Do you ever wish that God would make himself more obvious? Have you found yourself longing for God to make himself undeniable in a vision like Moses had with a burning bush, or Joshua with the sun standing still for victory in a battle, or Mary being visited by an angel? I have because in our world, it sometimes feels as if God is hiding himself. If I want to eat, I have to get up and go to work, get paid, go to the store and buy the food… God doesn’t miraculously give manna to me in the morning as he did with the Israelites. I do not see many miracles happening: boards and bosses seemingly exercise more control of our life than God does, and our life can be more affected by what someone says about us than what God does. If you’ve ever felt that way, then the book of Esther is a welcome gift. In it, God’s promises are threatened, and his people are in danger of being wiped out. Yet God chooses to remain hidden. If there were ever a time for him to show up and show himself, then this would be it. Yet, there are no miraculous rescues, or visions to help his people know what to do. His name is not even mentioned in the book. Despite this, God is the hero of his people’s rescue as he wills and acts providentially to accomplish his purposes through Esther. Thus, in the book of Esther, God is the most important character, albeit a hidden figure. The book of Esther comes to us right where we are in wondering why God would not show up more conspicuously. As a result, Esther’s story has the potential to reassure us that God is there, though hidden, and he’s always at work for his good purposes, even if we don’t see it. All of this is why we are going to spend our spring exploring the book of Esther in a sermon series called, Hidden Figure. It promises to embolden our faith in the frequently hidden figure of God, and to stir courage in us with the assurance of his hidden presence and unseen working. I am filled with anticipation of how God will meet with us, what he will teach us, and how he will generate new energies in us for God’s kingdom. So, you will not want to miss out on any of this that will begin this coming Sunday (April 16th). In fact, you may even want to invite a friend to join you to revel in all that God is going to teach us about the hidden figure rescuing his world. Looking forward to this journey with you, Steve
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