Image from lectionarypoems.blogspot.com
Hear today's devotional right here: https://bit.ly/3CufByq
1 So the king and Haman went to dinner with Queen Esther. 2 At this second dinner, while they were drinking wine the king again asked, "Queen Esther, what would you like? Half of my kingdom! Just ask and it's yours." 3 Queen Esther answered, "If I have found favor in your eyes, O King, and if it please the king, give me my life, and give my people their lives. 4 "We've been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed - sold to be massacred, eliminated. If we had just been sold off into slavery, I wouldn't even have brought it up; our troubles wouldn't have been worth bothering the king over." 5 King Xerxes exploded, "Who? Where is he? This is monstrous!" 6 "An enemy. An adversary. This evil Haman," said Esther. Haman was terror-stricken before the king and queen. 9 Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, spoke up: "Look over there! There's the gallows that Haman had built for Mordecai, who saved the king's life. It's right next to Haman's house - seventy-five feet high!" The king said, "Hang him on it!" 10 So Haman was hanged on the very gallows that he had built for Mordecai. And the king's hot anger cooled. 20 Mordecai wrote all this down and sent copies to all the Jews in all King Xerxes' provinces, regardless of distance, 21 calling for an annual celebration on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of Adar 22 as the occasion when Jews got relief from their enemies, the month in which their sorrow turned to joy, mourning somersaulted into a holiday for parties and fun and laughter, the sending and receiving of presents and of giving gifts to the poor. ( The Message Bible)
A Joyous Wednesday for you, ConCafe Family; with blessings of hope and joy for those who need a special blessing from God. May you, Friend, be such a light for others; bring joy where there is sadness, comfort where there is pain; and light where there is darkness. And may our prayers be filled with righteousness and grace for those who have shared a need with us. Pray for one another, pray for your needs. I ask a special prayer for me, as I have accepted the honor of officiating the funeral of Mrs. Eva Boscamp, whose life blessed me and many. She will be laid to rest on Thursday; may God share with me the words I need with which to glorify Him and comfort those who hurt. Funeral details may have been shared with others through the church's email. Also prayers for our pastor, The Rev. Dr. Matt Pennington who travels this weekend to attend an important commitment he had with his wife, Brooke. We also should pray for Gina Zapata, for whom we prayed some time ago; her Mom reports that she is unable to walk on her own. Please pray for her healing.
We come to a most fascinating book, the book of Esther. The challenge for scholars is to find the name of God mentioned in its pages. You know, or should know, the basic premise of the story. The story is about the oppression of the Jews by their enemies, in this case from the area of India and Persia. The main character of the story is Esther, for whom the book is named. Esther is a beautiful woman, orphaned and cared for by her uncle, Mordecai, who sees Esther's beauty as a way to gain an "in" with the government that rules over them. When Mordecai sees that the king is holding a beauty contest to select his new wife, he encourages Esther to enter with a reference for this being her moment ("for such a time as this") to shine for the good of the Jews. This passage shows how all is well that ends well. The plot by the evil Haman is foiled and the gallows he had made in hopes of hanging Mordecai, were instead used to hang him.
The passage ends with the celebration that came as a result of this event, which is Purim, a Jewish celebration defined as "a joyous Jewish festival commemorating the survival of the Jews who, in the 5th century bce, were marked for death by their Persian rulers." While the actual name of God may not appear in this book, one can see God's hand in everything. We remember and celebtate that our God is a God of life and this passage is all about life for the righteous. The enemy of righteousness embodied by the human Haman, suffers his death for his role in trying to kill off the entire race of Jews. Note also how the poor are a part of the festival, signifying the importance of God's command to care for the poor, and the outcast, for they themselves once were among those. In keeping with this week's theme of working together as a team; the Jews see and ask for God to be on their side and realized that God is wanting them to work together to save themselves. It also serves to help those of us who wonder, am I still a child of God given what I've done, thought, said, or provoked? The Jews were wondering that, and as I mentioned above, though God was not present in name, God is always present in power, peace, and purpose. We have but to ask, listen, seek; and God will reveal all things to us in a real way.
If you think God has been absent in your life, please look again. If you think your prayers were not answered, think again. If you think that God has completely hidden Himself from your life and struggles, think again. God is right where He needs to be; the question should be, am I were God would have me be?
PRAYER: Loving God, make real to me Your presence and peace, especially during times when I have wandered away from You. Guide me to deeper faithfulness and service; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen,
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! As God makes Himself real in your life, show Him to others!
Receive my blessings of hope and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
