Advent Devotions: Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018

Esther 3:1-15                                                            The Anger of Haman

After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and set his seat above all the officials who were with him. And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and did obeisance to Haman; for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or do obeisance. Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, ‘Why do you disobey the king’s command?’ When they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they told Haman, in order to see whether Mordecai’s words would avail; for he had told them that he was a Jew. When Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down or do obeisance to him, Haman was infuriated. But he thought it beneath him to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So, having been told who Mordecai’s people were, Haman plotted to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.

 In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur—which means ‘the lot’—before Haman for the day and for the month, and the lot fell on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, ‘There is a certain people scattered and separated among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king’s laws, so that it is not appropriate for the king to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued for their destruction, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king’s business, so that they may put it into the king’s treasuries.’ So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. The king said to Haman, ‘The money is given to you, and the people as well, to do with them as it seems good to you.’

 Then the king’s secretaries were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and an edict, according to all that Haman commanded, was written to the king’s satraps and to the governors over all the provinces and to the officials of all the peoples, to every province in its own script and every people in its own language; it was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s ring. Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces, giving orders to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods. A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province by proclamation, calling on all the peoples to be ready for that day. The couriers went quickly by order of the king, and the decree was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.

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When Jesus finished instructing his disciples he said, "Oh, and also, do not be political."  Well, that may not be in any gospel you've read but it seems to be a scripture that many people today imagine.  While sitting in a coffee shop recently two college students were enjoying their break.  One young woman described her courses and mentioned "The Bible as Literature"; they were studying scripture from a secular perspective.  She found it fascinating and spoke with the excitement of an unexpected discovery:  "It's so political!" 

Indeed our scriptures deal with kings and emperors, governors and generals, prosecutors and jailers.  Our faith calls upon us to arrange our loyalty to governments, to our work, even to our family, in relation to our honor and worship of our God.   As Bob Dylan once sang, "You're gonna have to serve somebody."   The Bible is a collection of stories of rulers foreign and domestic and the hope for and awareness of a reign of God.  Our sacred books are a treatise on the horrors of corrupt rulers, rulers who punished people for their beliefs and killed people for their identity.  The comedian Alan King offered this pearl of wisdom:  "A summary of every Jewish holiday: They tried to kill us, we won, let's eat!"  The Bible could be said to be one long story of resistance and repentance and renewal.  

Esther's story reminds me of Joseph and Daniel, Miriam and Moses, Ruth and Elijah, John the Baptist and Paul the Apostle and every other story where the people of God are in dire straits, withstanding or suffering or fleeing the latest oppression: demonized, feared, persecuted.  Esther is the story about yet another empire that disrupts and defeats and displaces people.  As we get nearer to the story of the birth of Jesus, the story of a family we meet as they are dislocated, then homeless and then fleeing as refugees, it should be very familiar.   And yet these are not just stories.  And so we must ask, who are we in this story?

Jim O’Hanlon has been a Pastor since 2000, of St. Paul’s in Rye Brook since 2010.  Raised a Roman Catholic, Jim was shaped by the liturgical, social and church reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Graduating from St. John's University he worked as a researcher for Gov. Mario M. Cuomo.  

Jim has actively collaborated with colleagues of various faiths for local service projects and interfaith encounters.  Jim has participated in creating a coalition between clergy and law enforcement in a national campaign to address gun violence called "Do Not Stand Idly By."    

He has worked on combating discrimination including efforts for equality for members of the LGBTQ community; a joint TEDx Talk on the Bible and Homosexuality has 900,000 views so far.

Advent Devotions: Friday, Dec. 7, 2018

Esther 2:12-23                                                      Savvy Esther’s Success

The turn came for each girl to go in to King Ahasuerus, after being twelve months under the regulations for the women, since this was the regular period of their cosmetic treatment, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with perfumes and cosmetics for women. When the girl went in to the king she was given whatever she asked for to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. In the evening she went in; then in the morning she came back to the second harem in the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch, who was in charge of the concubines; she did not go in to the king again, unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.

 When the turn came for Esther daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had adopted her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai the king’s eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther was admired by all who saw her. When Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus in his royal palace in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign, the king loved Esther more than all the other women; of all the virgins she won his favor and devotion, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. Then the king gave a great banquet to all his officials and ministers—‘Esther’s banquet.’ He also granted a holiday to the provinces, and gave gifts with royal liberality.

 When the virgins were being gathered together, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. Now Esther had not revealed her kindred or her people, as Mordecai had charged her; for Esther obeyed Mordecai just as when she was brought up by him. In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Ahasuerus. But the matter came to the knowledge of Mordecai, and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai. When the affair was investigated and found to be so, both the men were hanged on the gallows. It was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king.

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Sometimes it’s little things that speak in scripture. As the women in the harem each get their chance to impress King Ahasuerus they can take advantage of anything available to them in the harem – special cosmetics, an elegant dress, beautiful jewelry – whatever they think will make them stand out as most appealing to the king.  But when it is Esther’s turn, she doesn’t select anything special. In fact she instead took the advice of Hegai, the king’s eunuch as to how to prepare. Who better would know the king’s likes and dislikes? And, as we read, the impression she made on the king not only made him love her above all the others, but also moved him to make her queen, putting her in an influential place to affect the future of her people, the Jews.

When we are in a position to make an impression or choose a path as a result of a decision, do we sometimes overthink the issue? I know I’m guilty on more occasions than I would admit of trying to figure out exactly what the perfect choice is and attempting to puzzle through all the possible braches of the decision tree. And sometimes I end up frozen in indecision or insecurity about which path to take.

Esther gives us two good pieces of advice - to just be who we are and to look to others more expert than we are for advice. God created each of us as a different expression of his image and perfection and in gratitude we should do our best to live up to and fulfill that reflection. No one is better at being you than you are and trying to take on characteristics of others that are not natural to you is like putting on clothes that don’t fit. And for those times when our own wisdom and strength is not yet as developed as we need, God puts us in community with others who can lend a hand. It might be someone with whom you can talk through your situation; it might be a professional or other person with experience in the area you are exploring. And always it is the avenue of prayer to look for God’s guidance. And you may be amazed, as Esther probably was, that you could end up with an incredible outcome that allows you to bring God’s kingdom closer to those around you.

Prayer: Loving Father, remind us always that you were pleased to create us as we are and that you imbued us with many blessings and talents. Help us to use those gifts to our best advantage to magnify you. Amen.

Mary Beth Commisso is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Brewster, NY

Advent Devotions: Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018

Esther 2:1-11                                                           Esther and Mordecai

After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. Then the king’s servants who attended him said, ‘Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king. And let the king appoint commissioners in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in the citadel of Susa under the custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; let their cosmetic treatments be given them. And let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.’ This pleased the king, and he did so.

 Now there was a Jew in the citadel of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair son of Shimei son of Kish, a Benjaminite. Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with King Jeconiah of Judah, whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had carried away. Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is Esther, his cousin, for she had neither father nor mother; the girl was fair and beautiful, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai adopted her as his own daughter. So when the king’s order and his edict were proclaimed, and when many young women were gathered in the citadel of Susa in the custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king’s palace and put in the custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women. The girl pleased him and won his favour, and he quickly provided her with her cosmetic treatments and her portion of food, and with seven chosen maids from the king’s palace, and advanced her and her maids to the best place in the harem. Esther did not reveal her people or kindred, for Mordecai had charged her not to tell. Every day Mordecai would walk around in front of the court of the harem, to learn how Esther was and how she fared.

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Quite a few popular novels have the main character as an orphan child such as Anne of Green Gables and Harry Potter. In biographies we read of people such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Eleanor Roosevelt and Babe Ruth, all who were orphaned at an early age .We feel and see the loss they suffered early in life and marvel at how they grew to adulthood without the loving care and guidance of their parents. As in most cases there is a person or persons who steps in to care for the child and the influence of that caretaker can make all the difference in how well a child grows and matures. Esther is such a child and since her parents had died her cousin Mordecai had raised her as his daughter. Esther is only 14 years old when she along with many other young virgins are taken into the harem of King Ahasuerus in order for the king to choose who will be his new queen. Mordecai had warned her not to disclose her Jewish ancestry because the Jews were not a favored people. Esther had been placed into a situation not of her own choosing and soon learned of a plot by Haman to destroy all the Jews of the kingdom. She summoned her courage and with Mordecai’s guidance played a pivotal role in saving her people. What we do in life has consequences that reverberate down through the ages too. We can depend and live our lives trusting in God’s commandments and guidance from our parents, caretakers, church, family and friends.

Prayer: May we pray today and everyday for the Holy Spirit to guide us in all we do and give us the courage and strength of character to live our lives as Jesus taught us.

Peter Donoghue, member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Brewster,NY

Advent Devotions: Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018

Esther 1:10-22                                                                   Vashti’s Refusal

On the seventh day, when the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who attended him, to bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing the royal crown, in order to show the peoples and the officials her beauty; for she was fair to behold. But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command conveyed by the eunuchs. At this the king was enraged, and his anger burned within him.

 Then the king consulted the sages who knew the laws (for this was the king’s procedure towards all who were versed in law and custom, and those next to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven officials of Persia and Media, who had access to the king, and sat first in the kingdom): ‘According to the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti because she has not performed the command of King Ahasuerus conveyed by the eunuchs?’ Then Memucan said in the presence of the king and the officials, ‘Not only has Queen Vashti done wrong to the king, but also to all the officials and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. For this deed of the queen will be made known to all women, causing them to look with contempt on their husbands, since they will say, “King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, and she did not come.” This very day the noble ladies of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen’s behavior will rebel against the king’s officials, and there will be no end of contempt and wrath! If it pleases the king, let a royal order go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes so that it may not be altered, that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, vast as it is, all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low alike.’

 This advice pleased the king and the officials, and the king did as Memucan proposed; he sent letters to all the royal provinces, to every province in its own script and to every people in its own language, declaring that every man should be master in his own house.

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Power.

It has a way of making things unjust.  It has a way of dehumanizing people.

Queen Vashti was a human being.  Not a bauble to be ogled over as her husband desired (while he was drunk, by the way).  She was a human being who deserved love and care and respect.  Just like every other human being—no matter what the law may say (so much for justice enshrined in the law, by the way).

Esther is a fascinating story because it is about a woman getting things set right—using her agency to defy the rules, to overcome corrupt power, and to save her people.  But the beginning of the story is all about the way that power and laws can be used to objectify people, especially, in this case women, and the way that it destroys relationship along the way.  King Ahasuerus came to regret what he'd done, but it was too late for Vashti.  She has already been made completely disposable and had been disposed.

Too often people who lead take their power and use it this way. They manipulate people as objects for their own gain.  They make laws that enshrine their own power.  And they damage all of our humanity in the process.  We pray this Advent for a different kind of power.  A power made flesh in the manger.  A power that did not grasp for more, but instead, emptied itself and came to kneel and serve and make us all more fully human. 

Can we pray:  O Come, Emmanuel, and teach us your self-emptying love so that we might learn the proper use of power and that we may be human for each other.

Pastor Lena Warren serves at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Pearl River, NY.  She was born in Nigeria, grew up in Alberta and Ontario, Canada, finished High School in South Carolina, went to seminary in Philadephia, and is happy to call Pearl River home at the present moment.  Her first call was to two churches in Naugatuck, CT that have become one church aptly named, "Grace."  Lena is happily married to Lee and they have one kitten at this moment, Hildegard.  There are rumors another fur ball will join their household sooner rather than later.

Advent devotions: Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018

Esther 1:1-9

Esther 1:1-9                                                 The Glory of a Foreign King

This happened in the days of Ahasuerus (note: called Xerses in other Bible translations), the same Ahasuerus who ruled over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia. In those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in the citadel of Susa, in the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his officials and ministers. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were present, while he displayed the great wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and pomp of his majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all.

 When these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in the citadel of Susa, both great and small, a banquet lasting for seven days, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace. There were white cotton curtains and blue hangings tied with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and colored stones. Drinks were served in golden goblets, goblets of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished in accordance with the bounty of the king. Drinking was by flagons, without restraint; for the king had given orders to all the officials of his palace to do as each one desired. Furthermore, Queen Vashti gave a banquet for the women in the palace of King Ahasuerus.

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I invite you to close your eyes and have a partner read this passage to you slowly.  If you don’t have someone to read it to you follow this link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMEFZzjDlG4

As you listen to the story, let your imagination go and think of the glory of King Xerxes’ royal court.  Focus in on the details.  Not only were the wine goblets made of gold – so were the couches – the symbols of leisure.  There was no end to the lavishness and excess of King Xerxes.

Xerxes kingdom was vast.  He reigned over 127 provinces from India to Cush (Ethiopia).  Check your maps.  That’s a distance of about 3,000 miles – roughly the distance between the east and west coasts of the United States.

A kingdom that vast – without modern technology – was difficult to manage.  Xerxes knew he had to show off his wealth and his might, as a deterrent to insurrection in the lands under his rule.  Intimidation was the King’s greatest weapon – and he knew how to wield it.

Xerxes power and wealth were on display to the kingdom for 180 days – 6 months!  Leaders from all the provinces were summoned to Xerxes court to witness this glory, and leave with no second thoughts about who was in charge.

Even though people under Xerxes rule may have thought they lived in a kingdom without end, the reign of Xerxes lasted only 21 years, until he was assassinated, ironically, by a royal bodyguard.   The Persian empire he ruled lasted another 135 years until it was conquered by Alexander the great.  Despite the great wealth and power, Xerxes and Persia ended in death and destruction - met the fate of every King and every Kingdom in history – except one.

Only one King rules a Kingdom without end.  A King whose glory did not come from dwelling in a palace laden with gold, but by being born a peasant, with an animal feeding trough for a cradle.   A King whose rule does not thrive from violence and intimidation, but grows out of love, grace and forgiveness.  A King whose death did not bring an end to the kingdom – instead launched it forward with a new beginning.   Jesus Christ – a different kind of King.

Prayer: Dear Christ our King, thank you for your Kingdom of love, grace and forgiveness.  Teach us not to be ruled by those who show off their lavish displays of wealth and power.  Help us to see the world the way you see it – and to see your greater Kingdom within – a Kingdom you began from a manger, a Kingdom where you draw our indifferent eyes toward those who suffer – a Kingdom that grew out of your death and resurrection – a kingdom ruled by a different kind of King – in your holy name we pray.  AMEN!

Pr. John Heidgerd is Associate Pastor at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Jamaica, NY, focusing on working with children and youth. He and his wife, Ann Marie, live in Bedford and have two adult children.

Advent Devotions: Monday, Dec. 3, 2018

Psalm 137:1-6                                                                 In a Foreign Land

By the rivers of Babylon—
   there we sat down and there we wept
   when we remembered Zion.
On the willows there
   we hung up our harps.
For there our captors
   asked us for songs,
and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying,
   ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’

How could we sing the Lord’s song
   in a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
   let my right hand wither!
Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth,
   if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
   above my highest joy.

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When I read this psalm it really hit home. It brought to my attention the immigrants that are seeking asylum in a foreign land which is America.

They are escaping the threat of horrific conditions, poverty, gang murders and drug cartels. They want a better life than what they are experiencing now. Hopeful that America will give them that chance, they are willing to risk everything to give their children a better life. Even if it means being held in disgraceful conditions at a detention center on the borders of Mexico in the hope it will only be temporary. Their captors torment them and ridicule them, and they still sing praises to the Lord and hold onto their faith.

Prayer: Dear and wonderful protector, counselor and Lord of all. Protect and comfort those who are seeking a better life in a foreign land. Give them peace and hope to get through these most difficult times. In your name, O Lord. Amen

Joanne Halbekath is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Brewster, NY

Advent Devotions: Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018

Habakkuk 2:1-4; 3:[3b-6], 17-19 

I will stand at my watch-post,
   and station myself on the rampart;
I will keep watch to see what he will say to me,
   and what he will answer concerning my complaint.
² Then the Lord answered me and said:
Write the vision;
   make it plain on tablets,
   so that a runner may read it.
³ For there is still a vision for the appointed time;
   it speaks of the end, and does not lie.
If it seems to tarry, wait for it;
   it will surely come, it will not delay.
⁴ Look at the proud!
   Their spirit is not right in them,
   but the righteous live by their faith.
³  His glory covered the heavens,
   and the earth was full of his praise.
⁴ The brightness was like the sun;
   rays came forth from his hand,
   where his power lay hidden.
⁵ Before him went pestilence,
   and plague followed close behind.
⁶ He stopped and shook the earth;
   he looked and made the nations tremble.
The eternal mountains were shattered;
   along his ancient pathways
   the everlasting hills sank low.

¹⁷ Though the fig tree does not blossom,
   and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails
   and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold
   and there is no herd in the stalls,
¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
   I will exult in the God of my salvation.
¹⁹ God, the Lord, is my strength;
   he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
   and makes me tread upon the heights. 

The season of Advent begins with a vision – “make it plain upon the tablets that all may read it”.

The holiday season is filled with visons that are more than just the sugar plums dancing in our heads.  We look for a sense of magic or for things to be different than any other ordinary day or time of the year.  Even as the days grow darker, streets and homes begin to sparkle with lights and festive decorations.  We plan and prepare.  We shop and we get ready.  We long for that “perfect Norman Rockwell” tableau to find its fruition in our planning and preparations.

And yet, many will be disappointed; things don’t always turn out like we plan (no matter how much we try).  Or maybe, this vision is too elusive or even unrealistic this year. Or even if it does, life quickly goes back to “normal” the day after Christmas.

Yet, Advent begins with a different kind of vision.  The vision that the prophet lifts up in this reading is not about the blossoming fig trees or fields filled with plump grapes and succulent olives. It is not about lights or decorations or presents beneath the tree.  This is not a fleeting vision, designated for one time a year.

 As lovely as our homes can become, these do not offer what we really need to bring light and hope into the midst of our lives and world.  Our celebration is in the Lord our God, the one who is our strength and our salvation.   The vision of Christ’s birth is not for one day of the year, but a daily reminder that this same babe in the manger grew to become the man who revealed God’s great love for us through death on the cross and new life that burst forth from the tomb.

Christ is our everlasting hope for those imperfect days and dark nights.  Christ is the love that shines brighter than any holiday display.  Christ is the vision that we hold forth above all that the world offers us.  For God’s love is everlasting and bears fruit every day. 

This is the vision with which we begin this season of planning and preparation.  This is the vision of hope that sustains us and guides us through all of our days.

“Make it plain upon the tablets that all may read it”.

Pastor Jen Boyd, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church (Brewster, NY)