For Such a Time

The final scripture passage for this series should provide an interesting twist. I’ll bet you didn’t expect these verses to come up when you read the title, did you? Armchair theologians love to quote the “common wisdom” of Esther to prop up their own views of divine providence. If they like the way something is going or if they feel convicted to seize an opportunity, they invoke Mordecai’s words to Esther from chapter 4: “Perhaps you have come to… (such and such place) …for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). We humans tend to like this so-called wisdom. It makes us feel that we can easily validate our plans with divine endorsement and go on pursuing them. But that’s not the passage we’re talking about this week, and that’s not what the Book of Esther teaches us about God’s providence.

Instead, we are talking about the actual moment that Esther begs deliverance from the king, the moment when he grants it, and —very importantly—the moment in which the Jewish people inaugurate a festival to commemorate that deliverance. If you are not familiar with the basic story of the Book of Esther, a quick cover-to-cover read is in order. This is especially appropriate since the Lectionary skips many verses. You would be well served to examine how the plot and conflict of the story develop since this week’s lesson presents only the resolution. Additionally, I feel obligated to share here that some people do not classify Esther as Wisdom Literature but as an independent short story; they tend to place it alongside Ruth, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Jonah. Therefore, we preachers must have a grasp on the entire narrative to do right by it in the span of one worship service.

I’ve mentioned in previous weeks that Wisdom Literature asks us to think theologically in light of the world around us. Thus, I think wisdom is all about making proper responses to circumstance. Saints like Paul the Apostle, Augustine of Hipo, Basil of Caesarea, and many others often remind us that we can’t be blamed for our feelings, but what we do with those feelings does matter. In this week’s lessons, we see two important responsive acts: King Ahasuerus shows mercy in response to Esther’s plea and future Jews show gratitude in response to that mercy. I can’t think of any two character traits that are more uncommon in today’s world than these. Who really shows mercy these days? Who truly shows gratitude? If I lend my neighbor money, the common wisdom of postmodern America says that I ought to profit by charging her interest and demand that she pay me promptly in full. If she falls on hard times, that’s just too bad. Who is out there encouraging me to show mercy? The scriptures. The same is true for gratitude. We do a dismal job in today’s economy of accounting for gifts. If I find myself living comfortably with my family and living the life of my dreams, who in my neighborhood is encouraging me to stop and be thankful? …Crickets…

If you’re looking for practices that express the uncommon wisdom of both the merciful King Ahasuerus and the grateful Jews, I submit that Holy Communion is a perfect candidate. Think about the names and texts of our United Methodist liturgies. Our prayer of confession begins with the phrase “Merciful God,” and the climax of the celebration is the prayer called the Great Thanksgiving. When we confess our sins through prayer, we place confidence in God’s mercy, which Saint Basil calls the most God-like attribute of God. We confess our sins to God because we know God will be merciful to us. When it comes to the Great Thanksgiving, it is important to notice how our liturgy invites us to remember all the times God has saved us. If we are people truly formed by Holy Communion, we tell and retell these stories because we acknowledge that we didn’t earn or deserve any of this grace. Even better, just like the Jews who were spared celebrated their festival with generosity to the poor, our prayer after receiving compels us to “go into the world to give ourselves to others.” In the fullness of its practice, Holy Communion invites us to live this uncommon wisdom.

This passage and these notes are prescribed for a fifth Sunday, so most United Methodist congregations won’t be celebrating Holy Communion this week, but perhaps you can set the Table for next week. Check back with us then for resources related to the special occasion that is World Communion Sunday. In the meantime, let this week’s sermon plant seeds for a richer celebration of this holy sacrament. Invite your hearers to think about how peculiar the church’s liturgies are. Have they ever thought about how uncommon it is to share signs of peace? Have they ever considered that it’s weird to collect an offering each week in a very public manner? How do our responses to God’s actions in the world embody wisdom that is uncommon in our world? If these texts have done their job, then we will at least stop to think twice about these things instead of repeating the work of the people, week after week, by rote.

Rev. Tripp Gulledge is a provisional elder in the Alabama—West Florida conference and a pastoral resident at Highland Park UMC in Dallas, TX. He graduated from Perkins School of Theology with highest honor in May 2023.