Inside Job will be our theme this week as we continue our worship series, This Christian Life. Our worship series is inspired by the story telling curated by Ira Glass on National Public Radio’s This American Life. Each week we’ll look at a theme related to the Christian life through the lens of several stories. The stories will vary each week. Some will be rooted in our own community’s story and some will come from people far away. Some will be humorous and some will be challenging. Many of our stories will come from the Book of Acts. Here is a list of our themes for the series:
▪April 12: Weighing What Matters (Acts 4.32-35)
▪April 19: Inside Job (Book of Esther)
▪April 26: Crossover Tactics
▪ May 3: Unexpected Guides
▪May 10: All Means All
▪May 17: Waiting Sucks OR Forcing It
▪May 24: Birth Stories
Our biblical story this week is the Book of Esther. That’s right, the entire Book of Esther. Esther is the only book in the Bible that does not explicitly mention God. Esther tells the story of a young Jewish girl named Esther who becomes queen of Persia and saves her people from genocide. Esther’s work on behalf of her Jewish people is itself an inside job. Esther becomes married to the King and uses this relationship in creative ways to free her people.
Find time to read the Book of Esther this week in preparation for worship.
One of the classic dilemmas in all movements for social change relates to tactics. Some choose to move outside of institutions and work for change externally (e.g. Malcolm X). Others choose to remain within an institution and work for change internally; an inside job (e.g. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.). Esther worked for change on behalf of her people from within the royal family. Other prophets worked for change from the margins.
Think of a time when you have been part of creating change from the inside. Perhaps you even stayed with your family to create change from within? Perhaps you stayed with a job or a volunteer commitment to create change from within? Record in your journal a story of the time you created change internally. Pay attention to what worked and what was most challenging as you recall your story. Consider sharing this with a trusted friend this week.