ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
March 9, 2022
I have always loved the Book of Esther, though I had not visited Esther in some time. And with March being Women’s History Month (yesterday was International Women’s Day), I figured it was a good day to spend a little time with Esther. It was early in the second chapter when I was reminded of the over the top objectification of women, valuing them by their looks and nothing else. It begins with the Persian King who was frustrated with the current Queen. One of the King’s servants responded by suggesting it might be good to bring all the beautiful young virgins to a single location, granting each of them a cosmetic treatment, and then allowing the King to decide who would be his new Queen based upon what girl pleased the King. There are so many things wrong with this story that it is hard to summarize, and I don’t want to write it off as simply part of the ancient culture. That is true, but sadly we have not made much progress in 2,500 years. And yes, Esther (a young woman) becomes the hero in the story. This is wonderful, yet she becomes the hero by both saving her people and creatively navigating a misogynistic culture that might have kill her for what she did. I’ve always wondered what would have happened had Esther been placed on an even playing field with King David. Who would have been named King (I know they didn’t exist at the same time)? Don’t get me wrong, David had some skills. No question about it, but he wasn’t fighting the culture in which he lived. I heard a woman preacher once say, “It’s like running a three-legged race where the third leg is that of a dead rhinoceros.” I hear folks say, “Well that just makes women’s accomplishments much more impressive.” Maybe, but don’t you think there was a whole lot of wasted energy and time just trying to fight the system? I still love Esther and want to celebrate her accomplishments against a less than supportive situation. I want to praise Esther while still calling out the system she fought and would still be fighting today.
We wish to give thanks for all those whose impact upon this world is under appreciated. Holy God, today we celebrate amazing achievements while also speaking to the ongoing injustice and inequalities in our world… including the church itself. Amen.
