I’m so looking forward to Sunday! What’s not to love? It’s MoodyFest and the start of our autumn series through the Old Testament book of Esther!
Our family is really looking forward to being with you again. Our end-of-summer break was a life-giving mixture of ministry, vacation, study, and rest. We come back reinvigorated for another year of ministry. I want to thank Pastor Bill Bertsche for writing these Pastor to People columns in my absence. Additionally, we’ve been extraordinarily blessed through the preaching ministry of Pastors May, Reyes, Lutzer, McCarthy, and Schwarcz, each of whom faithfully proclaimed God’s Word to us each week. I want to express my deepest thanks to them, the Elders, and to you, our church family, for graciously empowering our family for healthy long-term ministry. We’re so glad to be back!
Esther is one of my all-time favorite books in the Old Testament. It’s the true story of how an orphaned nobody became queen of Persia and saved God’s people from annihilation. It’s filled with twists and turns, plots and plights, and above all, a God who is always faithful. What’s interesting is that God’s name is never mentioned in the book of Esther, and yet His presence is felt on every page. It’s as if the author is inviting us to read between the lines, to see God operating in the shadows, just out of frame, and yet pulling the strings in every scene. It’s brilliant writing. God becomes even more conspicuous because of His absence. By not mentioning Him, we see Him everywhere: the Hidden Hand of History.
So let’s open up this beautiful book and discover anew that we are loved, more than we know!
