WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.240 If you haven't seen Evan Almighty, do watch it. This is the bit where actually she's just about 00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:12.160 to leave her husband. She's just about to go. She's had enough and she meets with God. And he 00:00:12.160 --> 00:00:19.820 says, just get back in there. It's an opportunity to be courageous. During World War II in Germany, 00:00:19.820 --> 00:00:26.980 there were Christians, many Christians, who turned their eyes away from the annihilation 00:00:26.980 --> 00:00:33.780 of the Jews. And it was a sad chapter in the history of the German church. And in World War II, 00:00:33.820 --> 00:00:40.020 at the end of World War II, the German church wrote a statement. And in that statement, it was a guy 00:00:40.020 --> 00:00:47.100 who was called Martin Niermoeller, who was one of the ministers, and spoke of the consequences of not 00:00:47.100 --> 00:00:54.579 speaking out, of not being courageous. And he wrote these words, first they came for the communists, 00:00:54.579 --> 00:01:02.399 and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the socialists, 00:01:02.500 --> 00:01:09.439 but I didn't speak out because I wasn't a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, 00:01:10.099 --> 00:01:16.799 and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist. And then they came for me, 00:01:16.799 --> 00:01:21.140 but there was no one left to speak for me. 00:01:23.939 --> 00:01:29.319 The thing in the story of Esther is we're told about a challenge, and that a challenge that we 00:01:29.319 --> 00:01:37.079 have to take because she is called to speak out. She is called to speak out into what was then the 00:01:37.079 --> 00:01:44.920 Jewish faith that was about to be annihilated. And she decided that she had to make a stand and be 00:01:44.920 --> 00:01:51.920 courageous, who stood for them in their darkest hour. And people celebrate in the Jewish faith, 00:01:52.480 --> 00:01:59.659 Queen Esther, she is revered because she risked her life, and she stepped out in courage for them. 00:02:00.599 --> 00:02:05.299 That's what our reading was about this morning. And in fact, in every story, we love a villain, 00:02:05.480 --> 00:02:14.340 don't we? Pantomime season comes when Captain Hook steps onto the stage. People love to boo, 00:02:14.340 --> 00:02:21.060 everybody loves a villain. Everybody loves a villain. And in this story, it's Haman. And Haman, 00:02:21.300 --> 00:02:30.259 like many before him and many to come, has gone up the greasy pole, if you like, of success, 00:02:30.439 --> 00:02:36.960 climbing on other people. He has leadership in his sight, and he doesn't care who gets in the way. 00:02:36.960 --> 00:02:46.240 And it's a time when he issues an edict to the people that all the Jews will be killed. And if 00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:52.159 you haven't read the book of Esther, please read it. It's my sort of book. Because I'm a visual learner, 00:02:52.360 --> 00:03:02.260 it's small. It's a very thin book. So read it, please. But it's a great story. You see, King Xerxes has a bit 00:03:02.259 --> 00:03:10.060 of an issue with women. He had a real issue with women. In fact, he said, I don't want any woman to 00:03:10.060 --> 00:03:20.959 come into my presence unless I say so. But Esther knows that it's got to be her. And she's going to 00:03:20.959 --> 00:03:30.039 risk everything to go into the king's presence. And Mordecai, her cousin, was mortified for his people 00:03:30.039 --> 00:03:36.379 to think that they would be annihilated. And yet Esther comes along at this time. She felt it. 00:03:36.680 --> 00:03:44.419 She knew it. She knew that God had placed this on her heart for her people. And she couldn't ignore it. 00:03:45.500 --> 00:03:49.939 Many people here will feel that. Maybe you've been praying long and hard for an area, 00:03:50.379 --> 00:03:56.199 for a group of people, maybe for an individual, where you know, God has given me a heart for this. 00:03:56.199 --> 00:04:00.859 Maybe it's somebody under your roof. Maybe it's somebody who you live with. Maybe it's somebody 00:04:00.859 --> 00:04:06.139 who you work with. Maybe it's a group in our community that you have been called to. But you 00:04:06.139 --> 00:04:12.620 will know. You will know that Esther moment when God has laid something on your heart and said, 00:04:12.939 --> 00:04:19.079 I have to do something about this. I have to step out in courage. And she was put, 00:04:19.079 --> 00:04:27.139 it wasn't a coincidence that God placed her in that time. No, it wasn't. Was it? Was she able to do 00:04:27.139 --> 00:04:38.240 something about it? Yes, she was. What did it take? It took courage. Courage, raw and simple. 00:04:39.279 --> 00:04:44.500 For if you remain silent, it says in scripture this morning, relief and deliverance for the Jews will 00:04:44.500 --> 00:04:51.459 arise from another place. It will come from somewhere else. It will happen. But you and your father's 00:04:51.459 --> 00:05:01.399 family now will perish. And who knows, but that you have come to this royal position for such a time as 00:05:01.399 --> 00:05:11.899 this. Esther, it's your time, says Mordecai. Do you know those moments? Those God-given opportunities 00:05:11.899 --> 00:05:19.000 where your heart thumps, your stomach churns, and you know this is of God. And that was Esther. 00:05:20.419 --> 00:05:26.699 There are times, people, when God places you in a position where last week we said here, and 00:05:26.699 --> 00:05:33.039 thank you to my podcast followers who send me emails on Monday morning. That's very kind of you. 00:05:34.079 --> 00:05:40.899 But where it said last week, you have to get off the fence. There are two choices. Either you can slide 00:05:40.899 --> 00:05:46.899 behind the fence and hide away from it, or you can get off the fence and go both feet in with God, 00:05:47.620 --> 00:05:53.959 as he wants you to do. Step into the opportunity. And whether there is social justice, a courageous 00:05:53.959 --> 00:06:01.459 conversation that you have to have, especially if it's about idols, and idols will get in your way. 00:06:01.459 --> 00:06:08.779 And as I was reading about Esther, I thought, think of the things that get in the way of courage. 00:06:08.779 --> 00:06:17.299 Think of those things. And we can make idols out of anything to get in the way. To be honest, 00:06:17.399 --> 00:06:25.239 the church is very good at it. We make idols out of furniture. We must never move that, 00:06:25.739 --> 00:06:35.379 because it was placed there in 1935. And it's got a plaque on it, which means it must never be moved. 00:06:35.379 --> 00:06:43.759 There are things that we can make our idols out of. It may be liturgy. We're not allowed to do it that 00:06:43.759 --> 00:06:48.819 way, because it's always been done that way. And so we can be safe in that. 00:06:52.079 --> 00:06:58.420 I was thinking this week, I was in one of those meetings where you wish you weren't in one of those 00:06:58.420 --> 00:07:07.680 meetings, you know, and you think, are these people Christians? And I thought in the middle of that, 00:07:07.759 --> 00:07:13.420 I thought, do you know what? We've got this amazing roof over our heads. We've got this amazing building. 00:07:13.939 --> 00:07:20.100 We've got food. We've got warmth. We've got coffee. We've got freedom. Nobody's going to come through 00:07:20.100 --> 00:07:27.320 the door in a minute and arrest us. Rather than realizing what we've got at stake. And often the 00:07:27.320 --> 00:07:34.120 church of God, on a Sunday, sadly, we take it as the church at rest. We are not the church at rest. 00:07:34.500 --> 00:07:41.280 You people, we are a powerhouse. That's what we're here for. We're here to be empowered, encouraged, 00:07:41.520 --> 00:07:49.720 enthused, and excited, and challenged to go out to do what God wants us to do. Do you feel that energy? 00:07:49.720 --> 00:08:04.500 Yes. Yes. That's so good. I'm not in that meeting anymore. And here, people needed to hear about the 00:08:04.500 --> 00:08:12.100 saving love of God because people's lives are at stake. And that is what the Esther story is about 00:08:12.100 --> 00:08:18.820 this morning. People's lives are at stake. And that's where it connects with us because people's 00:08:18.819 --> 00:08:25.060 lives are at stake. She didn't want to see a nation lost. She didn't want to see a nation eradicated. 00:08:25.560 --> 00:08:31.259 And maybe you feel like that when you read the paper. I don't want to see a nation going in a 00:08:31.259 --> 00:08:40.659 downward spiral because God has hope and wants us, his people, to be courageous. I don't know how many 00:08:40.659 --> 00:08:48.480 people that are here this morning, but all it took was one person, and it was Esther. It takes one person 00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:55.279 to make a difference. You see, the book of Esther raises up for me a courage and spirit to go and 00:08:55.279 --> 00:09:02.959 rescue people. It's an opportunity. It's a challenge. And what we as Christians need to be getting out of 00:09:02.960 --> 00:09:10.440 bed for in the morning. That's what it's about. It's about encouragement and challenge. Esther saw the 00:09:10.440 --> 00:09:20.139 pain on Mordecai for his people. And she knew that she knew that she had been placed in a position 00:09:20.139 --> 00:09:28.060 to do something about it and that God was with her. Do you know, I read this story through the week and I 00:09:28.059 --> 00:09:33.899 thought, what does that say to people on a Sunday? What does that say to me? First thing it said to me 00:09:33.899 --> 00:09:43.079 is I need to get involved. I can't stand back anymore. I need to be in there. Because you know as 00:09:43.079 --> 00:09:49.119 well the government cutbacks that have taken place. Do you know what? This week, this last few days, 00:09:49.679 --> 00:09:56.959 this last couple of weeks actually, I've written more references for people in this church than I've 00:09:56.960 --> 00:10:03.759 ever written before. For people who want to go out into the community and serve the community. 00:10:04.320 --> 00:10:10.000 You may have been sat in here a few weeks ago and we had transforming lives for good. What a great 00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:15.879 strapline for a group, for an organisation. But there are people here who are going to go out into our 00:10:15.879 --> 00:10:23.920 local schools and transform lives for good. You've got a leaflet this morning that's been given to you, 00:10:23.919 --> 00:10:32.939 I hope if you haven't, grab one, to fund Will's ministry. It is about changing lives. It's being 00:10:32.939 --> 00:10:40.699 courageous to go out and do something. We as a church have grabbed the opportunity. People who have 00:10:40.699 --> 00:10:46.639 seen the need and said, do you know what? I want to get involved. There will be people here who will be 00:10:46.639 --> 00:10:51.240 going off to serve on falcon camps. There will be people here who are going to serve at New Wine. 00:10:51.240 --> 00:10:56.460 There will be people here who will be going to Hill House to serve the community this summer. 00:10:57.220 --> 00:11:01.799 People, we are being motivated to go out, but we need to do it all together. 00:11:03.080 --> 00:11:10.039 Do you want courage? Because this morning I want to encourage your courage and embolden your bold. 00:11:10.899 --> 00:11:17.039 I want to encourage your courage and embolden your bold because that's what Esther says to us this 00:11:17.039 --> 00:11:23.659 morning. Second thing, it's not all about me. Because in Esther it wasn't all about her. She could 00:11:23.659 --> 00:11:28.579 have disappeared. She could have done what she needed to do, but she had to step out. You see, 00:11:28.659 --> 00:11:35.379 we would all like often to lead a quiet life, but that's not what the Christian faith is all about. 00:11:35.379 --> 00:11:45.480 You see, the church being motivated and understanding of what God's needs are for the community. 00:11:45.960 --> 00:11:51.340 I used to sneak out at lunchtime when I was working in London, just around the corner and used to go to 00:11:51.340 --> 00:11:59.200 the Tate Gallery, very posh. And I always wondered why they put the seats a long way back from the 00:11:59.200 --> 00:12:05.320 picture. But of course I learned that because as you walk around, if you stand there, you don't see it. 00:12:05.320 --> 00:12:12.379 Do you? You don't see it until you step back and you step back and you step back and you sit down 00:12:12.379 --> 00:12:19.460 and then you see it. You see the bigger picture. And sometimes we need the courage to see God's bigger 00:12:19.460 --> 00:12:26.480 picture that we are a part of, that he wants us to get involved with. You know, when we're caught up in 00:12:26.480 --> 00:12:34.020 our own preferences, we don't see what God sees. And so I challenge you about our own preferences. 00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:43.500 And the third thing is the thing that squashes courage. If you want your courage squashed, 00:12:44.200 --> 00:12:51.780 have self-interest and self-preservation, because it will truly squash any courage within you. 00:12:53.080 --> 00:13:02.480 When the world watched on the 5th of June, 1989, and I remember it well, a man with two bags who walked 00:13:02.480 --> 00:13:13.600 into Tenement Square in China and stood in front of a tank. He risked everything, but stood for his 00:13:13.600 --> 00:13:24.519 humanity. He risked it all, but what courage it took. Maybe sometimes we need that courage. When did we last 00:13:24.519 --> 00:13:33.379 stand for truth? When did we stand rather than shy away? When did we sit and allow justice to just pass by? 00:13:36.259 --> 00:13:45.559 My self-interest, like Esther's, should come second. God had a job for her. He's got a job for us. 00:13:46.360 --> 00:13:51.059 And maybe as we've heard about prayer ministry this morning, if maybe if you've never been for prayer 00:13:51.059 --> 00:13:57.899 ministry before, maybe this morning of all mornings you go and you say, Lord, what is it where you want me 00:13:57.899 --> 00:14:03.819 to stand? What area of my life is it? Show me, because I want to make a difference. 00:14:03.820 --> 00:14:18.840 On the 1st of December, 1955, it took one woman, one woman to sit down for a whole nation to stand up. 00:14:21.400 --> 00:14:29.760 Her name was Rosa Parks. She'd had enough in America of segregation. And as a black woman, 00:14:29.759 --> 00:14:37.819 she got onto that bus that day and sat in a seat. And she refused to move because she said, 00:14:38.340 --> 00:14:43.879 there isn't justice in this. I refused to get up and go to the back of that bus. 00:14:45.340 --> 00:14:51.819 And with that, she got arrested and it all kicked off. Here's her story. A woman of courage, 00:14:51.820 --> 00:14:54.920 a woman like Esther, to inspire us this morning. 00:14:58.200 --> 00:15:09.340 I remember well these struggles that we went to during my childhood when the Ku Klux Klan was very 00:15:09.340 --> 00:15:15.940 active. It just made us stronger to continue the struggle for freedom. 00:15:15.940 --> 00:15:26.560 And this was the seat that I took as I got on the bus. A few white people voted the bus. 00:15:27.400 --> 00:15:38.200 And one man was left standing. And I certainly did not plan to stand up. And I didn't consider myself 00:15:38.200 --> 00:15:42.740 breaking the law because I was in what was supposed to be either part of the bus. 00:15:42.740 --> 00:15:54.279 So my arrest brought about a protest from the people of Montgomery that lasted 381 days. 00:15:54.279 --> 00:16:00.299 And when we did go back on the bus, we didn't, the Supreme Code had handed down a decision that there 00:16:00.299 --> 00:16:09.419 would be no more racial segregation in transportation. When I was on the bus the time I was arrested, 00:16:09.419 --> 00:16:15.860 the only thing that was on my mind was that I did not want to be treated in that way. 00:16:16.259 --> 00:16:28.240 It took her sitting down to get a people to stand up. And we can never, ever, ever forget her for that. 00:16:28.240 --> 00:16:41.240 It takes one person. And that person may be you and I. It doesn't happen by accident. God calls us to step 00:16:41.240 --> 00:16:48.860 into those places. And this morning, I encourage you to encourage your courage and embolden your bold. 00:16:48.860 --> 00:17:01.080 To risk, as Esther did. It risks our reputation. It can risk our freedom. It can risk so many things. 00:17:01.159 --> 00:17:07.259 But some things you see, you think, this is not right. I need to stand. I want to see my friends come to Christ. 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:13.039 Why should I just step back? I need to have that courageous conversation. 00:17:13.039 --> 00:17:22.899 I need to have that courageous stand in my workplace. Where does my strength come from? My strength comes 00:17:22.899 --> 00:17:26.139 in the name of the Lord and in the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:17:28.119 --> 00:17:36.720 What can we learn for Esther's story? What steps will we take to see God's kingdom come? And it risks much. 00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:46.519 I'm just going to finish with a poem that was read to me by a 14-year-old girl. Actually, it changed my 00:17:46.519 --> 00:17:54.000 thought and encouraged my courage. Because she read this poem, for me, it was a game changer, 00:17:54.380 --> 00:18:01.860 because she decided that she would stand for her faith in her class where she was the only Christian. 00:18:01.859 --> 00:18:06.799 And she was 14. And she read this poem. 00:18:08.519 --> 00:18:17.199 To laugh is to risk looking a fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. To reach out for another 00:18:17.199 --> 00:18:25.519 is to risk involvement. To show feelings is to risk revealing your true self. To place your ideas and 00:18:25.519 --> 00:18:33.079 dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss. To love is to risk rejection. 00:18:34.259 --> 00:18:43.359 To live is to risk dying. To hope is to risk despair. To try is to risk failure. 00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:50.859 But risks must be taken. Because one of the greatest dangers in life is to risk nothing. 00:18:50.859 --> 00:18:56.519 Those who risk nothing. Those who risk nothing, do nothing, achieve nothing, and become nothing. 00:18:57.419 --> 00:19:07.500 They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, or even live. 00:19:08.719 --> 00:19:15.740 Chained by their uncertainties, they are slaves and they have fortified their freedom. 00:19:15.740 --> 00:19:27.539 Only a person who risks all they cannot keep to gain all that they can never lose is truly free.