We live in a world that is constantly in need of people who are willing to do the right thing. We have come to a place in our history where being aware does not seem like enough.
There is an urgency that action has to be taken, that people need to step up and step out. This is pretty intimidating I have to be honest. Yet, when we look around at the work that is being done to make this world a better place it is often being done by ordinary people who feel called to make a difference. It is being done by regular people who believe that this world has the ability to be transformed and want to be a part of the narrative of transformation.
The work is being done by every day heroes.
We have spent the last eight weeks looking at the Book of Esther in the context of the Methodist call to Testify To Love. We have talked about the power of narrative in a variety of contexts, and this week is no different.
In this passage Esther confronts the king about an unjust law and saves her people. It is a decision to act that could have come with a cost to her, and she made it anyway. She was the person that was determined in this exact moment to stand up and help change the narratives her community.
In this moment, although Esther was an unlikely hero, she was exactly who was needed.
What are the moments where we are called to be every day heroes? The moments where we have the opportunity to make a difference in our world? The moments where it is essential to step up?
Sometimes it is a grand gesture of bravery; sometimes it is a simple act of kindness. Whatever it is, we are in a time where it is needed. We are in a time where our world is in desperate longing for people who are willing to stand on the side of justice, to be advocates for something better. Where the knowledge of how we can do better is not enough, we have to be ready and willing to act.
So, put on your capes friends, the world needs you.
Melissa Hurley is Pastor at Kelseyville United Methodist Church and Middletown Community United Methodist Church. Please join us in Kelseyville at 9 a.m. or Middletown at 11:30 a.m. as we explore the story of Esther and its relevance in our own narrative. All are welcome.
