This week, we kicked off our new sermon series in the book of Esther! Co-lead pastor Alex Leyva walked through Esther 1:1-22. In these verses, we see King Ahasuerus throw multiple banquets to celebrate his power, then exile his Queen Vashti because she refused to come when he demanded to show her off. While God isn't mentioned in the book of Esther, we see symbols pointing back to him throughout the book, particularly in the compare and contrast between him and King Ahasuerus.

We compare the way they reign, the feasts they celebrate, the treatment of their brides and their execution of law and justice. In every context, we learn that King Ahasuerus is a poor imitation of the real God. Praise God! Only a perfect king is worthy of absolute power, and we worship the perfect King.