Daniel 3: 19 – 30

Then Nebuchadnezzar was so filled with rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face was distorted. He ordered the furnace to be heated up seven times more than was customary, and ordered some of the strongest guards in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. So the men were bound, still wearing their tunics, their trousers, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the furnace of blazing fire.  Because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace was so overheated, the raging flames killed the men who lifted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. But the three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up quickly. He said to his counsellors, ‘Was it not three men that we threw bound into the fire?’ They answered the king, ‘True, O king.’  He replied, ‘But I see four men unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the fourth has the appearance of a god.’ Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and said, ‘Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!’ So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire.  And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counsellors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men; the hair of their heads was not singed, their tunics were not harmed, and not even the smell of fire came from them.  Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king’s command and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.  Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that utters blasphemy against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins; for there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.’  Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

Reflection

Rage has two faces.

The first, and most commonly understood one, is that of tyrants such as Nebuchadnezzar. They are dedicated to the status quo, which benefit them and others with power.  The other face of rage is seen in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They had been uprooted from their homeland when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem. They shared in what Martin Luther King Jr called a ‘divine dissatisfaction’ that the world as it was was not the world as it should have been. Yet they channelled their rage into the God who is love, rather than succumbing to fear and its cousin, hate.

For them, love was not ‘emotional bosh.’ Perhaps these words of Dr King also would have resonated with them:
 
‘I’m concerned about a better world  … through violence you may murder a murderer, but you can’t murder murder. Through violence you may murder a liar, but you can’t establish truth. Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can’t murder hate through violence. Darkness cannot put out darkness; only light can do that.’

Dr King concluded this message addressing the ‘divine dissatisfaction’ of the treatment of Black people in America, by saying:

‘[L]et us remember that there is a creative force in this universe working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows. Let us realise that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.’

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego went with the living God into that tyrant’s fire. With God, they came out not even smelling of fire. We, likewise, go with God whenever we do not cave to the fear and violence of today’s tyrants. We go with God when we act on our own ‘divine dissatisfaction’, channelling our rage to participate in the creative joy with which God liberates people from all forms of oppression. Thanks be to God.
 
Prayer

God, you deliver us from the evils of violent tyrants. 
Save us from doing violence ourselves. 
Let us go into tyrants’ fires without fear. 
Let us channel our rage, our divine dissatisfaction, 
that the world as it is is not the world as it should be, 
into acts of love, carried out in your holy name. Amen.

Daniel 3: 1 – 16

King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden statue whose height was sixty cubits and whose width was six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent for the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counsellors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to assemble and come to the dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.  So the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counsellors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, assembled for the dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. When they were standing before the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had set up,  the herald proclaimed aloud, ‘You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages,  that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble, you are to fall down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.  Whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.’  Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshipped the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

Accordingly, at this time certain Chaldeans came forward and denounced the Jews.  They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, ‘O king, live for ever!  You, O king, have made a decree, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble, shall fall down and worship the golden statue,  and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.  There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These pay no heed to you, O king. They do not serve your gods and they do not worship the golden statue that you have set up.’

Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought in; so they brought those men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar said to them, ‘Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods and you do not worship the golden statue that I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble to fall down and worship the statue that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire, and who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands?’

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to present a defence to you in this matter. If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us.  But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up.’

Reflection

At the time of writing Rishi Sunak’s election campaign had experienced a setback when he prematurely left the 6th July D-Day celebrations. Beyond the absence of Mr Sunak, one can imagine the diverse array of dignitaries, officials, and national leaders who would have been present at the ceremony. In our reading, a similar ceremony would have featured a comparable range of dignitaries. However, instead of dedicating their attention to those who died in battle, they were compelled to focus their adoration on a single individual: King Nebuchadnezzar.

Scripture does not mince words: such extravagant behaviour is identified as idolatry and is unequivocally condemned. Pastor Ed Stetzer writes: “Is it that a 12-inch tall piece of wood or bronze can do something bad to us? Or is it that we do something awful to ourselves when we place adoration and attention that should go to God, in other things? When it comes to idolatry, the danger is not in an item… it is in us.”
Stetzer’s insightful words remind us that contemporary culture is not immune to the perils of idolatry. Modern idols take many forms, including the worship and prioritisation of identity, the pursuit of money and power, the entertainment industry, sex, comfort, and technology. While this list is not inherently negative, and modern society might struggle to function without these elements, Stetzer cautions us about the potential self-harm inflicted by idol worship. Our reading reminds us of the cost of deliberately avoiding idol worship. Each choice carries consequences.

This should not surprise us. As Jesus stated, “Anyone who wishes to follow me must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow me.” (Matt 16.24) While this may evoke the fear of an existential void opening within us, it ultimately inspires the profound joy of allowing God’s love and worship to fill that vacated space.

Prayer

Good and gracious God,
We confess that many modern idols seize our imagination
Our adoration from the source of all goodness and love.
May the Spirit highlight such idols which have taken root in our lives.
May your forgiveness touch us,
May your healing restore us,
And may your guidance lead us to a place where we adore you all the more.
Amen.

 

Daniel 2: 46 – 49

Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, worshipped Daniel, and commanded that a grain-offering and incense be offered to him. The king said to Daniel, ‘Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery!’ Then the king promoted Daniel, gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.

Reflection

Let’s be honest here… I picked this passage not because it spoke to me about some deep and undeniable truth but because it was the shortest available. I’m lazy, I admit it. I want to be involved with this project, but I don’t want to have to work too hard at it. I’ll leave the difficult stuff to others. 

I wonder if Daniel felt the same? He was given a job to do – but got others to do it for him whilst he remained in Nebuchadnezzar’s court after his promotion to be showered with gifts and praise by the king. 
Perhaps we should be focussing on Daniel being a wise leader in subcontracting the day-to-day stuff to others whilst he reaped the benefits, that his ability to delegate made others better, gave them a chance to shine and develop.

Or, perhaps, we should acknowledge that Daniel liked the good life too much to move away from comfort and opulence and put in the hard miles and so got others to do that stuff for him.

We can spin it however we like, to make the point we want to make.

I won’t spin it, though. I’m lazy. I don’t want to get my hands too dirty. I’m happy to let someone else die for my sins. I’m content in the knowledge that, whilst I’m concerned about injustice and unfairness and wish it was ended, there are others who will fight that fight on my behalf allowing me to watch their efforts on the news between binge-watching episodes of the latest Netflix blockbuster. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

I know which Daniel I am. Which Daniel are you?

Prayer

Disturbing God
Shake me from my complacency and inaction.
Amen

 

Daniel 2: 17-45

Then Daniel went to his home and informed his companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions with the rest of the wise men of Babylon might not perish. Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night, and Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

Daniel said:

‘Blessed be the name of God from age to age,
    for wisdom and power are his.
He changes times and seasons,
    deposes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
    and knowledge to those who have understanding.
He reveals deep and hidden things;
    he knows what is in the darkness,
    and light dwells with him.
To you, O God of my ancestors,
    I give thanks and praise,
for you have given me wisdom and power,
    and have now revealed to me what we asked of you,
    for you have revealed to us what the king ordered.’

Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, ‘Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will give the king the interpretation.’

Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king and said to him: ‘I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who can tell the king the interpretation.’ The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, ‘Are you able to tell me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?’ Daniel answered the king, ‘No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or diviners can show to the king the mystery that the king is asking, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has disclosed to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen at the end of days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed were these:  To you, O king, as you lay in bed, came thoughts of what would be hereafter, and the revealer of mysteries disclosed to you what is to be. But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me because of any wisdom that I have more than any other living being, but in order that the interpretation may be known to the king and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.

‘You were looking, O king, and lo! there was a great statue. This statue was huge, its brilliance extraordinary; it was standing before you, and its appearance was frightening. The head of that statue was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. As you looked on, a stone was cut out, not by human hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, were all broken in pieces and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

‘This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation. You, O king, the king of kings—to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the might, and the glory, into whose hand he has given human beings, wherever they live, the wild animals of the field, and the birds of the air, and whom he has established as ruler over them all—you are the head of gold. After you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over the whole earth. And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron; just as iron crushes and smashes everything,  it shall crush and shatter all these. As you saw the feet and toes partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but some of the strength of iron shall be in it, as you saw the iron mixed with the clay.  As the toes of the feet were part iron and part clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.  As you saw the iron mixed with clay, so will they mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay.  And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall this kingdom be left to another people. It shall crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand for ever;  just as you saw that a stone was cut from the mountain not by hands, and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God has informed the king what shall be hereafter. The dream is certain, and its interpretation trustworthy.’

Reflection

Daniel dared to go the Arioch and tell him not to kill the wise men but to take him to the king and he, Daniel, would interpret the dream.

The interpretation speaks of four great empires, these are the Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman empires.  The city of Babylon was vast and magnificent.  A German archaeologist Robert Koldewey spent several years excavating the remains of the city.  He writes about how the remains show it was a grand city with high walls and large buildings far greater than any others that have been excavated (Robert Koldewey: “The Excavations at Babylon” MacMillan & Co, 1914). 

Despite the power of the king Daniel was not afraid to speak the truth that God gave him to speak.  He spoke of how the king’s empire would be succeeded by others.  It must have been dangerous to tell a powerful king that his kingdom would end.  Daniel was true to God when he spoke to this king.  He was not afraid to speak the truth.

Perhaps the most important phrase is “in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed”.  We know that about 600 years after Daniel Jesus was born and the greatest Kingdom was established.  Christianity has reached far more places that any previous empire and we also know that this kingdom cannot be destroyed.  Daniel was certain of what God had given him to say, the passage ends with his saying “The dream is certain, and its interpretation trustworthy”.

It is good that we can still have this certainty.  Just as God spoke clearly to Daniel.  He speaks to Christians all over the world today.  We need to follow Daniel’s example and listen to what God says and share it with others knowing that it is the truth.
 
Prayer 

Almighty God,
I thank you that you spoke to the prophets of old,
I thank you that You still speak today,
I thank you that you will never be silenced.
Speak to me clearly and help me to speak to other about you,
help me to share the good news that Jesus is my saviour.
Amen

 

 
Today’s service is led by the Revd Angela Rigby
 
Welcome

Hello and welcome to our worship service.  My name is Rev Angela Rigby, and I am the minister serving churches in Sevenoaks and Tonbridge.  It’s August.  Are you making hay whilst the sun shines?  Or perhaps saying “it never rains, but it pours?”  Looking for the promised silver lining in the clouds?  As I am recording these words in May, I will let you decide which of these proverbs are applicable for today.  Whatever the weather, whatever is happening in your life at the moment, I pray you feel God’s presence with you.  

Call to Worship 

Praise the Lord.  I will praise God with all my heart.
Great are God’s works; we delight in them and are amazed.
God’s deeds are glorious and everlasting.
We remember them with thankfulness.
God is gracious and compassionate.
God provides food for those who fear God
The works of God are faithful and just.
All God’s teachings are trustworthy.
God has redeemed God’s people.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow God’s teachings have good understanding.  To God belongs eternal praise.

Hymn     Come, Now is the Time to Worship    
Brian Doerkson © 1988 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire) OneLicence # A-734713. Performed by an online choir of Franklin Methodist Church.

Come now is the time to worship!
Come now is the time to give your heart!
Come just as you are to worship!
Come just as you are before your God, come!

One day every tongue will confess You are God.
One day every knee will bow.
Still the greatest treasure remains
for those who gladly choose You now.

Come now is the time to worship!
Come now is the time to give your heart!
Come just as you are to worship!
Come just as you are before your God, come!
(repeat)

Opening Prayer

God, You are love.  You are goodness.  
You are justice.  You are wisdom.  
You are the way we should live together on this earth.  
You are at the beginning of creation and at its end.  
You hold everything and everyone in Your holy presence.  
To You belongs eternal praise. 
 We love you, and we thank you.

Confession

God, we confess that although we know You are wise, 
we do not always seek Your wisdom.  
Although we know You are love, goodness, and justice, 
we do not always seek Your ways of living together 
and sharing this planet.  
Although we know You created this wonderful world, 
we do not always look after the land as You asked humanity to do.  
We seek our own ways.  
We follow short cuts.  
We demand our ways over Yours.  
God, we are sorry.  
Help us to seek your wisdom, to structure our communities 
around your life giving ways of living together.  
For the sake of this world You dearly love.  Amen

Declaration of Forgiveness 

Who is like our God?  
God pardons sin and forgives our transgressions.  
God does not stay angry forever, 
but delights to show us mercy.  
God, again, has compassion on us.

Prayer for Illumination

God, may we hear from you today, as Your words are life-giving and true.  May we be open to hearing your Words – in the prayers, in the songs, in the Bible readings, and even in the silence.  Speak to our hearts, we pray.  Amen

Reading     Proverbs 9 : 1-18

Wisdom has built her house,
    she has hewn her seven pillars.
She has slaughtered her animals, she has mixed her wine,
    she has also set her table.
She has sent out her servant-girls, she calls
    from the highest places in the town,
 ‘You that are simple, turn in here!’
    To those without sense she says,
 ‘Come, eat of my bread
    and drink of the wine I have mixed.
Lay aside immaturity, and live,
    and walk in the way of insight.’
Whoever corrects a scoffer wins abuse;
    whoever rebukes the wicked gets hurt.
A scoffer who is rebuked will only hate you;
    the wise, when rebuked, will love you.
Give instruction to the wise, and they will become wiser still;
    teach the righteous and they will gain in learning.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
    and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
For by me your days will be multiplied,
    and years will be added to your life.
If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;
    if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

The foolish woman is loud;
    she is ignorant and knows nothing.
She sits at the door of her house,
    on a seat at the high places of the town,
calling to those who pass by,
    who are going straight on their way,
‘You who are simple, turn in here!’
    And to those without sense she says,
‘Stolen water is sweet,
    and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.’
But they do not know that the dead are there,
    that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

Hymn     There’s a Spirit in the Air  
Brian Wren © 1979 Hope Publishing Co. OneLicence # A-734713. Sung by Gareth Moore from the Isle of Man Methodist Church
 
There’s a spirit in the air,
Telling Christians everywhere:
“Praise the love that Christ revealed,
Living, working in our world!”

Lose your shyness, find your tongue,
Tell the world what God has done:
God in Christ has come to stay.
Live tomorrow’s life today!

When believers break the bread,
When a hungry child is fed,
Praise the love that Christ revealed,
Living, working in our world.

Still the Spirit gives us light,
Seeing wrong and setting right:
God in Christ has come to stay.
Live tomorrow’s life today!

When a stranger’s not alone,
Where the homeless find a home,
Praise the love that Christ revealed,
Living, working in our world.

May the Spirit fill our praise,
Guide our thoughts and change our ways.
God in Christ has come to stay.
Live tomorrow’s life today!

There’s a Spirit in the air,
Calling people everywhere:
Praise the love that Christ revealed,
Living, working in our world.
 
Reading     St John 6 : 51-60

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’  So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.  Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day;  for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.  Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.  Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’  He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’

Sermon

Today’s sermon can be summed up with the question – will you accept Christ’s audacious invitation to the foolish banquet of heaven?  

The Proverbs reading was intentionally longer than it was supposed to be, as was the Gospel reading, be it only by two verses.  The problem with following the Lectionary is the Lectionary skips over some really important chunks of the Bible.  Also, in the case of this week, the lectionary can gloss over the more challenging parts of scripture.  We weren’t supposed to read about the woman named Folly this week.  We were only supposed to read about the woman named Wisdom.  But to talk about Wisdom without mentioning Folly is to ignore the first 9 chapters of the book of Proverbs.  

Before the proverbs that we know and love actually start in Proverbs 10, we have 9 chapters dedicated to two women – Wisdom and Folly.  There are a lot of good articles by feminist theologians challenging the idea of reducing the range of womankind to two stereotypes.  Wisdom does all the socially acceptable things – prepares the home and the banquet, sends people out to bring in guests, and encourages her guests to partake of the banquet she has prepared.  In contrast, the woman Folly is loud and has the audacity to invite the guests herself.  Folly encourages indulgence in secrecy and is actually compared to a prostitute or an adulteress.  And the argument the writer of Proverbs makes is – you are either on Team Wisdom or on Team Folly.  The young men who are the target audience of Proverbs are encouraged to stay away from Folly as she leads to death, and instead urged to pursue Wisdom as she leads to life.     

Sure – given those choices – full life or certain death – who wouldn’t choose Wisdom?

As a woman reading Proverbs, I wonder, how do I teach this text?  Do I teach the stereotypes, saying “Friends, be the woman (or choose the woman) who leads to wisdom and not the one who lures people away?”  Do I question the validity of the stereotypes and talk about how they highlight the author’s own prejudices of women – with women only being either divinely good or totally evil?  Do I talk about how Proverbs as a teaching tool for young men perpetuated these harmful stereotypes about women?  Admittedly, that last one wouldn’t be a popular sermon, and I might not be invited again to lead worship.  Also, if I’m not careful, I could find myself stereotyping men.  Or do I ignore the genders of Wisdom and Folly altogether and treat them as metaphorical concepts and try not to worry too much about the ending of Proverbs with its advice on finding a good wife?   

Instead of two women, let me tell you about three of the women I have met over the years.  As I briefly introduce them to you, ask yourself – would you be wise if you accepted their invitations if they were inviting you to a banquet?

Woman one was a middle-class woman who worked for the NHS.  She baked great cakes, and she loved to invite people over for dinner.  She was involved in many community projects and was well-loved by many.  A devout Christian and confident communicator, she led a Bible study group.

Woman two was a prostitute.  I met her when I visited a church community project run by a local church alongside Tearfund.  She welcomed me and my friend into her home, and she introduced me to her children and to her neighbours.  She was not a Christian, but valued kindness and hospitality.   
Woman three was a single mum on benefits.  She had hardly any food in her cupboards.  Whatever food she did have went straight to her growing children.   Having left an abusive relationship, she struggled to get child support from her ex.  She enjoyed chatting over a cup of tea and was one of the most encouraging Christians I had ever met.

On the face of it, Proverbs would encourage us to befriend the first woman and discourage interaction with the other two.  I find that very problematic.  All three women are created and loved by God.  All three women have life circumstances that have shaped where they are in their lives.  All three women need God’s wisdom and have great wisdom to offer anyone who would listen.

There are many other women I could have mentioned, but I mentioned these three as examples to demonstrate that human beings are complicated.  The problem I find with Proverbs chapters 1-9 is that I am unable to reduce women to two categories – women to embrace and women to reject.    

At this point, I turn to Jesus, and I am heartened by his teaching in our gospel reading today.  Whilst Proverbs encourages us to make a choice between two women, Jesus takes us back to the main focus – God and God’s kingdom.  Without mentioning Wisdom or Folly, Jesus’ words seem to echo the invitation of Wisdom that we find in Proverbs.  Rather than the contrast of stereotypes, Jesus’ focus is on the invitation to the banquet that he is hosting.  

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live for ever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”  v 51

In Jesus, we see someone who is bold enough to go out and invite people himself, as well as sending out his disciples to invite people.  We see Jesus inviting prostitutes, tax collectors, and other folks who probably would have been associated more with Folly’s guest list, but equally we see Jesus converse with scribes and Pharisees – the people who would have sought to accept Wisdom’s invitation.  When I look at some of the things Jesus said and did, I can see glimpses of both Wisdom and Folly.  I wonder, does Jesus somehow embody both Wisdom and Folly, with one crucial understanding – Jesus leads to life? 

What then are we to make of the fact that those well-versed in scripture, who probably learned life’s lessons from Proverbs, struggled to accept Jesus’ invitation to his banquet?  Even those who would call themselves Jesus’ disciples found this invitation difficult to understand and accept.

The key to unlocking the proverbs and their application is found in Proverbs 9 verse 10:  “Fear of the LORD (letting God be God) is the foundation of wisdom.  Knowledge of the Holy One (a relationship with God) results in good judgement.”

And the good news is we can do this without stereotyping people, whatever their gender.

And when we put God first and let God be God, we see the invitation of Christ in a different light.  The cost isn’t ours to pay.  The food and drink for the banquet is provided by Christ.  

For Jesus himself, though, the banquet is very costly.

Sharing food and drink with prostitutes, tax collectors and other religiously unrespectable people cost Jesus his reputation.

Standing in the religiously respectable places and being audacious enough to invite people to his banquet by saying things like: 

“I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  (John 8:12) 

And “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”  (John 7 : 37-38)  

This boldness cost him his standing within the respectable religious community.

Yet still he cries out to everyone – come and find life!  

Jesus knows what the ultimate cost of the banquet will be for him, as he says to the people, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.  For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.”   John 6 v54-56

And to anyone paying attention, it would seem a foolish thing to do – for God to surrender God’s self to the torture devices of empire and so-called reputable society.  Is it wise for Jesus to continue to go down this road of rejection, pain and suffering?

Proverbs reminds us – fear the LORD, let God be God.

Jesus does something none of us can do.  He embodies both Wisdom and Folly.  He holds both of our stereotypes and everyone in between, taking all our sin and shame, highlighting all our beauty and generosity.  He calls us to an existence beyond stereotypes, to a brave space where we are seen and where we can see him.  Where we “remain in him and he in us.”

We may spend a lifetime trying to understand it in our heads, but maybe some of the things that look foolish on first glance are actually some of the wisest things Christ is calling us to?  Are we focussed on God?  Are we seeking life?  And importantly – will you accept Christ’s audacious invitation to the seemingly foolish banquet of heaven?  

Let us pray.

Loving God, with your wisely foolish ways, 
help us to be audacious in our welcoming of each other.  
Make us a people who seek You and Your kin-dom first.  
Help us to be discerning without being judgemental.  
May we all accept Christ’s invitation to the heavenly banquet.  Amen  

Hymn     The King of Love My Shepherd Is 
H. W. Baker (1868) Public Domain
 
The King of love my shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never.
I nothing lack if I am his,
And he is mine forever.

Where streams of living water flow,
My ransomed soul he leadeth;
And where the verdant pastures grow,
With food celestial feedeth.

Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed,
But yet in love he sought me;
And on his shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.

In death’s dark vale I fear no ill,
With thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.

Thou spreadst a table in my sight;
Thy unction grace bestoweth;
And oh, what transport of delight
From thy pure chalice floweth!

And so through all the length of days,
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise
Within thy house forever.
 
Offertory Prayer

God, we thank You for Your love for us and for this world You made.  Thank You for inviting us to be Your people sharing Your love.  In response to Your love, we give in different ways – volunteering, donations to charities and to church, sharing our time and talents.  We offer all of these offerings to You, to further Your Kin-dom community.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

Prayers of Intercession

O Most High, you give us bread when we are hungry,
you quench the thirst in our souls.
We pray today for all who are hungry and for all who thirst for you.
Bless those who feed the hungry in night shelter and foodbank,
and bring to judgement those who allow our people to hunger and thirst.
Bless those who help quench the thirst of those seeking you,
and bring to judgement all who stand in your way.

Risen Lord Jesus,
we pray for women who have evil choices forced upon them,
where whichever way they turn harm is done to themselves.
We pray for those who staff women’s refuges,
making places of safety for the most vulnerable and abused.
We pray for women trafficked into the UK to be bought and sold,
whose bodies are valued more than their humanity.
We pray too for the men who control them,
that in the piercing light of your judgement,
they repent and face justice.

Most Holy Spirit,
the awesome fear of you is the beginning of wisdom.
Knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
Help us to be in awe of you, to cast aside familiar contempt,
and to learn again of your power and justice, that we may find life.

Eternal Trinity,
bless those for whom we now pray….

and bless us as we long for life, thirst for justice 
and hunger for the world to come as we pray

Our Father….

Hymn     Blessed Assurance  
Fanny Crosby (1873) Public Domain Sung by the choir and people of First Plymouth Church, Lincoln Nebraska.
 
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of his Spirit, washed in His blood.

This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight.
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long.

Perfect submission, all is at rest.
I in my Saviour am happy and bless’d,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with his goodness, lost in his love.

This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long.
 
Blessing

Having been fed from the wise words of God, 
let us go into this world, created and loved by God, 
as people redeemed and called by Christ, 
to serve, to embody hope, and to love.
And may the blessing of God be with us now and evermore.  Amen

Daniel 2: 1 – 16

In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed such dreams that his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him. So the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. When they came in and stood before the king, he said to them, ‘I have had such a dream that my spirit is troubled by the desire to understand it.’ 

The Chaldeans said to the king (in Aramaic), ‘O king, live for ever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will reveal the interpretation.’  The king answered the Chaldeans, ‘This is a public decree: if you do not tell me both the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins.  But if you do tell me the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honour. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation.’  They answered a second time, ‘Let the king first tell his servants the dream, then we can give its interpretation.’  The king answered, ‘I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see I have firmly decreed:  if you do not tell me the dream, there is but one verdict for you. You have agreed to speak lying and misleading words to me until things take a turn. Therefore, tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can give me its interpretation.’  The Chaldeans answered the king, ‘There is no one on earth who can reveal what the king demands! In fact no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean.  The thing that the king is asking is too difficult, and no one can reveal it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with mortals.’

Because of this the king flew into a violent rage and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. The decree was issued, and the wise men were about to be executed; and they looked for Daniel and his companions, to execute them. Then Daniel responded with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the king’s chief executioner, who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon; he asked Arioch, the royal official, ‘Why is the decree of the king so urgent?’ Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. So Daniel went in and requested that the king give him time and he would tell the king the interpretation.

Reflection

Today’s text takes on a further turn of depth and complexity: from ‘O King, live forever!’ to the end of Chapter 7, the text switches from Hebrew to Aramaic. Aramaic was the common language of the area from around 1000 BCE. Aramaic and Hebrew are related languages, very roughly like Italian and French. It was also the everyday language Jesus spoke.  It is important because chapters 2-6 narrate Daniel’s (and his friends’) service to four Gentile, Aramaic-speaking kings, events which witness to God’s sovereignty in the strange dreams and happenings. Daniel’s integrity ultimately paved the way for the Israelites’ release from exile.

Today’s text may sound oddly familiar from another, more well-known account in the Bible. In Genesis 41, there is another Gentile king (Pharoah) troubled by dreams whose own mystics are unable to help. Along comes Joseph and interprets Pharoah’s dream; along comes Daniel to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Did you spot the difference? Pharoah readily shared his dream, but Nebuchadnezzar refused to do so, expecting the interpreter not only to narrate the dream but also to interpret it!  A seemingly impossible task! We will discover in the coming days how it works out.
  
Communicating God’s message in a language which folk understand was important to Daniel, a point emphasised by the author of Daniel by writing in Aramaic.  Central to the Reformation was translating the Scriptures into the languages of the people.  As languages and society evolve, Bible translators publish refreshed translations of the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts. The foundation of their work is scholarship.  I am forever grateful to my college tutors who opened up the Biblical languages, giving me considerable new insight into God’s Word.

If you are interested in learning Hebrew or Greek, why not consider auditing a course at one of the URC’s Resource Centres for Learning?

Alternatively, I can recommend the following free online beginners’ resources:
https://freehebrew.online/
https://freegreek.online/

Or, if you have some rusty Hebrew and Greek and would like to revive it:
https://dailydoseofhebrew.com/
https://dailydoseofgreek.com/

Prayer

Creator God, whose words spoke creation into being;
Saviour Jesus, the Word made flesh;
Holy Spirit, who inspires us to speak in Your name –
we thank You for Daniel’s message,
Your servant who spoke truth to power,
in the language of the people.
We thank you for the work of Bible translators.
We pray for the Scriptures to speak to us afresh;
help us to speak Your love plainly to those we meet. Amen.
 

Daniel 1: 1 – 21

In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.  The Lord let King Jehoiakim of Judah fall into his power, as well as some of the vessels of the house of God. These he brought to the land of Shinar, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his gods.

Then the king commanded his palace master Ashpenaz to bring some of the Israelites of the royal family and of the nobility, young men without physical defect and handsome, versed in every branch of wisdom, endowed with knowledge and insight, and competent to serve in the king’s palace; they were to be taught the literature and language of the Chaldeans. The king assigned them a daily portion of the royal rations of food and wine. They were to be educated for three years, so that at the end of that time they could be stationed in the king’s court. Among them were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, from the tribe of Judah. The palace master gave them other names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.

But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the royal rations of food and wine; so he asked the palace master to allow him not to defile himself. Now God allowed Daniel to receive favour and compassion from the palace master. The palace master said to Daniel, ‘I am afraid of my lord the king; he has appointed your food and your drink. If he should see you in poorer condition than the other young men of your own age, you would endanger my head with the king.’ Then Daniel asked the guard whom the palace master had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: ‘Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. You can then compare our appearance with the appearance of the young men who eat the royal rations, and deal with your servants according to what you observe.’ So he agreed to this proposal and tested them for ten days. At the end of ten days it was observed that they appeared better and fatter than all the young men who had been eating the royal rations. So the guard continued to withdraw their royal rations and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. To these four young men God gave knowledge and skill in every aspect of literature and wisdom; Daniel also had insight into all visions and dreams.

At the end of the time that the king had set for them to be brought in, the palace master brought them into the presence of Nebuchadnezzar, and the king spoke with them. And among them all, no one was found to compare with Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they were stationed in the king’s court. In every matter of wisdom and understanding concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. And Daniel continued there until the first year of King Cyrus.

Reflection

Daniel begins with Nebuchadnezzar creating a talent scheme for Jewish administrators – the selection criteria might not seem obvious to us, as not only should they be wise and knowledgeable, they should also come from noble families and be handsome.  In the light of the ‘Me too’ movement we might wonder quite why the King wanted such ornamental young men around his court – but on this occasion it doesn’t seem that Nebuchadnezzar’s sins have a sexual element.  Rather, he is using the colonist’s playbook, seeking to mould the leaders of a conquered people to his ends, and corrupting them with rich palace food (that would not meet Jewish dietary laws).  Daniel’s having none of it though – asking for vegetables and water, which meet the young men’s religious obligations – and emerging from the process fatter and fitter than those who have enjoyed the rich food.  That might not seem surprising to us, as we reflect on obesity and over-indulgence, but I suspect the writer is expecting us to be surprised that such an ascetic diet could leave the young men looking healthier than those who have had the pick of the kitchens – and not only healthier in body, but at the height of their mental and spiritual powers.

The writer is thus making it clear that Daniel should be seen as a role model, eschewing the temptations of a royal court, and remaining faithful to his God – but he is still in a conflicted position, as a high-ranking official for an unjust king.  While he continues to obey the dietary laws, and to worship God in the way he was taught, we don’t get any sense that he does anything to challenge Nebuchadnezzar’s conduct, or to relieve the suffering of the Jewish people.

Prayer

Lord, sometimes we feel there are no good choices
or no good choices we are strong enough to make.
Forgive us when we are flattered by luxury
and when we turn a blind eye to injustice
because speaking feels unsafe.

Help us remember that we can be prophets
even if we aren’t noble or handsome.
Help us live a faith that is more than ritual
and be part of reshaping the world in your image.

Amen.

Esther 9: 18 – 10: 3

But the Jews who were in Susa gathered on the thirteenth day and on the fourteenth, and rested on the fifteenth day, making that a day of feasting and gladness. Therefore the Jews of the villages, who live in the open towns, hold the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day for gladness and feasting, a holiday on which they send gifts of food to one another.

Mordecai recorded these things, and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, enjoining them that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same month, year by year, as the days on which the Jews gained relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and presents to the poor. So the Jews adopted as a custom what they had begun to do, as Mordecai had written to them.

Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur—that is, ‘the lot’—to crush and destroy them; but when Esther came before the king, he gave orders in writing that the wicked plot that he had devised against the Jews should come upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. Therefore these days are called Purim, from the word Pur. Thus because of all that was written in this letter, and of what they had faced in this matter, and of what had happened to them, the Jews established and accepted as a custom for themselves and their descendants and all who joined them, that without fail they would continue to observe these two days every year, as it was written and at the time appointed. These days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, in every family, province, and city; and these days of Purim should never fall into disuse among the Jews, nor should the commemoration of these days cease among their descendants.

Queen Esther daughter of Abihail, along with the Jew Mordecai, gave full written authority, confirming this second letter about Purim. Letters were sent wishing peace and security to all the Jews, to the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, and giving orders that these days of Purim should be observed at their appointed seasons, as the Jew Mordecai and Queen Esther enjoined on the Jews, just as they had laid down for themselves and for their descendants regulations concerning their fasts and their lamentations. The command of Queen Esther fixed these practices of Purim, and it was recorded in writing.

King Ahasuerus laid tribute on the land and on the islands of the sea. All the acts of his power and might, and the full account of the high honour of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Media and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew was next in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was powerful among the Jews and popular with his many kindred, for he sought the good of his people and interceded for the welfare of all his descendants.

Reflection

So, what have we made of this intriguing story? I have not seen the reflections of other contributors but have been fascinated by commentaries from others. There is wide agreement that this book, which contains no reference to God, the Torah, or Jewish religious practices, should not be taken as a reliable source of history but as an encouragement to Jews and an explanation of the much-loved Festival of Purim.  I have read that there are more manuscripts of Esther than any other section of the Hebrew Scriptures, but it is the only part of those Scriptures not found in the Dead Sea Scrolls – perhaps the Essenes had no time for worldly celebrations like Purim, and Martin Luther considered this book to be of doubtful value…

Certainly, today’s passage, the conclusion of the story, gives an account for the origin of Purim and Esther continues to be read and enjoyed in synagogues every year. A small nation, so often at the mercy of far stronger powers, delights in a story about the way that Mordecai and his relative Esther confounded the scheming of their enemies and established security for Jews in alien territory. It is hard not to see how this is still appreciated by Jewish people and the State of Israel.

The fact that Purim is a secular festival, celebrated with the distribution of gifts but with no doctrinal basis, also united and can unite Jews of varying backgrounds and observances. It is also hard not to see a similarity with the way Christmas is celebrated and enjoyed by millions who have no faith link with the Christian Gospel. Parties and present-sharing can and do bring joy to people, often a relief from real problems facing so many. Yes, it can be right to remind people that “Jesus is the reason for the season” but let’s be happy to share the celebrations in our communities in a wonderful variety of ways.
 
Prayer
 
Loving God, thank you for celebrations and parties that bring people together in safe and honourable ways; lead us, we pray, to set an example of joyful living which enriches life in all its fullness – in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour: Amen.

Esther 9: 1 – 17

Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, when the king’s command and edict were about to be executed, on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain power over them, but which had been changed to a day when the Jews would gain power over their foes, the Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who had sought their ruin; and no one could withstand them, because the fear of them had fallen upon all peoples. All the officials of the provinces, the satraps and the governors, and the royal officials were supporting the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai had fallen upon them. For Mordecai was powerful in the king’s house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces as the man Mordecai grew more and more powerful. So the Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, slaughtering, and destroying them, and did as they pleased to those who hated them. In the citadel of Susa the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred people. They killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, Vaizatha, the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews; but they did not touch the plunder.

That very day the number of those killed in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king. The king said to Queen Esther, ‘In the citadel of Susa the Jews have killed five hundred people and also the ten sons of Haman. What have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? Now what is your petition? It shall be granted you. And what further is your request? It shall be fulfilled.’ Esther said, ‘If it pleases the king, let the Jews who are in Susa be allowed tomorrow also to do according to this day’s edict, and let the ten sons of Haman be hanged on the gallows.’ So the king commanded this to be done; a decree was issued in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hanged. The Jews who were in Susa gathered also on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and they killed three hundred people in Susa; but they did not touch the plunder.

Now the other Jews who were in the king’s provinces also gathered to defend their lives, and gained relief from their enemies, and killed seventy-five thousand of those who hated them; but they laid no hands on the plunder. This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested and made that a day of feasting and gladness.

Reflection

This passage fits neatly into a story where tables have been turned but is hard to read in our current context.  We started considering Vashti who refused to obey her husband and Esther who, through obedience, manipulated her (rather idiotic) husband to save her people.  We see Haman killed on the gallows he erected for Mordecai and admire the neatness of the plot twist but today’s passage seems to describe wanton slaughter for no good reason.  

Since Hamas’ dreadful attack last October on Israelis going about their lawful business, the actions of the Israeli Defence Forces have felt to many as wanton slaughter.  Security for Israel is being sought through ruthless might which has included murder and mayhem.  What might have been appropriate in the mythical days of Esther and Mordecai doesn’t feel right in the 21st Century.  Yet it’s hard to comprehend the horror of living in Israel with continual attacks from Hamas and Hezbollah and hard to contemplate the fate of Palestinians whose state was sacrificed by European guilt following the Holocaust.  

The Book of Esther contains a good story; it’s told and retold to children each year, though it only appears once in the three year cycle of readings which make up the Lectionary.  It’s a story which is simultaneously known and mysterious, fun and horrific, appealing and appalling.  As such it’s like the complexities of life – and the complexities at play in the Middle East.  It’s an ancient narrative which needs to inform but give way to a new story so that Israeli and Palestinian might live together in peace and security; where Haman’s gallows and Esther’s revenge are set aside so that olive and orange grove might flourish, and children live in safety.  

Prayer

God of story and turned table,
of security and flourishing,
bless those seeking peace is Gaza and Israel,
that trust, lives, and buildings might be rebuilt,
and that your children might run free.
Amen. 

Esther 8

On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews; and Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her.  Then the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. So Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

Then Esther spoke again to the king; she fell at his feet, weeping and pleading with him to avert the evil design of Haman the Agagite and the plot that he had devised against the Jews. The king held out the golden sceptre to Esther, and Esther rose and stood before the king. She said, ‘If it pleases the king, and if I have won his favour, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I have his approval, let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote giving orders to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king. For how can I bear to see the calamity that is coming on my people? Or how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?’ Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to the Jew Mordecai, ‘See, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows, because he plotted to lay hands on the Jews. You may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king’s ring; for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s ring cannot be revoked.’

The king’s secretaries were summoned at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day; and an edict was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded, to the Jews and to the satraps and the governors and the officials of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, to every province in its own script and to every people in its own language, and also to the Jews in their script and their language.  He wrote letters in the name of King Ahasuerus, sealed them with the king’s ring, and sent them by mounted couriers riding on fast steeds bred from the royal herd.  By these letters the king allowed the Jews who were in every city to assemble and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, with their children and women, and to plunder their goods on a single day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. A copy of the writ was to be issued as a decree in every province and published to all peoples, and the Jews were to be ready on that day to take revenge on their enemies. So the couriers, mounted on their swift royal steeds, hurried out, urged by the king’s command. The decree was issued in the citadel of Susa.

Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king, wearing royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a mantle of fine linen and purple, while the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. For the Jews there was light and gladness, joy and honour. In every province and in every city, wherever the king’s command and his edict came, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a festival and a holiday. Furthermore, many of the peoples of the country professed to be Jews, because the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them.

Reflection

There are many possible lenses with which we could read this passage but what strikes me as I read this chapter today is how humanity seems unable to break away from cycles of oppression.

While not explicitly mentioned in this book, God’s handprint in this plan is clear. We see many similar themes throughout scripture: a resourceful and unlikely hero whose apparent weakness becomes their power. Esther and Deborah, both women in a patriarchal society, Ehud the Judge whose left handedness gives him an element of surprise and of course Jesus whose death is not a weakness but a victory.

Esther’s actions are taken to save her own people and it becomes clear they are favoured by God. All good so far – God’s people are protected and we see in verse 16 it’s a time of great happiness and celebration. But by verse 17 we hear also, “but many non-Jews became Jews—now it was dangerous not to be a Jew!” (The Message).
It’s a tough read  which can’t be resolved in a short reflection. We have to remember this reaction of happiness and relief was a response by a people who had lived under an oppressive regime and now were no longer living in fear. How quickly the tables seemed to be turning though, a new group was now becoming fearful.
 
The Bible reminds us over and over how quickly this happens when suddenly our circumstances improve. Pick once again any of the tales of the Judges! Or the people of Israel in the wilderness who once liberated start complaining and remember the ‘good life’ back in Egypt, or the people greeting Jesus with palms who were crying out for his crucifixion a week later.

Jesus reminded us that this tit for tat was not the way to live, “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family. (Matt 5:9 The Message)

How then do we break the cycle and bring about this world? How do we create a new story with a different ending?
 
Prayer

Elohim Shomri, God of Protection
We thank you for walking with us in whatever our circumstances
If we find ourselves in a position of privilege, help us to recognise it
If we find ourselves in a position of oppression or abuse, support and guide us
El Rachum, God of Compassion
We thank you for protecting us like a Mother Hen
Help us to  refrain from using your favour to exercise power
Help us to recognise that your love is a gracious gift to be shared
Most High, Rope, the God who heals
Help us work with you to create a world where all know peace, happiness and joy
Amen