WEEK 1
(top)
Shuffle
the Deck
1. Illuminate your initials. Enlarge
the first letter of your name and embellish the letterform (using your
favorite color, images that describe your personality, hobbies, tastes,
etc.) in a style reminiscent of medieval illuminated manuscripts. (See
more examples here.)
 
2. Coat of Arms. Doodle, collage, sketch, or write
a coat of arms about yourself (or enlarge and print out one below).
Divide the shield into four quadrants and include these elements: Banner,
one adjective that best describes you. Field 1, two things you are good
at. Field 2, two ways you think others see you. Field 3, two strengths
your mother gave you. Field 4, two strengths your father gave you. (See
more examples here.)
 
Deal
the Cards (top)
Monday
· Pray for insight. Then read the entire Book
of Esther in one sitting.
Tuesday
· Jot down anything that stood out to you in Esther’s story.
· Think of a time when events seemed to make no sense, but later
you could see a sovereign hand at work. Give thanks.
Wednesday
· Read up on the Persian
Empire, especially King
Xerxes’ reign (486–465 B.C.). You can search the internet
for information. Or use a Bible resource book. You might even order
the works of Herodotus.
You can find used copies of The Histories online for under ten bucks.
Thursday
· The Book of Esther takes place between chapters six and seven
of Ezra. Read chapter
six of Ezra, imagine Esther’s story happening, then read Ezra
7.
Friday
· What hints do you get that tell you what the nation of Israel’s
spiritual state was during the time Ezra and Esther lived?
Saturday
· List times when we might be tempted to hide our spiritual identity
as God’s children.
· Pray for courage and for God to use you right where you are—with
your gifts, weaknesses, past.
Sunday
– Read:
Esther 2:10 Esther did not make known her people or her kindred,
for Mordecai had instructed her that she should not make them known.
After ten years of trying to have a child, my husband, Gary, and I welcomed
an eight-month-old baby girl into our family. It was love at first sight.
Of course, her birth parents had already given her a name. But as part
of making our daughter “ours,” we gave her a new name—Alexandra.
Sandra, my own name, is a shorter form of Alexandra. (In fact I later
learned that I myself was named after an Alexandra.) We decided that
if our daughter couldn’t come from our bodies, she would have
a first and last name that said she was part of us.
The idea of names being a big deal is nothing new. Think of Rachel’s
and Leah’s kids and how each one is named because his or her
mother wanted to make a specific statement. Or the story
of Samson, where the writer never reveals Samson’s mother’s
name, probably because we’re not supposed to remember her (she
sort of missed her son’s purpose). And then there’s so-and-so,
who
was supposed to “redeem” Ruth but was too busy making
a name for himself. (Oh the irony that, of all the names in the story,
his is the one that’s forgotten.)
Names are still important today. My siblings and I used to pore over
phone books and find all the names we would never give our kids. I still
remember how appalled I was to discover somebody named her kid “Harry
Butts.”
What does that have to do with Esther? Well, her name may be lovely
to us now, but I wonder what people thought at the time. A young orphan
girl went by a new name—a Persian name—to hide her identity
as one of God’s people. As she grew, her uncle even insisted that
she withhold information about her nationality and family background
(see Esther 2:10.)
“Esther” means “star,” which may come from “Ishtar.”
Do you know who Ishtar was? The Babylonian love goddess! The real name
of this Hebrew girl was Hadassah. It means myrtle—reminiscent
of the sweet-smelling shrub with white leaves. Sometimes Jewish people
still carry myrtle branches in procession during Succoth (the Feast
of Tabernacles). But Esther exchanged “myrtle” for “star.”
I’m not saying Hadassah was wrong to have a “secular”
name. Daniel
did, as did his friends, Shadrack, Meshack and Abednigo (their Persian
names). Yet Esther’s “pagan” name is rather symbolic.
Unlike Daniel, who refused to defile himself with the king’s meat
while living in Babylon, Esther ate unclean food—a practice forbidden
in God’s law (see Lev.
11:46). And what do you suppose happened during her night with the
king? Do you think she filed her nails and talked to him? And after
she “won,” she married him—something God’s law
clearly prohibited (Deut.
7:1–4). We may think of Esther as some pristine, shrinking
violet sort of godly girl. But that’s a pretty naïve assessment.
We may surmise that at the time God most used Esther, she was a girl
with a “history”—a bad girl of the Bible, if you will.
I don’t know about you, but I find that somewhat encouraging,
in a strange sort of way.
I was talking with the wife of a seminary student today and she told
me, “God is so gracious. He hasn’t dealt with me as my sins
deserve. I would surely hate for people to know my sins. I can’t
even get social standards perfected.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I’ve been known to pee in a pool. Or to look at
my snot after I blow my nose.”
Ew! (Precisely the point.)
Yet God is much more repulsed by our sins than by our social gaffes.
Thank God He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve. How embarrassed
we would be if people knew all about us. Yet when God looks at His children
in Christ, He doesn’t see all that ugliness. He sees the righteousness
of Christ. That’s grace.
What regrets do you have? Maybe you lied to your boss yesterday. Or
you yelled at your kids. Or you copped an attitude with your husband.
And that’s just today! If you had it to do over, what would you
change? Offer God your past, present, and future. Give him your strengths
and your weaknesses. Hand Him your failures and your successes.
God takes every girl with a history—which is every one of us—and
he uses us “at such a time as this.” Isn’t He good?
Write out a prayer in response to what you’ve read.
Group Option: As a group,
agree on a common lament and write it out using these elements as a
guide.
1. What does your first name mean? Your middle name? Do these have significance
to you? Did your parents choose them for their meaning? (see BabyNames.com)
2. (Optional) If you had your life to over, what would you
change? In what way can you allow God to use your mistakes and sins
for His glory?
Play
Your Hand (top)
Decorate a playing card or a playing-card-sized piece of paper or cardboard
with something associated with the following:
1. Something about yourself, your family history, or who you are that
you try to hide or “that no one knows.”
2. A time in your life when events seemed to make no sense.
3. Make yourself an offering—the good, the bad and the ugly—to
God for His uses and His divine purposes.
(top)
Week 2 
©2005 Sandra Glahn
|
|
