The evil interlude

Esther 3:1 - 15

Evil is a part of every one of our lives and is a theme that goes right through the book of Esther.  In this section, we see it rear its ugly head in a very real and evident way - the plot of Haman to eradicate the Jewish people.  Whilst we might say that this evil comes about only because of Haman, we need to look deeper to see the way that the characters in the story, and we ourselves are all responsible for the evil in this world.  In Job 14:1 Job admits, “mortals, born of woman are of few days and full of trouble.”  He goes on to ask, “who can bring what is pure from the impure?” (Job 14:4).

There is a long running feud between Haman as a Agagite and Mordecai as a Jew (see 1 Samuel 15 for the origins of this feud).  This unresolved conflict has become exaggerated.  Mordecai acts in unreasonable ways and it leads to a disproportional response on behalf of Haman.  We need to consider how our unresolved conflict with others, our long term prejudices and even attitudes that we have inherited allow us to introduce evil into this world.

Xerxes allows evil to occur not through what he does, but through what he doesn't do.  In giving his signet ring to Haman and saying "do what you want" he abdicates his responsibility.  We need to explore our actions and ask where we're looking the other way and refusing to act when we should be taking a stand for justice, on behalf of the weak and powerless.

Finally, the unnamed court officials who dob on Mordecai for not bowing to Haman introduce evil.  There is a blurred line between telling someone something they need to know and telling them something we want them to know.  We need to make sure that we're not passing on stories for the sake of our own entertainment, but that we're seeking the best for the person we're speaking to.

Evil is always going to be a reality in this broken world.  That's why we wait in this period of Advent for the return of the king who will bring about a new heaven and earth that is free of evil.  Until then, as new creations in Jesus Christ, we have the Holy Spirit who leads us to holiness, where we say no to evil and yes to the good of God.

Expect the Unexpected

Esther 2:1 - 18

One of the sub themes that appears in the book of Esther is that of power and powerlessness.  In Xerxes need to find a new queen, we are shown the raw power of the king, that disrupts families, and the powerlessness of girls like Esther to stop him.  Despite what appears to a massive power imbalance, by the end of the story, it is Esther who is the powerful one and Xerxes plays to her tune.  What brings about this change?  The unseen presence of God, who acts in ways that we can never expect.

The theme of power and powerlessness applies to our world today.  What are those instances of injustice, and oppression that can leave you feeling despondent and believing that nothing will ever change?  When we align with God he is able to work through us and bring about change the upsets the powers of injustice in this world. 

The unseen presence of God

Esther 1:1 - 1:22

For a book that sits within the Christian bible, the book of Esther is fairly unusual.  Not once is God mentioned, and the characters, both Jewish and non-Jewish sit comfortably in a secular society where God is not named and the people seem to be indifferent to him.  Esther therefore has a lot to say to people in 21st century Australia.  Both Christian and pre-Christian people, too often see to be unaware and unconnected with God in our daily lives.

The overarching theme of Esther is that this unnamed and apparently unconnected God is active throughout bringing salvation to his people.  The marvellous thing about God in this book is that whilst he works to bring about his people, he does it through the invidual actions and choices of the characters.  There are no great miracles like in Daniel. 

Through the characters in Esther we can learn that God is present in the places where we might never think to look.

Xerxes shows us that God is present in our stupidity - no decision that we make is bad enough that God can't bring his good out of it. 

Vashti shows us that God is present in the silence.  When we are surrounded by noise, and prefer that God speak to us directly, sometimes we need to still ourselves so that we can find God in the silence.

Mordecai shows us that God uses coincidences.  What we may see as unrelated events in our lives, can be drawn together to fulfil God's plan, we need to be willing to act when God prompts.

Esther shows us that God uses our brokenness.  We see value in strenght, but God uses our weakness.

Haman shows us that God uses our enemies.  We need to ask what we can learn from our enemies and how they can help us grow in grace and as children of God.

Lament

Haggai 1:15b - 2:9

This Sunday we explored the ancient concept of lament.  Lament is a cry of utter helplessness to God, where we name the misery of our current circumstances.  As individuals and a church there is much that we would say is not what we want it to be.  Too often we want to hide from the harshness of our present reality.  But lament is the very opposite of denial.  It involves naming our presnet reality and giving ourselves the permission to grieve.  We don't do this well in our western society.  We want to maintain a stiff upper lip, and pretend that everything is alright, but things are not always right for us and for others. 

Lament though is not about wallowing in misery.  The upside of lament is that we also name the hope that we have in Jesus Christ.  Through him we have an assurance that things will be restored, that what is broken will be restored, and that the best is always yet to come. 

Raising great kids

Deuteronomy 6:1 - 9

In a classic passage on passing on the faith, two things stand out for me this week.  The first is that Moses instructs us to live out our faith in God, as a means of being a model for our children in growing in faith.  "Don't do as I say, do as I do" is such an appropriate way for us to live and witness to our children.  Secondly, raising children in the faith is not just for their parents.  It will also be the  primary responsibility of parents.  But grandparents, youth group leaders, Sunday School teachers and all members of the church have a responsibility to live out their faith and witness to our children. 

In raising children in the faith, there are five things we should teach our children to value:

1. their faith in Jesus Christ as lord and saviour;
2. their family as the source of unconditional love and acceptance;
3. themselves as someone uniquely made in the image and likeness of God;
4. other people, especially those who are needy or vulnerable;
5. the old and the new, finding the creative spot between innovation and tradition.

How do you see yourself contributing to the raising of great kids?

Core Values

Core Values are the values of Jesus Christ that are considered the most worthy and important for our congregation. They define why we do what we do and drive the ministry of the congregation. Being able to name, own and express our Core Values has the power to give our congregation and its members alignment in what we do, to identify what is distinctive about our congregation, to communicate what we think is important, to give us a positive direction through change, to influence our behavior, inspire us to action, shape our ministry character and affect our strategic planning. On the other hand, not being clear about our Core Values does lead to confusion, conflict, poor choices and indecision.


A healthy church discerns and clearly communicates a clear, concise and shared set of Core Values, so that everyone understands and can contribute. This is the process that we are in at the moment.



About five years ago, the following statement of Core Values was drawn up.

• A community of love, acceptance and forgiveness

• Dynamic worship of God in our services

• Reaching lost people in our community, helping them develop a personal relationship with Christ

• Spiritual growth via small group communities

• Ministry involvement, unleashing the gifts in people to help them grow through serving others.



Please read it and please comment on your reaction to it.

Please also consider how well these reflect our congregation at the moment.

The Discipline of worship

John 4:7- 26

One of the great and enduring debates of Australian society revolves around which is the iconic, classic Australian car - Ford or Holden.  A similar debate exists within churches, and that revolves around the style of worship.  Throughout the history of the church we have been conflicted about what is appropriate and what is not appropriate.  When ultimately, like the debate about cars, worship is just a vehicle to get us to a destination.  If we want to get to the destination badly enough, we'll use any vehicle (including an Hyundai).

Our corporate worship services are different, because they reflect the diversity of our people, and we have the choice to choose a preference.  But each service needs to take us to a destination.  That destination is a greater sense of the awe and wonder of the greatness of God, a renewed sense of his unconditional grace and the ongoing transformation by the Holy Spirit so that we may  continue to live as Christ followers, pursuing God's mission in the world.

To reach this destination we need to ensure that we prepare ourselves for worship, before the service starts.  During the service we actively participate in each element of worship, not being observers, there to be entertained, by co-workers in giving God that which is due to him.  Finally, we leave the service transformed to continue our walk with Jesus.

Worship helps shrink our magnificent egos so that there is more room for the Holy Spirit to work in our souls. 

How do you see worship fitting into your spiritual disciplines?