I woke up this morning to my first sunflower of the season. It towers ten feet. The petals are fearfully and wonderfully made—even the slightly eschewed one, giving notice that beauty needs not perfection. It makes the bloom all the more joyous. I had to share it with you, like Mordecai shared his joy.
You know Mordecai—the cousin and mentor of Queen Esther. In Esther, chapter 8, he is promoted over the household of his enemy—Haman, the anti-Semite—for foiling his plot to kill Mordecai, Esther and all the Jews exiled in Persia. The gallows meant for Mordecai were used to hang Hamen. This promotion of Mordecai was no small thing. What came with it was an edict from the Persian King granting the Jews the right to be free and defend themselves from mortal threat. The result of the king’s proclamation was joy.
…there was gladness and joy for the Jews, a feast, and a holiday. And many among the peoples of the land became Jews, for the dread of the Jews had fallen on them. Esther 8:17c
The Hebrew word for this joy is sason, an exaltation, a rejoicing like that of a wedding party—unbridled, full-throated. Hold nothing back. Get out the barbeque pit. Get out the red soda and peach cobbler. Party, over here! Pardon my over-the-top exuberance. But that was the reaction that swept the land when freedom was announced for the Jews.
The central truth of chapter 8 is this: When God gives you personal victory, extend it to all. The fruit of Mordecai’s faithfulness was a corporate joy, thus a national holiday. The Jews still celebrate it today—Purim—the day hate was outlawed; freedom was freed for all. The holiday of Purim, thanks to Mordecai’s promotion, was no small thing.
Neither is Juneteenth, the national holiday, commemoration of the belated news of the Emancipation Proclamation reaching Texas in 1865, more than two years after the original signing of this edict of freedom. Like it was for the Jews in Mordecai’s day, this holiday is big—ten-foot Sunflower big. The seed of the Constitution’s creed was beginning to blossom. So, I was disappointed to hear someone-- a librarian, a gatekeeper of stories—call Juneteenth silly, to “have a national holiday in the middle of the week.” She was bemoaning the inconvenience it caused. Imagine the inconvenience caused for slaves working an additional two and a half years for the sake of a state’s economic wellbeing. What about a human being’s “certain unalienable rights to life, liberty and freedom.” Juneteenth was no small thing.
A personal God-victory, no matter how small it seems, is a big thing in the scope of His plans. So, look for the magnificent in the miniscule, and celebrate it.
When a nursing home resident has moved from a wheel chair to a walker after months of hard rehab, celebrate it.
When a colleague moves to their first “starter” home, albeit a mobile home, after years of renting, celebrate it.
When a young person beats an addiction, celebrate it.
As I walk the halls of the nursing home where I minister, the best I can do is to narrow the residents view of their situation, to look for God in the small things where joy often hides, and share it. It’s not silly if God’s in it. Celebrate it.
Mordecai helped a small girl win a big beauty contest. That girl was promoted to a position of assess to power during a time of oppression “for such a time like this.” A plot to exterminate her people was foiled. Out of that people came the Son of God, the savior of the world. You would agree that’s kind of a big deal, wouldn’t you?
Let’s celebrate each other’s small victories. You never know how big—Sunflower big—they will become.
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