Wednesday, October 8th, 2008

Trendsetter: Esther

This weeks "trendsetter" is Esther. Esther was appointed by King Xerxes as Queen of Persia due to her striking beauty. Just when she thought all was well on the home front, a vengeful prime minister, Haman, decided to destroy all of the Jews (little did he know that would include her and her entire family)! Would Esther intervene? Doing so would risk her life! And what difference could she make? She was a powerless partner to a king who strongly preferred women who never interfered with his wishes. Regardless, she stood up for what she believed in (after some eye opening words of wisdom from her fatherly cousin, Mordecai)! As a result, her people lived and in fact, thrived in Persia for years to come!

To Recap: Refer to Esther in your Bibles.
1.What was Esther’s big secret that was kept from King Xerxes? (She was Jewish)
2.What did Mordecai say to Esther to change her mind about talking to the King? (Chapter 4, Verse 13)

Digging In:
1.What is an example of a situation you might face or have faced where it’s sometimes hard to stand up for someone/something?
2.What are some of the reasons it might be hard? How might it affect you negatively? (People may not like you for it, might not be “cool” to go against the crowd)
3.If Jesus were here on earth, visiting your school, how do you think He might handle some of those situations you mentioned earlier? Would he confront people or avoid uncomfortable situations? Would he try to keep the peace by keeping his mouth shut rather than upset the crowd? There is no wrong answer!!!
4.There is a famous quote that says, “What is right is not always popular; what is popular is not always right.” Have you ever or have you seen someone live that quote and how?