“Perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”

Esther 4:14 NLT

 

Irrelevant. Hostile. Boring. Yawn. For a lot of people, that’s the Bible. BUT … they probably haven’t heard about the story of ESTHER.

Oppression, tyranny, trickery, pride, fear – it’s like a film script. The tension is as ramped up as any Netflix binge-watch. Faced with the imminent mass murder of the Jewish people, Esther has two choices – stand by and let them all die, or risk her own life to save them. Her uncle declares: “Perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” So, she decides to risk it all, and (spoiler alert), goes on to save the day. Just in time for the credits to roll and the next season to be hinted at…

At the heart of the whole story is love. Esther could have used her position to save herself, but she didn’t. She risked her life for the slightest chance that she could save her people. At one point she even says: “I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.” Esther lives the love.

The story might have nothing to do with climate change, but Esther’s priorities, her bravery, and her resilience are values to aspire to as we work towards fixing this broken world. Let’s make love for our people – all people – the motivator. Because without love, it’s all just noise.

Here and now, there’s no way round the fact that as far as the destruction of the climate goes, we are almost at the point of no return. So now it’s our time. Perhaps we were brought into this world for such a time as this.

Today, perhaps create some space to read and reflect on the story of Esther, and find a moment to take in this poem by Jeremy Williams of the Earthbound report. It’s about love, time, and faith, and it’s everything. It’s about time…

Love

The forests are burning,

the ice is melting,

the animals are dying.

The sea is rising,

the storm is building,

the future is fading.

So much is already lost,

and there is so much more to grieve.

Is it already too late?

What is there left to cling to?

These three remain: faith, hope, and love.

Faith that no small action is wasted,

hope that there might still be time,

and love that will not take no for an answer.

Love for each other, love for our children.

Love of the earth and all its creatures.

Love of life itself. Love that cannot be denied,

love that will not fail.

These three remain: faith, hope, love,

and the greatest of these is love.

 

Bible text taken from:

New Living Translation (NLT) © Tyndale House Publishers, 2015