Positioned On Purpose - Esther 2

You know, we’re getting to a sort of weird place as Pastor and people - where I’ve been here for a couple of years now, and I.. I can’t quite remember which stories I have already told you all. So if you’ve already heard this one - bear with me. Back in 2013, I was just finishing up seminary. Sara was completing her masters degree at Wheaton College in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. And we were both about the graduate. And for a while there we had talked about going overseas - doing some mission work. And at the time I was a part of a church system where they place pastors in churches. Pastors don’t get to pick where they go, we submit ourselves and they place us. And all my friends in seminary were getting their assignments, but I told the bishop - No! Don’t put me in a church. I’m going overseas. We had six different organizations that we were applying to. Vietnam, South Korea, a training one in Colorado, My favorite was the one in Turkey. We hadn’t gotten accepted, nothing was confirmed - but I was so confident that I knew God’s plan, so I told the Bishop, NO. I don’t want a church. I was working as a full time youth pastor in the suburbs of Chicago at the time - and I told the church, “I’m all done - I’m out of here. Any day now we’re going to get accepted to a mission organization and I’ll be on the other side of the world!” We had a good bye party. There was cake. And then God closed every single door. Several of the organizations got back to us and said, “so sorry, you have student loans - and you have to be debt free in order for us to send you out of the country.” A couple other organizations passed on us because we had no experience, and the cherry on top was that one of the organizations was a scam. We got a call and they were like, “you didn’t give this organization any money did you?” The short version is that Sara and I went from goodbye parties and graduation celebrations - to one month later - two masters degrees and zero income, and no prospects. Rent was due, and so we got jobs where we could - I became a bagger at Whole Foods and Sara got a job bagging at a different grocery store. 

It was a frustrating summer. We were paying the bills, sure - but it felt like this wasn’t what God created us to DO. There wasn’t anything wrong - per se, but we just felt so dissatisfied. There is nothing wrong with being a checker or a bagger in a grocery store - work is work, and there’s honor in that. But we had just gotten these degrees that we paid all this money for - and every day at work I’m looking around and thinking - why am I here? How did I end up in this place? God, why didn’t you open the doors I thought you were going to open? I thought your plan was so clear - and now I’m just confused? Have you ever had that? Where you look at your life and you think - is THIS what God has for me? What am I doing here? Did God accidentally leave a door locked that was supposed to be opened for me? Or maybe you love where you are at in life - but you have no idea how that goes together with your faith. Good job, good family, good schools - but what does Jesus have to do with all that? Well today we are going to get into a brand new series that I am so excited about. And what we’re going to find is that even though the story of Esther happened thousands of years ago - the things she went through, the things she overcame resonate with us on a human level that hits us right here in Byron Center, Michigan, today. 

So, let’s dive in. If you want to grab your bible - we are going to be in Esther chapter 2. Esther is an old testament story, which means it’s found in the front half of the book. If you don’t have a bible, you can easily look it up on your phone - ask siri or google “Esther chapter 2” it’ll pop right up. Or if you like having a physical bible - feel free to grab one off the back wall and that can be yours to keep, our gift to you. Today I am reading from the NLT translation - that’s my personal favorite, I think it’s the easiest to understand. There’s lots of priorities in translation work - but the two highest should be 1) stays true to the original manuscripts and 2) you can actually understand what it says. So, Esther chapter 2, verse 5, [read v.5-6]. Now I don’t know about you guys - but most of the time, when I read that sort of stuff in the bible, most of the words don’t mean anything to me, and so my eyes just sort of glaze over and I have no idea what is going on. It was a bunch of names and places - but if you slow down for a second, there’s actually a lot of key information hiding in the boring verses. We’re introducing a character named Mordecai, a jewish guy, and his great-grandfather Kish lived in Jerusalem back in the day. You remember there was a time when Jewish people had a kingdom, the nation of Israel and the capital was Jerusalem - King David, wise King Solomon - the glory days. But Mordecai’s great-grandfather Kish, lived during the time when the city was conquered. There was a king, Jehoiachin - who got conquered by the babylonian armies, and they got exiled. They were taken as servants, slaves and hauled back to the capital city of Babylon. Then generations go by - Kings die, and the Babylonians are defeated by the Persians! And the servant-slaves, the jewish-exiles, for them this is sort of like getting sold from one master to another master - it’s different, but not necessarily better. Because the Persians are weird. They have extremely rigid customs and rituals. And everything revolves around the king. The king’s word is law - there’s no rights, there’s no freedoms, no due process. He can fire people, execute people, anything he wants to do - the Persian Emperor’s power was absolute. 

In fact, you might remember this if you’ve heard the story before, but just in the previous chapter, chapter 1 - the King throws this banquet. And he has too much to drink, and he asks his wife to wear her crown and come out so everyone can see how beautiful she is. It’s really degrading. It’s sort of like when those gross mega church pastors say, “check out my smoking hot wife” and it’s like, “ew, bro - don’t talk about your wife like that.” And so Vashti, the queen, she refuses! She stands on principle. I will not be degraded. I will not be objectified. I will not be the queen anymore. Because she refused - the King just gets rid of her. Just banishes her like that [snap fingers]. Like, alright - shrug GONE. The king has all the power. And that dynamic is going to be really important all throughout this story. Esther, Mordecai - all the Jewish people, they have no power in this story. Not only that - but in the book of Esther, God is not a character. Some of you might remember that little trivia. They never mention the name of God in the entire book. This isn’t going to be like the book of Exodus - when the people are powerless in Egypt, and God shows up and sends the ten plagues. No - God doesn’t show up at all! He’s there - but his work in this story comes through a series of remarkable coincidences - and all of this gets at the first major thing I want you to grab on to this morning. God’s silence is not the same thing as God’s absence. 

Let’s bring this into the present day. Have you ever felt powerless? Maybe you’re not terrified of serving a power hungry tyrant or whatever - but have you ever been paralyzed by life? Have you ever felt like there is just… so… much.. Bad. Like, so many huge obstacles keeping you down, or keeping you from really achieving what you’re going after. Ah, it’s the economy! Ah, it’s the politicians! Ah, it’s the media companies! Ah, it’s the broken education system! I can barely keep my head above water, how can I be expected to swim! Sometimes when we think about doing any kind of good in this crazy world - it can feel like we’re all alone out there. A small speck, facing this huge, epic army - the problems of the world are so big, and I’m so small and God is silent. Can you identify with Esther in your life? But one thing that is going to be a recurring theme throughout this series is that God’s silence is not the same thing as God’s absence. And so before we move on, just let me give you this word of assurance - you are not alone. You are not by yourself. God is not absent, even when he is silent. He is right there next to you in the fight. 

And into this power dynamic walks a humble Jewish man named Mordecai. He’s a servant in the fortress of Susa, verse 7, [read v.7]. So it’s technically Cousin Mordecai - but he’s adopted Esther after her parents die. And remember - the king just got rid of the queen, so he’s in the market. King Xerxes - he’s single and ready to mingle. And there’s no ancient Persian version of Christian mingle - but he is the king, and he has all the power. So he puts out a decree - I want a new queen! And it’s just so gross - they treat these women like cattle - but that’s where we pick it up in verse 8, [read v.8-9]. Okay, so two things on this. First - I just found this out last week, but apparently there is just a ton of archeological evidence corroborating the account here. They actually unearthed the palace of Susa, and they found inscriptions from Darius (Xerxes, the king in our story, his dad) and the descriptions and details of court life and the harem quarters are almost exactly the same. There’s even reliefs, like pictures, showing the king with his scepter - which is going to be important later. I had no idea there was such strong evidence for this. Very cool. But the second thing is that I just want you to get into the world of Esther for a second. Imagine her life. On the one hand - Esther’s been chosen! It’s very glamorous and flashy - she’s got a new place, new food, beauty treatments, servants. But on the other hand, it seems a little bit like - you know when they take young musicians or movie stars and they do a tour of a beauty pageant or an audition or something? And it’s very glamorous but at the same time it’s also very isolating and they feel so alone and overstimulated and overwhelmed and I mean, just listen to this stuff, [read v.12-14]. The amount of pressure on her to not mess this up - otherwise she’s going to get tossed back with all the other women. And it makes me wonder - for all the stories of little girls who want to grow up to be princesses, I don’t think this is what they had in mind. Do you think Esther wanted this? Do you think Esther felt good about all the stuff that was happening? Was she comfortable?  I mean it all works out for her - sort of. Down in verse 17 it says, [read v.17]. And it’s like - yay! Except, there’s not a lot of job security with this gig. Vashti will tell you - this can all be yanked away in a moment. And I’m thinking about Esther this past week, and how incredibly heroic she was and how brave she was to handle all of this pressure - and I realized, and this is true for all of us - not just Esther - but God’s purpose in our life rarely involves our comfort zone.

And can I just… this is really hard for me as a people pleasing pastor - because this is just the worst news for those of us who really like it inside our comfort zone. Right? I have a friend who set out to lose some weight last year, and about halfway through the year he posted a thing where he said, “I regret to inform you that diet and exercise are fantastic ways to lose weight and be healthy.” And it’s the same thing with this, right - what we see in the story of Esther is that God makes a habit of getting people OUT of their comfort zone to help them realize their purpose in the world. And as your pastor, I just want you guys to like me. I just want to tell you happy things that will make you smile. I wish I could get up here and say, “hey, you want to change the world in 2026, well then you just put your PJ’s back on, turn the alarm clock off, and roll right back into bed!” But that’s not what God has for us today. God’s purpose in your life rarely involves your comfort zone. God wants to change the world, and he wants to use you to do it - and so probably we’re going to have to step out, into a new space, a new habit, a new spiritual practice, new friendship. Whatever it is - God’s work starts with our discomfort. Isn’t that just the worst? I don’t want to hear that.

But case in point, look what happens with Mordecai right at the end of the chapter. [read v.21-23]. Mordecai was on duty - they don’t tell us what his job was, but he’s a servant so it could sort of be anything. Maybe he’s cleaning or fixing the plumbing - I don’t know, but he overhears an assassination plot. He tells Esther, she told the king about it, yay - assassination averted, they write it down in the history book, huzzah. Now this is the moment, and there’s going to be a lot of this in the book of Esther, but this is where we first start to see the hidden hand of God throughout. Mordecai just happens to be stationed at the palace of Susa, where Esther was kept. And then he just happens to overhear the guards plotting. And Esther just happened to be perfectly placed with the King’s favor to warn him about the plot. It’s all these coincidences stacked up and here’s what I want you to realize. It’s only a coincidence if you ignore God’s purpose for that moment. Albert Einstein put it like this, “Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.” What did we say earlier? God’s silence is not God’s absence. Even early in this story, with the assassination plot - God is working behind the scenes, pulling the levers, moving things towards his purposes. 

And it’s the same in your life! Think about the coincidences in your life. The random moments where everything comes together. Can we embrace God’s positioning of everything with a purpose, or are we going to keep brushing it off as if the creator of the universe doesn’t actually love us and have a plan for our lives. It’s only a coincidence if you ignore God’s purpose for that moment. Was there someone you’ve been thinking about all day, and then suddenly they walk past you in the grocery store - and instead of reaching out you just shrug and walk away? Or is there someone in your life who is going through a hard time and you just happen to have something that would cheer them up, OR maybe even meet their need. One of the things I am most thankful for in my relationship with God is that God doesn’t stop giving us second chances, because I shudder to think how many moments of God’s quiet work I have brushed off as mere coincidence. I mean - just like two weeks ago, I was praying and I was getting this little nudge that I should reach out to a friend. And I often ignore that stuff - ah, I’m just being a little crazy. Listening to the nudges of God was not really something I was raised with - we didn’t do that in my church growing up, that’s outside of my comfort zone. But this time I reached out - just a quick text message, it wasn’t any big thing - just listening to the nudge, and it turns out they needed to hear from me. I remember sitting there in the chair where I do most of my praying and just going, “Wow, I almost let that moment go right past me. I’m so glad I listened to the nudge and sent off a supportive text.” It’s only a coincidence if you ignore God’s purpose for that moment.  

 You see, the good news that I have for you today is that God places us where we are for reasons we can’t always see. A lot of living our life in faith is trusting, even when we don’t have all the answers, trusting, even when we don’t know how it’s all going to come together. For a lot of us, we are dissatisfied with where we are - and we have all these questions: God, why am I here? God, what are you doing? God, what is taking so long for your plan? But when we look at the story of Esther, and we see God moving behind the scenes - what if God is doing the exact same thing in your life right now? What if you are where you are - on purpose! What if it’s not a mistake? What if it’s not someone’s fault? What if you are out of your comfort zone, ON PURPOSE? What if this is not a coincidence for you to ignore as you try to crawl back into your comfort zone - what if this is a wake up call for you to get to work, right where you are! Think about your job, or your neighbors, or the person in line behind you at the grocery store - even the things that you might consider bad things - like getting a flat tire or a struggle with finances, or the latest chaos happening with your kids that you’re going through or whatever it might be - rather than trying to move back towards your comfort zone, what if we started to trust that God has a plan and a purpose for us - exactly where we happened to be right now? 

I see this for Center Church. 2025 was an amazing year for this church - we’re finally hitting the budget, we’ve made the key staffing transitions, the kids programs are humming along, we’re growing closer together, new people are coming to know Jesus - we’ve got baptisms coming up - and it would be so easy to wrap ourselves in a comfort zone and say, “let’s just try to keep it like this” - you know? But then I remember that God’s purpose for our lives rarely involves our comfort zone - and I have a feeling 2026 is going to be a year where we are stretched. We’re not really ready to talk about it yet - but some of you know that behind the scenes leadership has been looking for a new space for our church. With all these kids, we need more classrooms and we’d really love to worship together in one service - and we have a couple of really promising leads, but it’s going to take a lot, we’re all going to have to work together, trust each other, trust what God is doing in our discomfort zone.

And so I want to send you out with a challenge this morning - and what I want you to do this week is identify a place in your life that you think is random or annoying or stuck - and try to look at your life with fresh eyes. What if you are out of your comfort zone, on purpose. On mission for God? What if where you are right now is God’s assignment for you? Try to look at your life with heaven’s eyes. Instead of praying, “God get me out of here, God get me back in my comfort zone” - instead of that, this week I want you to look around at the places where you are uncomfortable and ask, “Okay God, what do you want me to do here? What do you have for me in this place? Maybe that struggle you are having with your kid’s sports or your kid’s schooling - maybe there’s a breakthrough or an opportunity in there. Or the co-worker or client you’ve noticed is going through some stuff, but you never wanted to inquire because it felt a little uncomfortable to ask or offer help. Or maybe you have had a dream for a long time, and this is your year to make it a reality. Or the family member who is making decisions and sliding further and further from Jesus - and you want to say something, you want to show them you love them and you’re there for them, but you don’t want to come across as judgmental or nosey and so you just do nothing. But what if those challenging uncomfortable moments are exactly where God wants you to be? 

One of my absolute all time favorite series of books is Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I was re-reading them recently, debating whether my kids are ready to start reading them. And if you’re not familiar, he’s this brilliant detective who always notices the smallest details that solves the mystery. And all throughout these books people are always asking him, “how did you see that?” And the answer is ‘because I was looking for it.” and so this week as you are looking at your life, and all your uncomfortable zones - you will find what you look for, so look for God, moving quietly behind the scenes. If you go looking for trouble, you’ll find trouble. If you go looking for drama, you’ll find drama. If you go looking for something to complain about - tadah! You’ll find something to complain about. You will find what you look for, so look for God. You might be surprised what you find. 

I know I was. When I graduated seminary, and Sara and I found ourselves with two masters degrees and no jobs - and we were just working to pay the bills, I spent three months - the whole summer upset with God for my situation. And then I got a phone call from the pastor of the church I had just left. When I left, I was just a part time intern, and they had hired a full time staff person. They were all set without me. And I got a phone call from the pastor, this sweet woman named Greta Macdonald. And I’m on a break at whole foods, and she says, “Hey JJ, I assume you’re probably out of the country - I never did hear which job you accepted, and I have a belated graduation card that I really wanted to send you - what is your new address?” And I was sort of embarrassed to explain, “Oh, actually - I didn’t get any of the jobs. We’re still in Chicago, I’m just working to pay the bills - thing didn’t work out like we thought.” And she said, “oh I’m sorry to hear, I’ll send the card to your old address” and we spent 3 minutes catching up and hung up. That weekend, the new youth leader they hired quit unexpectedly. She got a better job offer and left them in the lurch two weeks before fall programming was going to kick off. And the church where I’d worked for two years, all those kids and parents and programs which I knew very well - they were in sudden, desperate need. I got another phone call the next week, “JJ, I’m really sorry to hear things didn’t work out like you thought - but would you be willing to come back full time and take over the program for one year until they place you in your own church as a lead pastor?” And that was how I became a full time youth pastor. God closed all the doors and left me out of my comfort zone - on purpose, because he was doing something bigger in my life. What a coincidence. So what is it in your life? Is there a nudge you’ve been ignoring? Is there a situation that you have just been trying to get out of - and maybe you realize that might be exactly where God wants you? Is there a person you have been called to reach with the love of God - but fear of getting out of your comfort zone has been holding you back? Maybe it’s time to leave the comfort zone behind, and step into God’s purpose for your life. Let’s pray.