Hear the Call

printable version

Reading: Esther 4:6-16

Connecting Question

If you had a superhero power, what would it be? Why?

When was a time you felt powerless? What was that like?

Easter Cares Sunday is 9/29. How does Easter care for the community and each other?

Prayer for Illumination

Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that as the Scriptures are read and your Word is proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us today. Amen.

Context

Our series, HEAR THE CALL will look to Old Testament stories of Abram, Moses, David, Esther, Isaiah, and Jonah, each one had a calling and each one heard in their own ways. We can take heart knowing that they had difficulty with what God asked. We know God is calling each of us. What is your call? When we look at Easter, how do we know what God’s call is for Easter? How far will God call us to go? Let’s Hear the Call together.

From Dr Diane Jacobson at EntertheBible.org:

The Book of Esther is best read as a satiric melodrama to be recited or dramatized each year during the Jewish festival of Purim, which this book both establishes and celebrates. The story is filled with entertaining reversals, ironies, parodies of the great Persian court, and exaggerations that invite the reader to cheer on the heroes, Esther and Mordecai, to laugh at the foolish King Ahasuerus, and to boo the wicked villain, Haman. Esther can also be read as a wisdom tale that teaches people how to live in a foreign land, subject to the whims of a foreign power, and how to discover the presence of God when God appears to be absent.

Look at the Book

The most surprising thing about the book of Esther is that the main character is missing. Who never appears in this book? Is that a problem or not?
Women’s stories are rarely centered in Bible, but Esther’s story encompasses an entire book. From the women characters you have met in the Bible, what are some ways you would describe them?
Google the Jewish festival of Purim. What does it celebrate? What is the central story? How do Jews often celebrate this festival today?
Open to Esther 4:6. What is happening in the story? When you hear that “money is no object,” what does that mean? What might it mean about getting rid of a people?
When was a time you were misinformed about another group of people? Their ethnicity, cooking styles, communication volume or proximity may differ; what is the experience of moving from misinformed to better informed about a neighbor?
Mordecai wants Esther to speak up for God’s people—the Hebrews. What does she know about what that might cost her?
When was a time you spoke up on something and it cost you? Tell about a time that you did not speak up but later wish you did.
In verse 13-14, how does Mordecai motivate Esther?
"Relief will come from elsewhere.” What might Mordecai have been hinting at, yet it is the person who never appears in this book?
What do you make of Mordecai’s prophetic word: you are here for such a time as this?
Pastor Megan talks about throw pillow theology. “You are here for such a time as this,” can be used in many different places—not all of them helpful. How might this verse be encouraging for someone?
What is Esther’s call? How does she hear it? How does she respond?
How might Esther’s call help someone wrestling with their own call from God?
What would you like to talk about that we have not yet?

Taking it Home

Explore speaking up when it would be easier to be silent. How is it received?

God of the promise, you call your people together into your one mission in Christ’s name. Make us brave, grant us peace, challenge our expectations, and empower us to truly follow your Spirit’s lead. You are our one God who calls us together as one people, and we thank you in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Grow Guide | Sept 29, 2024