Esther tells Mordecai to gather all the Jewish people to fast and pray. She knows she needs spiritual resources beyond herself. Sometimes it takes fasting and praying to be open to God's life that will empower us to live with faith, hope and love.

May we open our lives for the spiritual resources of God. The best way to do this is to pray and fast. Sometimes our only prayer might be "Lord, help". When we fast (even a short fast) it intensifies our longing to open our lives up to God's resources in our challenges.

If we're going to live as God's people in a difficult time such as this we're going to need the support and friendship of others. Esther had Mordecai who challenges her and holds her accountable. Esther also gathered other women around her to face this challenge.

We need a Mordecai in our lives who challenges us and holds us accountable. Do you have such a Mordecai in your life? If not, may you ask God to reveal to you this Mordecai, this soul friend. Do you have that small support group surrounding you?

If we're going to be God's people in a difficult time such as this, then we need to live in a living relationship with our Saviour. Esther isn't our saviour. Esther was courageous and without that act there may not have been Jewish people today. She was incredibly courageous.

In Esther 9 things turn around and the Jewish people are given permission to kill their enemies who would've killed them on that day. Esther asks for one more day to kill more people. Somehow her life was captured by a deep self-interest for herself and her own nation only.

If we're going to live as God's people we need to be liberated from self-interest. Self-interest destroys relationships, teams, homes, communities, nations. Christ comes to us as we wrestle with our self-interest. Christ gives his life for everyone.

We're set free to genuinely love others. The "us and them" categories fall away. We listen to and take an interest in people who are different from us. We become others-centred and live in a new freedom for God and others. That's what we so desperately need today.

Esther had the position of Queen. What's your sphere of influence? Wherever we may be, may we live today in these difficult times as God's people, with faith, hope and love. We'll need resources beyond ourselves, we'll need a Mordecai and a group of friends to support us.

Above all we'll need a living relationship with the living Saviour who liberates us from self-interest to live in a new way for God and for others. May God renew our faith, our hope and our love for God and for others. Amen.

Welcome to our service this morning. We end our series "Famous Old Testament Stories". Today we look at the story of Moses in Exodus 14:15-31.

In scripture the sea usually represents personal threat to one's safety and wellbeing. Whenever the sea is mentioned in scripture we can expect chaos and uncertainty and disorder. The sea calls people to be alert in the midst of chaos.

When referring to the story of crossing the Red Sea, we often only hear about Moses crossing the Red Sea. But he was one of over a million Hebrews who left Egypt. Is this maybe a misrepresentation? It's at least informative.

This story highlights the importance of Moses. The Hebrews escaping captivity would never have happened were it not for Moses. Isn't it true that in times of threat, when there's voices of criticism, a Moses figure is what's needed, someone who hears God's call.

In the midst of chaos, a Moses figure is life. Someone who obediently acts and does what God requires them to do. This person is an indispensable presence in the midst of potential disaster. Who is the Moses figure in your own life? Are you perhaps a Moses to someone else?

There may be some people in your own life who need a Moses figure. Our country desperately needs a Moses figure. May God continue to find people to become a Moses figure for the sake and benefit of millions and for the glory of God.

Moses crossing the Red Sea had less to do with human effort and more to do with God blowing with his breath just enough to make a way forward for the Hebrews. God protected the Hebrew people. Do you know of God's activity in this world, of God's activity of protection?

Do you know of God's activity of dealing with evil in this world? A God who hears the desperate cries of a panicked people leaving Egypt and responds to them. A God who takes evil and offers sacrificial love and forgiveness, mercy and holiness, reconciliation and care.

When we know God as our guide, our protector and deliverer, when we know that the good that happens in this world has more to do with God than with us, then we are able to declare that we won't be afraid and stand firm and see the deliverance of God.

This story calls us to thank God for the Moses figures in our lives, and inspires us to be Moses figures in this world. This story asks us to witness to God's goodness active in this world, and this activity is far beyond any human effort. May it be so. Amen.