Watermark Bible Church, Portsmouth, Virginia

There are certain moments and feelings in life that we wish would never end and could keep on going. As we come to the end of our study in the book of Esther, we enter into a time like that. You won’t want to miss the finale as we’ll see the importance of remembering those good times and celebrating God’s goodness to us.

Recently, the NBA’s Boston Celtics had the opportunity to do what no other NBA team had ever done in the playoffs—turn the tables on their opponent to win the 7-game series after losing the first three games. Sadly, the Celtics were not able to join their city’s Red Sox, Major League Baseball’s only team to ever come back from a 0-3 deficit (and – Can you tell Pastor Steve isn’t writing this email? – it was against the Yankees!); they lost Game 7 to the Miami Heat, and the game wasn’t especially close.

It’s stuff like this that makes sports so appealing to us—these kinds of heroic and against-all-odds moments. There is something in us that comes alive when the tables are turned.

And in this week’s passage in Esther 9, we see the tables turning in a big way as God works on behalf of His people. There are some great lessons in this passage to encourage us in our mission to make disciples for Jesus.

Have you ever read a book or watched a movie and thought you reached the end of the story only for there to be another twist in the plot? Life works that way. We think there is a resolution to a circumstance, but then something happens revealing the circumstance is not yet resolved. The same thing happens in the book of Esther. Haman is dead, Esther has identified herself with God’s people, Mordecai is alive, everything is good, or is it? You won’t want to miss the next turn in the story of Queen Esther.

There is something about human nature that really appreciates a real plot twist. It pushes us to the edge of our seat when something happens that you just don’t see coming. One of the most amazing plot twists in all of scripture occurs in Esther 7.

Have you ever watched a sporting event and you see the momentum shift? There is a feeling that comes over the crowd as the team that was behind is now turning things around. A sense of excitement or dread, depending on your point of view, takes over. As we continue our study of Queen Esther, The Weight of the Crown, we come to a momentum shift in the book. The world would look at this shift and call it coincidence. As Christians, we see God’s invisible hand of providence.

As we continue our Esther series this Mother’s day, I’m so excited for you to hear Will Smith bring God’s word. He is a faithful brother who loves God, loves people, and loves God’s word. Our church family has benefitted by his ministry in a variety of ways and this Sunday we will benefit from his study and proclamation of God’s truth. So, whether this Sunday is a time of celebration or heartache I know you will be encouraged as we lift our eyes heavenward to the king of kings and lord of lords.

Have you ever learned to play a sport or an instrument? As you play more and more you tend to get better and better. One of the characteristics of the Christian is growth. As our faith is activated we grow in relationship with God and the effect that has on our daily living. We’ll see and be challenged by that in the next scene from the life of Queen Esther.

As we look around the world and our own lives we see countless things that are not as they should be. Circumstances and cultural norms that should be different. When we read the story of Queen Esther we see a world not so different than our own – a world filled with sin. This week we will see some of those things that should not be, but we will also see an active God working all things together for the good of those who love Him.

When we see movies play out on the big screen sometimes those stories can be romanticized. As we read the Scriptures, we can do much the same thing. We can imagine a fairy tale like setting, where the scenes and the characters are sanitized from the stain of sin. One character we often do that with is Esther. This week we’ll see that while Esther was not perfect and her life was far from idyllic God did not desert her. He doesn’t desert us either even with all our stains.

We live in a world of uncertainty with danger seemingly lurking behind every shadow. Many are trapped in a confused maze punctuated with misery. Esther could relate. She seems almost out of place in the Bible. The book of Esther contains no mention of God, no reference to faith or worship, no prediction of the Messiah, no talk of heaven or hell – there is almost nothing religious about it. At least on the surface. But, when you dig a little deeper into this mesmerizing story you’ll find that past the dramatic beginning, suspenseful plot, villain, hero, damsel in distress, twists and turns in every direction God is at work invisibly, yet with invincibility to bring his sovereign plan to completion. In our next series, The Weight of the Crown, you’ll be encouraged that God works in the quiet areas of your life and you’ll be challenged to live courageously for the sake of others.