called to take risks.

Just like Esther and Mary, we may see ourselves as having no power, of having no position or place from which to transform our community. But just like Esther we can act with courage. Like Esther and Mary we can take risks to live out our faith.

Just like Jesus we can choose to love,

      to offer grace,

      to stand when others walk away.

what if instead of just waiting for God to waive some magic wand,
we are being called on to collaborate with God?

What if instead of waiting for God to act, God is waiting for us to act?

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[i] https://robertwilliamsonjr.com/advent-through-the-eyes-of-esther/?fbclid=IwAR0FU9hBHaLF6mR1scmzYJkt2S5VdqaRyA0oHCxX7T-2EyDgUZQaI1X0wUI