"For Such a Time as This"

Here's an instant replay of what happened in worship:

We heard the story of Esther - a tale full of intrigue, danger, secret identies, beauty pageants and comedy!
We realized that God is not mentioned in the story at all, yet God is believed to be behind the scenes, working to fulfill His purposes.
We saw how Esther was faced with a difficult decision - either go before the king unbeckoned, an offense that could cost her her life, or watch as her people, the Jews, are destroyed. We read the part of the story, Esther 4:9-16, where her cousin Mordecai tells her that perhaps she has come to power as queen "for such a time as this." Esther replies that she will go before the king in order to save her people. "And if I perish," she says, "I perish."
We witnessed the happy outcome and celebrated Esther's bravery.
We thought about how God is also at work in our lives, perhaps leading us to "such a time as this." We also have power to speak up - we live in one of the wealthiest and most powerful nations on earth. Like Esther, God may have placed us where we are so that we can be the one to step in and do something about the suffering we see in the world. We have a hero's heart, just like Esther, and we can find the courage to act when God prompts us to act.
We celebrated communion at the table of love and mercy.