We Need A Hero

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 Before we get to the sermon, you need to know this Scripture’s back story in all its ugliness and drama. Ahasuerus was the king of Persia. He was a weak man, controlling, with no mind of his own so he was easily manipulated. He enjoyed flaunting his possessions—and women, of course, were generally considered to be nothing more than possessions. 

One night during an opulent state banquet he wanted to show off the beautiful Vashti, the queen, and commanded her to appear. She refused—we will never know why—and was immediately deposed; young women were brought from all over the kingdom to try out for her position; Esther, a young Jewish woman, became queen, though it was at the cost of hiding her true identity. 

Her cousin Mordecai, who raised her after her parents’ death, was known and respected around the palace. But one of the king’s advisors, Haman, hated Mordecai and wanted to get rid of him. In addition to killing him, Haman also wanted all the Jews in Persia to be killed. He persuaded the king to issue an edict setting a day when anyone who wanted to could kill any Jewish person with impunity, and take possession of whatever they had. Mordecai decided to get word to Esther about this impending calamity, and tell her she had to help avert the tragedy. That’s where our story starts.  

[Please read the fourth chapter of Esther.]

This is a complicated, messy story that could take days to adequately discuss. Let’s acknowledge that the Bible is much more than the 23rd Psalm and the Lord’s Prayer. There’s a lot, in the Old Testament especially, that is not pertinent for us. There’s much that is no longer literally applicable. But I believe there are lessons that can be learned from what’s in the Bible—what to do, what not to do—if we shine the True Light on it, if we think about what Jesus might say regarding it. So we will look at our chapter today through a particular lens, and we will consider the truth that is in it as seen from a Christological perspective.

Also, I must say this: There have always been those who want to twist and turn and pervert Scripture for their own selfish ends, for personal gain, for dominance and control. This is nothing new but it is still reprehensible. Many of you know that there is something called “The Esther Project” being implemented through our government and supported in certain religious circles. 

Let’s be crystal-clear: This project is not godly. It is not Christ-like. And it is not something that we should support. If we call ourselves Christians, if we say we are followers of Jesus, violence and exclusion and othering is never something we will seek or advocate for. We will stress mercy, compassion, embrace, and godly love. We will work to develop the fruit of the Spirit which includes gentleness, goodness, and humility. 

All right, back to our Scripture. I really want you to see Esther’s humanity. Here was a young woman who was carrying a lot of trauma, as many of us here today are. First her parents died, probably when she was young. We don’t know what happened to them but it’s safe to assume that the experience was painful for her. She had to move to a new home with her cousin Mordecai. 

Then probably while still a teenager she was scooped up and taken to the palace, forced to hide her identity and endure a year of preparation to be paraded before a yucky king. After becoming queen, perhaps she settled into a routine which was reliable if not happy, but then even that had become uncertain because she hadn’t been called to the king for a month. And now, she had the responsibility of trying to be a hero. It just wasn’t fair. She was still so very young. 

Did she even want to be a queen? She’d lost her freedom and was essentially trapped in a glittering palace for the rest of her life. She had to hide her identity and change her lifestyle. Did she miss the rich, comforting, predictable traditions of her childhood? The weekly Sabbath observance, the yearly Passover in springtime, Yom Kippur in the fall?

But she couldn’t show her feelings. Her trauma response was probably to play it safe, and keep her head down.

Safety. Certainty. We all crave it, and we also try to figure out what will enable us to be who we want to be. It’s interesting to think that perhaps what generates true safety is also what makes us true heroes.

My late husband, Billy, was one of the smartest people I have ever known. Even as a child he enjoyed thinking about things and figuring things out. He was usually right, but not always. 

Like the time he figured out how Superman could fly. When he was four years old, he concluded that Superman could fly because he had a cape. So it was reasonable that if Billy also had a cape, he also could safely fly. He found a towel, tied it around his neck, and stood at an open second-story window, excited and ready to soar. Fortunately his Aunt Marie snatched him just as he was about to jump.

But back to our story. Mordecai addressed bluntly Esther’s false sense of security. She thinks she’s safe because she’s the queen – “If you keep silent, you and your father’s family will perish.”

Where does our confidence lie? Billy thought his towel was the secret to heroic abilities and safety – this is understandable for a four-year-old but not sensible for an adult.

I have here a towel of my own. [SHOW/TIE BEACH TOWEL] Do you think that now I could leap into the air, fly up to the balcony, just because of this external addition? Could I go out to the avenue and lift up a streetcar, just because of what’s on the outside? No, of course not! So why then do we think we are safe because of external elements? Are we safe—physically, emotionally, spiritually—because we have a comfortable bank account, a secure neighborhood, reasonable and congenial relatives?

Let’s not think that we are safe when our protection is nothing stronger than a towel tied around a child’s neck. [TAKE OFF TOWEL, HOLD]

And what can we do as heroes? What is the basis of our confidence, or lack thereof? Do we think external elements are what truly enable us to make a difference? Do we think we can (or cannot) be heroes because of our level of education? Our social skills, assurance, poise? Our connections, or the people we know?

Let’s not think that we are heroes when our equipment is nothing better than a beach towel. [LIFT TOWEL] 

Sometimes life isn’t fair. Sometimes we wish we weren’t confronted with problems and choices and hard times. But let’s not look at fairness; let’s consider what God is calling us to do. Let’s see if we love God, and righteousness, and truth enough to be heroes.

What is a hero? I think it’s essentially someone who decides to do what’s right even when it’s hard. And for us, as followers of Christ, heroism is walking with God in love. As simple as that, and as difficult as that. It is not the external things – not the beach towels – that keep us safe, or that enable us to be heroes. [DROP TOWEL]

We need heroes, desperately. And we can't afford to wait for someone else. Take a look in the mirror and you will see a potential hero. It was the poet June Jordan who first said, “We are the ones we have been waiting for.”

What you are being asked to do now may be different from what you’ve been doing, but it’s time to step up. This is not just a sermon – it’s a call to action, a call to commitment, a call to take responsibility in a loving and courageous way to make something good happen. Every single person reading this can do something to make a difference.

You don’t need me to tell you that our world is in trouble. You already know that this is a time for heroes to act: not with violence or guns or inflammatory rhetoric, but with the power of truth and love. They may make some people get angry at us, but even small steps will generate positive change in the world.

You may be thinking, “But I can’t be a hero.” Who in the Bible may have said “I can’t be a hero because…”?
 -Esther could have said, “But I have too much baggage, there’s too much to risk, I’m too tired from everything that I’ve already been through.”
 -Moses could have said, “But I’m a fugitive from justice, I’m a killer, I can’t even speak clearly.”
 -David could have said, “But I’m too young, I don’t have my family’s respect and support.”
 -Rahab could have said, “But I’m just a harlot, and these are not my people anyway.”
 -Paul could have said, “But I have a wretched past, people know how I persecuted the church, I’m not a great orator, and anyway I have a bad eye.”
 -Jesus himself could have said, “But who will believe me? I’m just a carpenter from Nazareth, and anyway everyone says nothing good can come out of the bad place where I live.” 

But they chose to be heroes.  They chose the hard way, the way of truth and love. And by their choices, they allowed the power of God’s love to work through them and make amazing things happen.

What are your feelings about being a hero? Look at them honestly, privately, just you and the good Lord. Do you feel scared? Uncertain? Reluctant? Unprepared? Even angry?

No matter how you feel, you can choose to do the right and honorable and godly thing. It’s your choices, your actions, that can make you a hero. Not your feelings. 

Pastor Jay Hogewood preached about Elijah last week, and people in that situation were faced with choices too. Elijah shouted at them, “How long are you going to waver between two opinions? How long are you going to try to sit on the fence? Make a decision! Chose this day whom you will serve! If you believe that the Lord is God, then serve God!” 

Be a hero. Choose love and truth today, and every day going forward for the rest of your life. 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, in whom we live and move and have our being, most of us here today are reluctant to take a heroic step. You know it’s not easy. Some of us have been so burdened by fear and distress and years of hard service that it’s almost impossible for us to move forward. But you see us in your love and mercy, Lord. You know where we are. Grant us grace, grant us courage, grant us the joy of your salvation and the freedom that comes from truth. Amen.