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hen Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
-Esther 4:13-14
This past weekend, the youth group headed to Beech Mountain for the annual ski trip. We last were able to go right before quarantine. Even with a wind chill of -15°, we had an incredible weekend. The highlight is our tradition of a Sunday morning worship service and communion. The outgoing and incoming youth elder help to serve the elements and the youth elder who has served the previous year charges the new elder with their duties. This year, Joseph prepared words to charge Niko, both of whom preached on Youth Sunday.
Joseph spoke about how he’d observed the gifts and character of our new elder and that he was absolutely the right choice to lead in this role. And then he charged him to now do the work, to step up and use those gifts to serve our church and all those in need. Esther received a similar charge from Mordecai. He called on her to use her position and voice because the Lord had prepared and placed her for this moment to save her people from death. What a great reminder for all of us. Even as we return to greater and greater freedom as we emerge from the pandemic, as we search for a pastor, as we plan mission trips and VBS and reach out to our members and visitors, as we encourage new worshiping communities and serve the Johns Creek community, we are being prepared and placed.
Lent is a great season for reflection. Like Esther, we take a look inward at the gifts God has given us and outward to see in what place God has placed us to serve people. We have what we need. Now we must do the work. This year, as you’re asked to serve our mission partners, join us. Tomorrow, when go build with Habitat, this summer on mission trips and with VBS, in the search for a new pastor and educator, when volunteers are needed to teach and supervise children in the nursery, we are prepared for such times. And now we are called to step up and do the work.
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