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β€œFor such a time as this…”

β€œIf I perish, I perish…”

As a friend said recently, talking about those famous lines in the book of Esther, β€œThat is the kind of energy we need these days!”

And there is even more to Esther than those well-known quotes. The whole book is an invitation to examine our relationship to empire, to each other, and to our God, who is always, always moving the world toward the Big Flip that will set things right again. It’s a call to look for God at work, even when that divine action seems to be hidden, and to embrace the messiness of holy resistance.
I am working on a book about Esther and resistance for everyone, but until that’s ready to release into the world…

7 Week Sermon Series Guide

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7 Week Sermon Series Guide 〰️

Esther and the Big Flip: Strategies for Resisting Empire, book and sermon series guide. We're diving even deeper than "for such a time as this" and "if I perish, I perish."

 

If You’re a Progressive/Post-Evangelical Leaning Pastor or Spiritual Leader

You are likely working extra hard right now, given the political unrest and all of the challenges to community safety. Sundays and preaching matter, but care and advocacy work do as well!

This sermon series guide for the book of Esther offers you a nuanced dialogue partner to help you prepare compelling messages that speak into some of the most pressing questions your congregation is asking these days, about empire and resistance, in a fraction of the time you usually spend.

While many sermon prep guides’ primary value lies in their thematic supports, like art and music, the πŸ‘‘ Esther Sermon Series Guide πŸ‘‘ focuses on the message itself. Notes for each of the seven weeks include:

  • Guiding Questions, to help orient your heart and mind as you begin prep

  • Connections, a few thoughts on how the passage fits with the overarching narrative of Scripture

  • A Detailed Outline including key textual considerations and potential key quotes, for you to wrestle and play with

In addition, the notes for each week offer:

  • A Suggested Prayer/Liturgical Response

  • Questions for Upfront Interviews or Discussion Groups

One way to describe the guide would be focused on the main dish, not the sides,* with the progressive/post-evangelical palate in mind.

*From the preacher’s perspective - of course the arts matter too!

LEARN MORE: Check Out a Sample

If you’d like to read a sample of the πŸ‘‘ Esther Sermon Series Guide πŸ‘‘, including all of the notes for sermon #1, to decide if it’s a good fit for you and your community, CLICK HERE to read it on Substack, no email required, no strings attached.

✨ Intro Pricing for the 1st 20 Purchasers ✨

  • Churches of Under 80, Average Worship Attendance: $15 (versus $35 when the intro offer closes)

  • Churches of 80+, Average Worship Attendance: $25 (versus $60 when the intro offer closes)

✨ Ready to Get the Full Guide? ✨

β€œThis Esther series has been deeply encouragingβ€”flipping my understanding of speaking up in everyday moments. It inspired me to stand firm and resist injustice in small yet powerful ways, like Esther, challenging the empire around me. I left each message feeling equipped to make a difference, even when my voice seems small.”

πŸ‘‘ Why Esther? πŸ‘‘

… you may be asking.

3 Reasons Esther is So Fitting Right Now

  1. The Power of Story - Esther is a short, potent narrative, and stories have a unique capacity to open up our moral imaginations and engage our whole selves. We understand ourselves and the world in new ways as we relate to a good yarn.

  2. The Power of Surprise - Esther is a book of the Bible in need of reclaiming, as it’s been so often neglected, and when not neglected, misappropriated as a tool of empire. Some people will not know the story, and others who think they do will be shocked by what they discover.

  3. The Power of Laughter - The book of Esther is a dark comedy, side-splittingly funny at times. And laughing at empire both emboldens those who resist and infuriates those in power. Laughter and the courage it carries with it are what we need right now!

7 Weeks, 7 Guiding Questions

  1. Is there a right way to resist empire? (Are we supposed to resist?)

  2. When do we kneel to empire? When do we simply refuse?

  3. Can challenging authority and asking questions be a sign of growth and maturity, both personally and in relationships?

  4. How can we tell when empire is expressing itself through us? On the flip side, how do we actively develop the character of someone living into liberation?

  5. How do we find and build new partnerships in resisting empire?

  6. As followers of Jesus, is violence ever acceptable in resistance work?

  7. Why does remembrance matter? Which ancestors or heroes who’ve gone before do we look to for encouragement and wisdom?

✨ Ready to Get the Full Guide? ✨