Origin Stories
origin stories and where we come from don’t define us but they do describe us.
God doesn’t just edit our stories, but changes how we perceive and tell our stories
Ephesians 4:22-24
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV
3 movements
Story before Christ
Plot turn
New attitude by Christ
Story after (in) Christ
Our attitudes shape our lives.
We didn’t choose what we wore when we were little.
Choosing what you wear for the first time is often memorable.
When we think we’re in control is when god shows his power to encourage us to give him control.
God has been shaping our stories all along
God is written into every human story. We can find his fingerprints on every person.
I ❤ ester.
Ester is the only book of the Bible where god and Jesus are never mentioned
The people of ester are morally gray.
Purim is celebrated heavily in the Jewish culture.
Ester is a side narrative. The main story of the promised land and Babylon is happening at the same time.
In Jewish tradition, people call their family friends aunts uncles cousins etc.
Mordecai would be the equivalent of esters family friend uncle.
Ester 2:5-23
“5 Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, 6 who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jehoiachin king of Judah. 7 Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died. 8 When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many young women were brought to the citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem. 9 She pleased him and won his favor. Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven female attendants selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her attendants into the best place in the harem. 10 Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so. 11 Every day he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her. 12 Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics. 13 And this is how she would go to the king: Anything she wanted was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. 14 In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the harem to the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name. 15 When the turn came for Esther (the young woman Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her. 16 She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. 17 Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 And the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality. 19 When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. 20 But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up. 21 During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. 22 But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai. 23 And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were impaled on poles. All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king.”
ester was known for her looks. She wasn’t known for anything besides her appearance
Hegai worked not to give her an education but to make her even more attractive.
Xerxes fully forbade her from telling her story. This is because she’s less politically valuable if she’s known as a Jew not a Persian.
Everyone notices ester, but no one really sees her.
Ester would go there and come back in the morning. She had to spend the night with the king.
When someone is valued for their beauty it’s a commodity. It’s seen as something that can be used by others.
They aren’t allowed to be near the other women so she wouldn’t tell others what happened.
Everyone noticed her but no one saw who she was.
Ester becomes the queen of Persia. She doesn’t have much power as a Persian queen. For example, she can’t see the kind without his permission
Mordecai has not much power because people don’t know esters heritage.
Trauma causes you to listen to people you don’t have to.
People get power when you give it to them
When you don’t have a clear identity you rely on people to tell you who you are.
Ester is used in every sense of the word.
The Jews are going to be exterminated and the day is being determined by dice.
Mordecai is tricked into being the first Jew executed.
Ester 4:12-17
Esters story and if it’s being told or not is being controlled by Mordecai
Mordecai threatens to tell her story for her which would get her killed.
The things you want to hide and the shameful things that you don’t want to tell are often the most powerful because they are real.
In her time it was shameful for ester to be a Jew.
Are you controlling your story or is your story controlling you?
Ester used hospitality to get around the law
Ester 8:7-8
“12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 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.”
Ester had no control over her story until she was able to tell it. Until she had agency
Proverbs 16:9