Shame

Should the church be a place that welcomes outsiders? In this remarkable story, we see Christianity crossing geographic, cultural, ethnic, and national boundaries. But that’s only part of it. It’s also the story of a man who was spiritually curious yet had almost certainly been wounded by religious people.

This episode is the heart of the Esther story and it has it all: Suspended suspense, intense irony, a dramatic reversal of fortune, and dark humor. While it reads like a made-for-TV drama, our entertainment isn’t it’s primary aim. This story for the ages offers timeless lessons to help us navigate with bravery and grace the drama of our own lives.

Why are we the way we are? Why are we filled with potential, but also profoundly struggle? Why do we have a strong urge for freedom, but also find ourselves sometimes stuck? The famous story of Adam and Eve’s seduction in the garden is the place to go to discover answers to these questions and find hope.

We can renew our hope by fixing our eyes on a God who would face the shame of his own death and embrace glory of his own resurrection so that we can be brought back into a living relationship with himself.