These Are Days

These are days you’ll remember

Never before and never since, I promise

Will the whole world be warm as this

And as you feel it,

You’ll know it’s true

That you are blessed and lucky

--“These Are Days” by 10,000 Maniacs

Yesterday was overwhelming.  I said goodbye to a wonderful congregation:  St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Bemus Point, New York.  After worship, there was a lovely coffee hour in my honor with a beautiful photo slideshow, a special song that the congregation sang for me, and very kind words.  I cried.  They cried.  I was, and am, very grateful for our time together.

I am stepping away from parish ministry to pursue another master’s degree, this time at Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina.  I have always loved school, and I am excited to go back, but a little nervous, too.  I have been thinking about first days of school in general:  finding your way around a new building, meeting new classmates and teachers, and the same sense of possibility that comes when you are starting a lot of new things.  No one knows how the school year will turn out yet, and your books and notebooks and pencils are still shiny and new.  Anything can happen.  Do you ever feel that sense of possibility?  What does that for you? 

After worship, I went to lunch with Adam, my parents, and some dear friends.  We ate by the lake and watched the ducks, sharing good food and conversation.  My parents headed home and the rest of us drove to the Chautauqua Institution to catch the end of a free 10,000 Maniacs concert.  The last song they played was “These Are Days.”  I had one of those moments where I knew, as it was happening, that I would look back on it fondly.  I sang along to the song with our friends and was so glad to be with them, so grateful for good years at St. Timothy, and so excited for the new adventure that awaits in North Carolina. 

I thought then what I think now:  These are days I’ll remember, and I know it’s true, that I am blessed and lucky…and grateful.  Yes. 

For just such a time as this

Who knows?  Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.

Esther 4:14b

This week, the world has been fascinated by the birth of a baby prince to Prince William and Kate Middleton.  I’ll admit that I am just as interested as many others!  The whole idea of a royal family is so intriguing. 

Along with this new royal baby, I have the story of another royal family in mind.  This story takes place in the book of Esther.  The book of Esther is a fascinating one.  It begins with a king who is displeased with his wife, wishes to choose another wife who will become queen.  Esther, a young Jewish woman, is eventually chosen to be queen.  The story of Esther involves political machinations, jealousy, anger, misplaced power and inept leadership that eventually leads to a decree ordering the annihilation of all Jews. 

Because she is the queen, Esther is in a unique position to help her people.  Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, helps her to realize this when he says, “Do not think that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews.  For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father’s family will perish.  Who knows?  Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this” (Esther 4:13-14).

Although Esther did not plan or choose the life that she is living, now she has a choice to make.  Will she risk the king’s anger and expose his decree as cruel and false, or keep silent and allow her people to perish? 

Most of us will never be in a position to make a decision with implications as far-reaching as the one Esther had to make.  But the choices that we make have real consequences.  When we are faced with a difficult decision, we often seek God’s guidance.  In the book of Esther, God is never explicitly named, but it is possible to see God’s hand at work if you choose to see it as such.

What if, like Esther, there are times in our lives when we are in a certain situation “for just such a time as this”?  Perhaps God’s hand is at work in our lives more than we are even aware.  Have you ever called a friend on a whim, only to hear her say, “I’m so glad you called tonight.  I really needed this conversation!”  Have you ever received such a call?  Has a difficult situation in your life ever been transformed into a positive one in ways that you could never have imagined? 

I don’t claim to know how God works or what God’s intentions are.  But I do believe that God works in all kinds of ways, not all of which are evident at first glance.  In all of our lives, there might be times where we can join Esther in pondering our life’s situations and the choices we are invited to make.  Who knows?  Perhaps you are at a specific point in your journey for just such a time as this.