Part One: The Church of Queen Esther

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I would like to let everyone know this simple truth:

church is fun.

Let me elaborate a little bit before we dive into this series. I’ll first explain why I think “fun” is central to being a Christian and being a part of the church.

The definition of the word fun is “enjoyment” or “lighthearted pleasure.” I believe that this is precisely what we experience when we wake up to Jesus and when we realize all of the simple truths of the gospel: that we’re loved, that we’re sons and daughters of God, that we’re free from sin and washed clean, and that we get to live forever.

When we are awakened to the truth of being alive in Christ, enjoyment and pleasure come very naturally. We are effortlessly happy, not worried about the things that the world worries about (see Matthew 6:31-32). We are able to find joy even in the midst of suffering. Like Paul in prison, we still find a way to “rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)

As a community of believers worldwide, we have a sense of fun that God is spreading the good news all over the world. We are aware of the sorrow of life, and we mourn with those who mourn, but ultimately we know that Jesus has overcome all sin, sickness, and death, and that He has the last laugh. And this gives us a sense of our own laughter. It’s truly the light yoke and easy burden that Christ promised us (Matthew 11:30).

When you hear the word “fun,” understand that I am talking about a life of joy. I don’t think the world has the final claim on the word “fun.” I think that Christ is filled with fun and that He shares His fun with us (see John 16:11).

Esther and the Church

I believe that the community of believers that existed in the days of Queen Esther give us a great picture of who we are in this present day. Let me give you a quick refresher of the story . . .

The tale of Esther starts off with an enemy. A man named Haman was seeking to kill and destroy all Jews. Haman had a history of being offended by the Jews and so he tried to use his political power to wipe them out (Esther 3:6).

Through lies and manipulation, Haman convinced the King of Persia to write a letter that would be sent out into every region of the kingdom, declaring that all Jews must be destroyed, killed, and annihilated. In response to this declaration, the people were thrown into confusion (Esther 3:13-15).

A Jew named Mordecai worked together with his niece, Queen Esther, to turn the king’s heart in favor of the Jews. In a stunning turn of events, Haman was exposed for his evil plan and he was hung on the very gallows that Haman himself had prepared for Mordecai (Esther 7:9).

The king wrote a new letter, with the command that the Jews should live. The curse was reversed. Instead of death and destruction, the Jews received LIFE. The book of Esther says this: “The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor. And in every province and in every city, wherever the king’s command and his edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, for fear of the Jews had fallen on them.” (Esther 8:16-17)

I believe this is a wonderful picture of the church. I’m assuming you have already connected the dots of the story of Esther. It’s a simple story of going from death to life; from fear and sorrow to joy and lightness and gladness . . . from a day of doom to a feast and a holiday.

Imagine being a Jew in the time of Esther. There has been news spreading everywhere that you and all of your friends and family are going to be killed. You are terrified. A deep sense of fear grips your heart and mind every moment of every day. When are they going to come and kill us? You’re praying to God, hoping that He intervenes. And then one day, there is new news. Word gets to town of a new edict from the king! The Jews will live! Joy floods your heart! You and your family begin celebrating! It’s a dance party! And wherever you see other Jews, you celebrate again in the victory! The fear is gone!

This is what it’s like for us. We’ve heard the good news about Jesus–that we’ve been given life! Death no longer has power of us and we’ve been freed from fear (Hebrews 4; 1 John 4)! And so we celebrate! We dance! And whenever we see our brothers and sisters who also believe the good news, we celebrate some more! We have a collective sense of joy in the victory! 

This is the simple experience of everyone who has awakened to the power and hope of the “command” and “edict” of the true King, Jesus Christ. There is a letter written over our lives, and it reads, “Abundant Life” (see John 10:10). The enemy who sought to kill us, has been exposed and defeated. The story of Esther gives us a very nice picture of the gospel.

Since we have come to know Christ, wherever we go, we carry a “feast and a holiday” (Esther 8:17). We carry the joy of the good news. And this good news actually causes the people around us to want to become one of us, just like many people became Jews at that time. The sense of fun and excitement that we have is contagious to the world around us. We once lived in despair, but then the edict of the King reached us and turned our sorrow into joy.

I love that it says wherever the king’s command reached, there was a feast and a holiday (8:17). It reminds me of when the apostle Paul wrote to the believers of Corinth to “Celebrate the festival” (1 Corinthians 5:8). Our lives are like an ongoing holiday. We’re always celebrating this life that God has given us. Even in the hard times, nothing can steal our joy (John 16:22). For Christ our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed and has risen. The evil plan of the enemy has been thwarted.

I have titled this series, “Church is Fun,” because I really believe it is. Not that we have to try and make it fun. But that simply being believers who have heard the command of the King is the most fun-inducing thing in the entire world. Our hearts cannot deny how fun of an adventure this life really is . . . that God in the flesh has given His life for us and has won the victory for us forever.

Just like the people of Esther’s day, everywhere we go we live in a feast and a holiday. We have joy and lightness; we aren’t worried anymore because we know what the King has written about us, and we live generously because the King has been so generous to us (the people of Esther sent gifts of food to one another and to the poor . . . see Esther 9:22).

And I believe that we don’t need anything more than this. It is enough to live in the fun of being in Christ and living joyfully and generously. If we just stay content with this simple gospel, and that we stay content with the pure fun of it, that that is enough to entice the world to believe too.

Church is fun. Christ is fun. This whole thing, is truly, wildly, fun.

To be continued . . .