In the book of Esther there's this interesting situation in the fourth chapter that's driving my writing this week. Esther has entered into the King of Persia's harem as his queen. As a part of this group, her world is restricted to the palace and she's unable to go out of it. Her cousin, Mordecai, hears about a plot to kill all the Jews and puts on sackcloth so he can mourn publicly with all the Jews who also hear of this plot. By mourning, Mordecai is unable to go into the courts of the king and so he's cut off from Esther. Esther hears that Mordecai is mourning, but since she cannot leave the palace she is cut off from understand what he needs. The book goes on to tell of a game of telephone that Mordecai and Esther play through one of the king's servants. They pass messages back and forth to one another through this servant and Esther learns of the plot to kill all the Jews and is encouraged by Mordecai to try and speak with the king about it.
When I think about this story, I think about my street. I live in a house next to the church where I work. I have a neighbour on one side of me, and there are a few dozen houses within walking distances of me, but each one reminds me of the King of Persia's palace because I know that people are in them, but I don't feel able to approach them. I'm cut off from others by the distance from the sidewalk to the front door.
I also think about the many neighbourhoods with many homes further afield. Each one feels equally like a palace to me because they feel distant and inaccessible. The people inside are part of their own world and I am a part of mine and we rarely intersect with one another. If I connect this to the story of Esther, I wonder what keeps us like this and I also wonder who could becomes the "king's servant" in my own story. How can I bridge the divide between myself and others to connect with one another and understand one another?
There are some simple answers to this. I could just break the space and walk up to the front door and knock on it, but that doesn't seem like the right approach. Then it's an invasion and not an attempt to connect. I wouldn't like it if someone did that to me. I could try and catch them when they're outside or in some kind of third space, but there aren't many of those in my neighbourhood. The library isn't open anymore, there's no store or gas station, and the local park remains empty most of the time because people have more than enough room in their own yard to play. This week as I'm reading Esther, I'm praying for a "servant of the king." Some way to pass messages back and forth to connect with people who are close by.
