For Such a Time

Esther 7:1-6, New International Reader's Version

Haman Is Put to Death

7 So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s feast. ² They were drinking wine on the second day. The king again asked, “What do you want, Queen Esther? I’ll give it to you. What do you want me to do for you? I’ll even give you up to half of my kingdom.”

³ Then Queen Esther answered, “Your Majesty, I hope you will be pleased to let me live. That’s what I want. Please spare my people. That’s my appeal to you. ⁴ My people and I have been sold to be destroyed. We’ve been sold to be killed and wiped out. Suppose we had only been sold as male and female slaves. Then, I wouldn’t have said anything. That kind of suffering wouldn’t be a good enough reason to bother you.”

⁵ King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is the man who has dared to do such a thing? And where is he?”

⁶ Esther said, “The man hates us! He’s our enemy! He’s this evil Haman!”

Then Haman was terrified in front of the king and queen.

New International Reader's Version (NIRV) Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Esther 7:9-10, New International Reader's Version

⁹ Then Harbona said, “There’s a pole standing near Haman’s house. He has prepared it for Mordecai. Mordecai is the one who spoke up to help you. Haman had planned to have him put to death. He was going to have the pole stuck through his body. Then he was going to set it up at a place where it would be 75 feet above the ground.” Harbona was one of the officials who attended the king.

The king said to his men, “Put Haman to death! Stick the pole through his body! Set it up where everyone can see it!” ¹⁰ So they did. And they used the pole Haman had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s anger calmed down.

New International Reader's Version (NIRV) Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Esther 9:20-22, New International Reader's Version

Purim Is Celebrated

²⁰ Mordecai wrote down these events. He sent letters to all the Jews all through the territories of King Xerxes. It didn’t matter whether the Jews lived nearby or far away. ²¹ Mordecai told them to celebrate the 14th and 15th days of the month of Adar. He wanted them to do it every year. ²² Mordecai told the Jews to celebrate the time when they got rest from their enemies. That was the month when their sadness was turned into joy. It was when their weeping turned into a day for celebrating. He wrote the letters to celebrate those days as times of joy. He wanted the people to enjoy good food. He told them to give presents of food to one another. He also wanted them to give gifts to people who were poor.

New International Reader's Version (NIRV) Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Message:

When I say the word courage, what or whom do you think of? Can you tell me what courage means? (Allow children to offer definitions.) According to the Webster Online Dictionary, the word courage means one who has the strength to continue in the face of danger or difficulty.

Today’s scripture is about two courageous people: Esther and Mordecai. Esther was queen, and she was a very brave person. A wicked, evil person named Haman was planning to kill all the Jews in Esther’s country. Esther had decided to tell the king about Haman’s plan. That was risky! It was dangerous for Esther to do because the law said that anyone who went to the king without being invited could be put to death, even if that person was the queen! The other Jews in her country came together to support Esther and to pray for her. There certainly is power in prayer.

One reason Esther was so brave and had such courage was because she had people in her life who encouraged her. Her cousin, Mordecai, was one such person. Mordecai helped Esther to see that by being queen, she had special responsibilities.

Esther and Mordecai each did what they could in this situation. They did not have any magical powers or special superhero skills. Neither could do any physically incredible acts of strength. Both knew their skills and gifts and used them to honor God. Mordecai refused to bow to leaders as if they were gods because he knew that only God deserves his worship. Even though she knew that the previous queen was punished for not following the law of the land, Esther went to the king, even without an invitation, to save her people. Both could have been punished for their actions.

When Esther went to the king, the king listened! He did not let the evil, nasty, wicked man, Haman, carry out his plan. It was because of Esther’s courage that the lives of the Jewish people were saved. Esther would not have risked her own life without the help and support of others. Again, I say that is the power found in prayer!

I wonder how we can pray for courage like that of Esther and Mordecai in our own lives. Where can we offer prayer to those around us who need our support and encouragement? Let’s see if we can come up with five places in our daily lives where we could offer prayer to others. (Allow children to offer suggestions.) Examples could be:

1. At school, with our classmates.
2. On the school bus, for our friends and the bus drivers.
3. Hanging out with our friends.
4. At hospitals or doctors’ offices, where people may be sick or receiving difficult news.
5. On our sports teams, with teammates.

Are there others that you can come up with? (Allow children to provide more answers.)

I love the song found in our hymnal (577) titled “God of Grace and God of Glory.” Some of the words are difficult to understand and perhaps are words we don’t use in our everyday language, but we do understand these words. (Sing the line from the song, "Grant us wisdom, grant us courage.”) Did you hear the words that describe Esther and Mordecai?

God was preparing and leading Esther to a place where she needed to be. God gave her the courage to speak to the king. What a relief! The king showed Esther favor! All was well.

We can learn from Esther and Mordecai to not be afraid to tell the truth. Esther wasn’t. And we don’t have to be either.

Mordecai’s and Esther’s courage teaches us to act bravely in our own lives.

I want to teach you a way to pray that may be new for some of you. It is called a "breath" prayer. A breath prayer is a short prayer that can be prayed throughout the day. It contains two short phrases said in one breath while breathing in and while breathing out. I will give you an example:
(While breathing in) "When I feel all alone";
(While breathing out) "Lord, be with me.”

Here’s another one
(While breathing in) "When I'm mad enough to scream,”
(While breathing out) “Lord, help me to be kind.

I wonder if you can come up with a new breath prayer each and every day this week. Let’s close with a breath prayer now.

Prayer:

When I feel afraid (while breathing in),
Lord, give me the courage to go on (while breathing out).

Between the Sundays

1. How do you think the bride feels when she sees her beloved coming? Discuss those feelings of love that a person has for another. Ask someone who is married to share their love story with you. What traits did they see in the other person that made them love each other?
2. Sing the “For the Beauty of the Earth.” How can the beauty and harmony described in this hymn and the relationship between the bride and groom of the poem reflect God’s design for the relationships we have in our own lives?
3. As a family, reflect on the story of the king and the arrows. What does this story teach you about the need for justice and compassion for others in our world?
4. Discuss the differences between “smart” and “wise.” Which do you think God prefers? Why do you feel that way?
5. Ask someone who is married to share with you their love song. Have them play it or sing it for you. What words in the lyrics do you hear? Do the words of that song reflect the feelings that they have for each other? Do they reflect the emotions that God wants for each of us in our relationship with others?
6. As a family, at the end of each day or around the dinner table, have family members describe an encounter where they offered support and encouragement to another person through the power of prayer. Describe the situation. Describe how praying for someone made them feel. Describe how praying made you feel.