For Such a Time As This

There are only two books in the Hebrew scriptures where God is not mentioned. One is the Song of Songs and the other is the narrative of Queen Esther. Esther is a young Hebrew woman who, through a series of unlikely events, finds herself the new wife of the king of Persia. The king knows of Esther’s beauty, but he does not know that she is a Hebrew woman. Esther becomes queen at a time when one of the king’s most trusted advisors has persuaded the king to institute a mass extermination of all the Hebrew people in the kingdom. This edict puts Esther in a terrible position - one that today we might call a position of moral distress. On the one hand, if she reveals her Hebrew identity to the king, she could be killed. On the other hand, if she does not speak out, her people will be exterminated.

Esther seeks counsel from her uncle Mordecai who challenges her to live into the fullest expression of her calling as a Hebrew woman, stating that she may have become queen at this particular time and in this particular place “for such a time as this” (Esther 4.14).

We who are working in healthcare at this particular time and in this particular place are being called to live into the fullest sense of our calling, “for such a time as this.” For some this may mean balancing the dual risks of caring for patients while caring for our own health. For others this may mean advocating for the common good as we also uphold the dignity of every human person. For still others this may mean re-embracing our original call to create and hold the space where healing may happen, in the midst of what seems to be unending layers of tragedy, distress, loss, and grief.

With all of these complexities in mind,

May we, like Esther, live into the fullest expression of our calling, in such a time as this

May we, like Esther, know we are not alone, in such a time as this

May we, like Ester, sense how we are enfolded in the mercy of the Holy One, in such a time as this

In all of the places where God is named and all of the places where God is not named.

Amen.

For reflection alone or together:

What does it mean for you to live into the fullest expression of your calling?

What reminds you that you are not alone?