Everyone loves a good story. And the story of Esther, queen of Persia, is as good a story you will find. It is also one of the more surprising parts of Scripture: would you believe there is a Bible story where God is everywhere at work but nowhere named? That’s the story of Esther.

Over the past few years, we have seen how story can embed very meaningful ideas. Here are a few of the ideas we will explore in this series:

providence — despite appearances which can suggest otherwise, God is deeply embedded in the stories we are part of
culture and context — we are given a time and place in which to shine
evil — there is always a force that threatens
crisis — a moment comes when courageous and just decisions must be made
character — the honors and gifts that God gives are for the benefit of others
hopeful reversal — in the face of real danger, there is always the hope of gracious and good outcomes (this is a resurrection story)

Esther is a story about God without a lot of God-talk. That might be a lesson in itself.

Part 1: Context and Characters: Jeremy Duncan
Part 2: When God Does’t Show Up: Jeremy Duncan
Part 3: Courage and Fear: Jeremy Duncan
Part 4: Ironic Isn’t It?: Jeremy Duncan
Part 5: Wrapping Up and Getting It Wrong: Jeremy Duncan