As I get older, going home gets harder, not because of any sort of tension in my family, or because the drive is so long, or anything like that. It’s hard because so much has changed in even the last 5 years, much less the last 10-15. I find myself yearning for what many people would call the good ole days. The days when I had more freedom to hang out with friends and have fun. Back when I was still a kid and didn’t have bills or taxes or a career to worry about. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love working here. I love this church. I love my students. I love my life here, but I just find myself wishing things were still how they used to be. Maybe you’ve found yourself feeling that way from time to time.
The world has changed so much just in my lifetime. From 9/11, to the Iraq War, to political and social tensions building, to Covid, and so many other things. The rise of technology. The invention of smartphones and introduction of social media. None of these things were around when I was a kid. Relationships were based on proximity, not on political or religious beliefs. Maybe it was my young naivete, but people seemed more happy back then. And I’m not saying the world was perfect back then, but it seems we’ve lost happiness and overall optimism over the span of time. Anxiety and worry are at all time highs. We worry about the state of our country as well as that of the world, and for good reason.
I have to admit that while going to Israel was an incredible learning opportunity, and I am so immensely glad I went, it also ended up serving another purpose. It was an opportunity to get away from news outlets and just enjoy fellowship with friends for a few weeks, away from the typical worries of life. I know many of you were worried about the safety of our trip in that part of the world, and I greatly appreciate all the prayers that were said. And maybe it was the result of those prayers that we were never in any danger, which is a great blessing, especially after what happened at the beginning of October, but it was just a nice relief that I was able, to some degree, to relive the “good ole days” worry free and just focus on learning about God. I think we all need that from time to time.
But as I was thinking about this, my mind went to the story of Esther. She’s not the most well known woman in the Bible, much less the most well known story in the Bible. But historically, her story had an immense impact on so many things. She was queen of the Persian empire, wife to King Xerxes. She was also Jewish. Her uncle Mordecai watched over her and was the father she didn’t have, as her parents were both dead. Mordecai uncovered a plot by Haman to destroy the Jewish people in exile. Newsflash, Haman was not a good guy. He had it out for the Jewish people, and you could trace that hatred back all the way to King Agag against Israel in 1 Samuel, as Haman was an Agagite, and Mordecai and Esther came from the tribe of Benjamin, just like King Saul. Just some cool history there.
But back to the story. Esther found out about this plot and wasn’t happy at all about it, because she felt powerless to do anything. She wasn’t supposed to go to the king unless he called for her, and she felt like she should tell him about this plot. Through Mordecai’s guidance they devised a plan to save the Jews. But in the midst of all this, Mordecai told Esther something that I think speaks loudly to the church today. In Esther 4:14, he told her, “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?(NIV)” And it turns out that maybe that was the case, as their plan worked and to this day, Jews celebrate that day every year on Purim.
I wonder if God isn’t thinking the same for us. Yes, it’s easy to get discouraged when we see people living apart from how we know God wants. It’s easy to get upset when we see the state of our country and our world, but maybe God put us here at this particular time because He knows that we can make it better. Jeremy Camp recently released a new song called “These Days.” The words to the chorus are:
I believe that you and I
Are in the right place at the right time
God called us by name
And He doesn't make mistakes
I know we were born to shine bright
In a dark world that needed some light
Don't have to be afraid
Maybe we were made
For these days
Maybe we were made for these days, and if we were, then we can trust that God will use us to shine bright in a dark world that needs some light. We can be like Esther in her attempts to save the Jewish people. I’m sure Esther was scared. It was entirely plausible that she could die in carrying out the plan, but she trusted that God was going to pave the way, and He did. We can trust that God will pave the way for us to shine His light to the people around us, even when we’re scared. It’s easy to yearn for the good ole days, but what if we focused on the here and now, made a real difference in the lives of the people around us, and later on in the future, we’re looking back and consider this day and age as the good ole days?
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9 NIV
