8.25.19 Sunday School Horror Stories: Esther

THIS WEEK: After the Queen of Persia is deposed for refusing the King's order to parade naked through a party drunk, powerful, entitled men, King needs a new wife. Enter young Esther, who is selected to participate in what is basically a year long beauty contest to become the next lucky lady to be ordered around by the King.
But be careful, young Esther! Don't tell anyone you're Jewish, because the King's main advisor is plotting to kill all the Jewish people in Persia. Recently seen on a list of "Bible Stories Preschool Girls Should Know", cuz, obvi.

The book of Esther is the only canonized book in the Christian bible that makes no reference to God. But in a world of modern #metoo horror stories, lifting up the experiences of women navigating sexualization, oppression, and power has never been more important.

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Join us this summer as we revisit those classic bible stories adults love to tell to children: David & Goliath, Jonah & the Whale, Noah’s Ark, and more. We love to tell these stories to kids because they feature children and/or animals, but on closer examination, these stories are MESSED UP.

Child soldiers, whales who swallow people whole, and (let’s face it) God’s genocide of basically the entire planet. We’ll revisit these stories with a more critical lens and discover that while the horror is real, so is the grace, beauty, and love of God.