Links for today’s readings:

Read: Esther 6 Listen: (2:40)
Read: 1 John 3 Listen: (3:21)

Scripture Focus: Esther 6.6-13

6 When Haman entered, the king asked him, “What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?”

Now Haman thought to himself, “Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?” 7 So he answered the king, “For the man the king delights to honor, 8 have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head. 9 Then let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!’ ”

10 “Go at once,” the king commanded Haman. “Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything you have recommended.”

11 So Haman got the robe and the horse. He robed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city streets, proclaiming before him, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!”

12 Afterward Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman rushed home, with his head covered in grief, 13 and told Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him.

Luke 1.50-53

50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.

Reflection: Regular Reversals — Hope of Advent

By John Tillman

In one of many famous scenes from When Harry Met Sally, the pair, played by Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, are shopping for friends. However, Harry keeps finding gifts that are more for him than their friends, including a karaoke machine that we see later in Harry’s apartment.

We’ve all experienced shopping for someone else and being drawn to look at presents for ourselves. This little selfish tendency we often experience is miniscule compared to the egotistic self-centeredness of Haman.

Xerxes asks Haman how to honor someone. Haman is so egotistical he assumes the honor will be for him. Haman then describes the extravagant gifts and honors that he desires. Then, in painful and humorous irony, he is forced to give the honors he desires to the person he hates, Mordecai.

Mordecai, a few pages before this, was mourning at the king’s gate in sackcloth and ashes and refusing Esther’s gifts of new clothes. It is reasonable to assume that Mordecai is still in his mourning clothes when he experiences a remarkable reversal. The ruler intending to crush him must lift him up. The one intending to hang him on a pole must hang a robe on him instead. The one breathing threats against him must sing his praise.

After Haman robes Mordecai in the king’s robe, places him on the king’s horse, and praises him in the king’s name throughout the city’s streets, Mordecai returns to the king’s gate and Haman goes home, “head covered in grief.”

The reversals of Haman the proud and Mordecai the mourning should not shock those familiar with our God. God lifting the humble and opposing the proud is not a one-off or outlier. Reversals are the regular pattern of God’s action in the world.

Mary, when encouraged by Elizabeth, bursts into prophetic song describing the magnificent reversals God has and will perform through Jesus. Those proud in their inmost thoughts are scattered. Rulers are brought low and the humble lifted up. The hungry are full and the rich empty.

Let us rely and set our hope on God’s reversals—especially those that come through the gospel of Jesus. Sinners will be saved. The blind will see. The deaf will hear. The dead will be made alive.

These gifts are better than any we could selfishly wish for ourselves and they are the best gifts we can imagine giving to our loved ones.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence

For God alone my soul in silence waits; truly, my hope is in him. — Psalm 62.6

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

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Read more about See What Great Love — Love of Advent

Even the purest and most idealistic family we could imagine is insufficient to express the love of God for us.

Links for today’s readings:

Read: Esther 5 Listen: (2:42)
Read: 1 John 2 Listen: (4:04)

Scripture Focus: Esther 5.5-9

5 “Bring Haman at once,” the king said, “so that we may do what Esther asks.”

So the king and Haman went to the banquet Esther had prepared. 6 As they were drinking wine, the king again asked Esther, “Now what is your petition? It will be given you. And what is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.”

7 Esther replied, “My petition and my request is this: 8 If the king regards me with favor and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king’s question.”

9 Haman went out that day happy and in high spirits. But when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence, he was filled with rage against Mordecai

Luke 1.45

45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!

Reflection: Anticipated Surprises — Hope of Advent

By John Tillman

Esther and Mary know about anticipation. What are you anticipating?

There’s a lot of anticipatory tension in Esther’s story. After Xerxes’s edict, the Jews anticipated a day of destruction decreed a year in the future. After prayer and fasting, Esther entered the king’s presence uninvited and waited, anticipating his decision to spare or take her life. “If I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4.16)

When spared, Esther did not pour out her request immediately, but made Xerxes wait. He anticipated her request at two banquets she invited him and Haman to attend.

It’s unclear why Esther delayed. It could have been fear or hesitation, but it seems more likely to be strategic. Xerxes appears rash (Esther 1.12), forgetful (Esther 6.3), negligent (Esther 4.11), and easily manipulated throughout the story. It is likely that Esther knew this and used anticipation to allow him to remember her charms and renew his affection for her.

Meanwhile, Haman also anticipated. Haman’s mind spun with selfish visions as he bragged about his growing power and closeness to Xerxes and the queen. But he was not content to anticipate good things for himself, Haman relished thoughts of torturing Mordecai, who he viewed as an enemy.

Haman had good reasons to anticipate his victories. Esther had good reasons to fear her defeat. We are not wrong to anticipate that the powerful will continue to abuse power and that violence will continue to be wielded against the weak. We are not wrong to expect the world to be wicked and our lot to include suffering but we are also not wrong to anticipate with hope the unlikely victories that God’s providence arranges.

Every wicked thing Haman anticipated was reversed and he became the victim of every device of torture he set up. Every wicked thing Esther feared was reversed and she became the victor over every scheme set against her. Our enemy anticipates our defeat but God loves turning anticipated losses into unanticipated victories.

God loves a surprise ending, like Esther’s. God also loves a surprise beginning, like Mary’s. Mary didn’t anticipate unwed pregnancy, uninvited shepherds and magi, or fleeing to exile in Egypt. There were many surprises of Jesus’ life in which anticipated doom was overcome by unanticipated hope.

God has unanticipated goodness ready to overturn anticipated failures, hurts, and sorrows. Anticipate surprises. Resurrection is the ultimate surprise ending God has promised. Set your hope on both the sure promises and the unanticipated blessings of God.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence

Let my cry come before you, O Lord; give me understanding, according to your word.
Let my supplication come before you; deliver me, according to your promise. — Psalm 119.169-170

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

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Read more about Scandalous Surprise of Hope — The Hope of Advent

Who are we to have such hope as advent promises? That Christ would come to us is baffling, surprising, and to some, scandalous.

Links for today’s readings:

Read: Esther 4 Listen: (2:53)
Read: 1 John 1 Listen: (1:28)

Scripture Focus: Esther 4.16-17

16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

17 So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.

Luke 1.38

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Reflection: Mourning With Hope — Hope of Advent

By John Tillman

Esther and Mary’s stories are at the center of joyful holidays, but both passed through distress, danger, and mourning.

Mary’s situation may not seem as dangerous as Esther’s, but her life also hung by the thread of a man’s decision to spare her or kill her. Mary’s song of joy expressed a mournful longing for justice. Both women saw life’s danger, wickedness, and unfairness up close. Both surrendered their lives to God’s providence and took action.

Mordecai and Esther found themselves in privileged positions with reasons to celebrate. When Esther heard Mordecai was mourning, she was distressed. She tried to encourage Mordecai by sending clothing and an attendant but he rejected her gifts. Esther didn’t understand Mordecai’s mourning because she didn’t understand the depth of the problem. Once Esther understood Mordecai’s mourning, she joined him in fasting and prayer. She followed that with action.

Mordecai refusing to bow to Haman is inspiring. We recognize standing up for one’s beliefs and refusing to give undue honor to a human as a righteous act of resistance. (Although many of us give undue honor to humans.)

But, like Esther, Mordecai’s mourning distresses us. Many today scorn public mourning as weakness. Even if we don’t scorn mourning, we want Mordecai to move on. Do something. But he is doing something. There is a time to “move on,” but there is also a time to mourn. Mordecai’s mourning is as righteous an act as his refusal to bow.

In a wicked world, mourning declares that we hunger and thirst for righteousness. In a violent world, mourning declares our longing for peace. In a darkening world, mourning declares we are children of light. Even in seemingly hopeless situations, we do not mourn hopelessly as the world does. We mourn with hope. Surrendering to emotion leads to spiraling. Surrender instead to hope in God.

Even in a celebratory season, we may find evil to resist or to mourn. These are righteous acts. Perhaps you have come to your position for such a time as this. Perhaps you, like Esther, can take action despite the risks. Perhaps you, like Mary, can sing of hope in a hopeless land.

Might your own mourning with hope declare to others that light, peace, love, joy, and righteousness are on the horizon?

Might the mourning of others call your attention to something you don’t understand? How might you be stirred to action?

Divine Hours Prayer: The Morning Psalm

Lord, how many adversaries I have! How many there are who rise up against me!
How many there are who say of me, “There is no help for him in his God.”
But you, O Lord, are a shield about me; you are my glory, the one who lifts up my head.
I call aloud upon the Lord, and he answers me from his holy hill;
I lie down and go to sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. — Psalm 3.1-5

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

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