The Well Church of the Nazarene

It has been an epic summer, and today we're discussing our takeaways from the last sermon in this series (from August 30), which was more or less a continuation of the story/lesson from last week. Most of us are pretty familiar with the story of Esther, but we want to explore more of Mordecai's role as a guide in her life. After all, without Mordecai, her story may have been significantly different. 

So, these are the questions we're asking: How do we identify the guides in our life? How do we know which voices we can trust? Is it fair to say that you cannot effectively guide someone else if you've not been guided--in some way--yourself? 

We live in a time of separation and isolation, and there's a lot of uncertainty right now, which is understandable. But community is important--we cannot go through life alone. We need alternate perspectives, alternate voices--guides to walk with us. We are meant to experience love through others, as our relationships often mirror God's love for us. But guidance does not equal control. It implies a willingness to give and take--to listen, to be patient, and to allow yourself to be vulnerable.

Remember: vulnerability is not weakness. All of us go through seasons where we need guides, counselors. 

Concluding our "EPIC" summer series with today's sermon on Mordecai, the guide.

Guides are necessary to join God's epic story. Are you serving as a guide? Modeling a right perspective and right action, inviting others to find their place in God's story? Are you listening?

In this second-to-last week of our Epic series, we've been talking about the life of Esther and more specifically, the phrase "such a time as this."

How do you view where/when/how God has placed you in the world? What if you saw every thing you do, every circumstance you face, as having been put somewhere "for such a time as this?" Are you prepared to seize your moment(s)? 

Bryan, Mara, and Paul talk about what it looks like for both leaders and laity in our faith community to "bend toward God." To live authentically in our walk with Christ, knowing that everything we do--big things and small--are reflective of what's in our heart. We model what we practice. Every single moment is sacred, whether your "such a time as this" moment is one of action or just being present and listening.

God is calling us to a whole relationship with everything we encounter--God, others, self, systems/governments, creation, etc. And He guides us to respond appropriately to, and participate in each of these. How can we help you build these types relationships that inspire and encourage you toward confession, accountability, and growth...for such a time as this? 

Esther is, in many ways, faced with the same issue as King David: Things aren't going as expected, and not only are the Israelites in exile, there are individuals seeking their destruction.

Esther finds herself in a position of influence. She must carefully navigate her position to protect God's people, and rely on the counsel of others. But ultimately, she must seize the opportunity she's been given. We too must recognize our own opportunities in the midst of ad lib. 

Paul, Mara, and Bryan discuss last week's sermon re: Daniel in today's series discussion. 

Israel is still in exile, though we're several years past the days of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Once again persecution comes because Daniel will not go with the flow. He refuses to worship the king, and openly worships God. He's led to the lion's den, and once again God intercedes.

The point of the story is this: whether God intercedes or not, we will worship only God.

In the sermon Sunday August 9, we talked a little about "Rack, Shack, and Benny" (a.k.a. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), and their part in God's epic story. Today, Pastors Josh, Mara, and Paul discuss ways the time we're living in now mirrors some of this time period when the Israelites were in exile.

What does it look like to live faithfully in exile? How can we intentionally seek the welfare of the community we're living in? Is there a balance between blending in and standing out? Because the truth is, exile isn't bad--it's good. It's refining. Living in times of wilderness and/or exile forces us to determine who we're going to depend on. Who is Lord of your life? What do you choose to orient your life around? Who/what is competing for your affection or devotion? 

Standing firm means there's a certain level of vulnerability that, to live like Rack, Shack, and Benny, we need to allow our neighbors to see. And sometimes that can mean withdrawing from the games our culture likes to play.  

A portion of Israel is in exile, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are faced with a challenge: bow to the image of the king or get thrown into a fiery furnace. They refuse, but are unharmed by the flames, and they're joined by one who looks like the Son of God.

We learn two powerful things in this story: 1) Never worship powers other than God. Participate as God leads, but never bow down. And, 2) Never go with the flow in the ad lib. Our convictions should keep us from floating downstream.

This summer we've been tracking the Israelites in their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, and seeing how they've come to rely on God throughout this epic adventure. At this point in the story, David has killed a giant, been anointed by Samuel to be the next king, and has ended up in Saul's inner circle. But despite his innocence and a history of doing right, David lands on the opposite of Saul's good side.

Time and again, David had the opportunity to kill Saul, but didn't. Meanwhile Saul pursued David, and in doing so lost his own life and that of his son. David remained true to Saul to the end and even lamented Saul's death. A man after God's own heart, David acted out God's will in a way that didn't make sense to those around him, during a time when things definitely weren't going as planned. The pressure was on him and yet he continually sought the character of God and acted accordingly.

So the question we're digging into is this... how do we make sure we're living God's way when the unexpected happens? When we're living ad lib in the midst of a pandemic?

Dr. Nelson Perdue joins us for a special, one day revival service.