This sermon was delivered at the weekly Service at The Kensington on Sunday September 28th, 2021.
Esther’s story in the bible is one of my most favorite stories. I love this story for so many reasons! Did you know that the book of Esther is the only book in the Bible that doesn’t mention God? Or did you know that Esther was put in place as queen because the king’s first wife, Vashti, refused to dance for him and his guests?
The Jewish holiday Purim celebrates this story with costumes and frivolity, and it’s a fantastically good time. I also had a grandmother named Esther, so the name is special in my family. But my favorite part of the whole story is Chapter 4 vs 14, when Mordecai says to Esther, “perhaps you were born for such a time as this.”
But let’s back up a bit- perhaps you don’t know this story as well. King Asherveros throws a giant party that lasts about six months. Somewhere near the end of the party, he demands that his wife Vashti appear naked before his guests. She refuses and he banishes her in a show of his manly kingliness.
After the party ends and all the guests are gone, King Asherveros realizes that he’s lonely and suddenly has regrets about banishing his wife. So, he decides to go shopping for a new one. Literally.
He holds a beauty contest so he can pick the prettiest bride for himself. And he chooses the lovely young Esther- a Jewish orphan who had been raised by her uncle Mordechai. But Mordichai warns her not to tell anyone she’s Jewish- as the people had been in exile for so long. So we’ve got intrigue and secrets!
Mordechai uncovers a plot to overthrow the king, and he sends word to Esther who tells the king and the plot is thwarted, but wait...there’s more. Haman is appointed prime minister and he’s basically an evil overlord that wants everyone to bow down before him. Mordechai refuses, so Haman decides all of the Jews should be rounded up and executed (yikes- this does not sound good).
So again he sends word to Esther, but she’s nervous about defending her people, especially since she’d been keeping her identity as a Jew a secret. But Mordechai says, “who knows that but for a time like this you are in a royal position?” And Esther summons her bravery and tells the king.
Now, a lot happens in the meantime, but suffice it to say that Haman gets more extreme and things get very dire. But the King finds out about EVERYTHING, and Haman ends up getting executed and the Jews are all saved and Esther is a great hero.
Whew! What a story! The best part for me is that Esther is a young girl and the fate of an entire people is placed in her hands- and she rises to the occasion. All because her uncle reminds her that perhaps it is “For such a time as this” that she had been born.
I am always amazed by teenagers who are out to change the world- especially teenage girls. And Esther’s story immediately brought to mind some amazing young women. Girls like Marley Dias, a 14 year old girl who worked to donate and collect books featuring young black women as the main characters. Or Mari Copeny who was eight when she wrote to President Obama about the water crisis in Flint Michigan. Or the Swedish Climate activist Greta Thurnberg- a candidate for the Nobel Peace prize at age 16. Or there’s another young climate activist, Quannah Chasinghorse who helped get a bill passed to protect endangered coastlines.
Of course there’s Malala Yousafzai- the young woman who was shot by a Taliban gunman, lived, recovered, and started her own non profit foundation. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at the age of 17. There’s Emma Gonzales, one of the students who survived the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018. She went on to be an activist for gun control. And these are just a few- there are so many more young women who are working to make change happen in the world because they have realized they were born “for such a time as this”
I feel like the world underestimates teenagers and especially teenage girls. There’s a tendency to think of them as socially obsessed or only concerned with their looks or with dating. The media depicts them as vapid, Starbucks obsessed, eye rolling brats obsessed with clothes and makeup. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure every teenager rolls their eyes at one point or another, and I’m sure there are quite a few self absorbed brats out there.
But I guess I just believe that there’s more to teenage girls than all that. And the story from Esther is a powerful reminder. Esther was indeed very beautiful- so beautiful in fact that she was chosen to be Queen. But she was also smart and powerful and willing to listen to those around her. She was passionate AND compassionate. She was clever. And she saved her people. She is so important that she has an entire holiday dedicated to her story.
I have been beyond fortunate to know some amazing young women throughout my lifetime. And while they all had their moments, they also each had so much to offer the world. I think about my former campers- the ones who have now grown up and have become teachers, and social workers, and ministers, and moms.
I think about my sorority sisters and how they’ve become lawyers, surgeons, midwives, teachers, librarians, ministers, and authors. I think about “my girls” who were the first to come to my defense when I was fired because of my sexuality. I think of our dear god daughter who is a talented artist, poet, actress, and scholar. And I think about the ones we’ve lost along the way- to violence, to suicide, to abuse, to disease, to accidents. I think about the lost potential and the light that left the world when they left.
But mostly, I think about how every single one of those women, myself included, were at some point underestimated, ignored, or dismissed simply because a teenage girl has “no business” being involved in “adult” affairs or making “adult decisions.” I think about how little we trust women to know their own bodies and their own minds, and how that lack of trust is magnified when the women are “just” teenagers. I think of how many potential leaders, activists, mothers, and world changers never got to live out their dreams because there was no one supporting them or believing in them.
And that brings me back to Esther. In addition to her own knowledge and power, she had the love and support of her Uncle Mordechai. He was always in her corner- cheering her on, giving her inside information, encouraging her, and reminding her of her inherent worth. He reminded her that she was born “for such a time as this.” He pushed her and protected her. Now, none of us in this room are at the point in our lives where we are teenagers, but we can all be at the time in our lives where we are a cheerleader and supporter for a teenage girl who needs a little extra love and support.
Maybe that’s your granddaughter, or a niece, or a friend’s granddaughter. Maybe it’s the neighbor’s daughter, or a young woman from your home congregation. Whoever that is, I’d encourage you to uplift her, pray for her, and maybe even send her a note reminding her that she was indeed born “for such a time as this”
Amen.