We traditionally think of Advent as a time of waiting. Looking to the past, we reenact our expectation of the impending arrival of the Christ-child. Looking to the future, we await the promised arrival of the Son of Man. In both cases, Advent waiting means anticipating God’s intervention in the world on behalf of justice, mercy, and peace.

Yet reading Advent through the eyes of the book of Esther reminds us that Advent waiting should never be merely passive. Advent waiting means recognizing that God has prepared each of us to act in this very moment, bringing God’s justice and mercy and peace to the world.

The book of Esther is set in a time when ethnic nationalism threatens the lives of the Jewish people living in Persia. Esther, a Jew who has become queen of Persia, now finds herself in a position to save her people.

The Rise of Ethnic Hatred

The ethnic hatred that now threatens her people had not always been so apparent in the Empire, but one suspects it had long seethed just beneath the surface. It was only when King Ahasuerus had promoted the Agagite Haman to vizier of the Empire that anti-Jewish sentiment had erupted into the public sphere. It seems that then, as now, ethnic hatred awaits its opportunities, when powerful people can be won to its cause.

In this case the occasion was a proclamation by Haman that all the king’s servants should bow to him when he passed through the royal gates. But Esther’s cousin Mordecai, one of the palace guards, refused to bow (3:2). After some days, his fellow guards reported his disobedience to Haman “because [Mordecai] had told them that he was a Jew” (3:4). They singled him out for his ethnicity and reported him to Haman.

When Haman had heard of Mordecai’s refusal to bow before him, he determined not only to punish Mordecai, but in fact to “exterminate all the Jews” (3:6).

For Such a Time as This

Now, as Haman sets his genocidal plan into action, Mordecai appeals to Esther to save their people. Initially, Esther’s inclination is to wait. She had never asked for such responsibility, and acting on behalf of her people would put her own life in peril. The king is unpredictable, and her life may be in danger.

But Mordecai insists that waiting isn’t an option. The moment is urgent, and Esther must act. He says,

Do not think that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father’s family will perish. (4:13-14)

While Esther may think that her position offers her some security, Mordecai sees that privilege is no protection. Ethnic violence doesn’t respect job titles. The hatred that threatens the Jews will ensnare her, too. Esther must act.

At first, Esther’s call to action may seem to undermine the value of Advent waiting. Yet a closer look shows that the Advent expectation of God’s justice and Esther’s urgent action are in fact closely intertwined. Indeed, Mordecai insists that if Esther does not act, that deliverance for the Jews will “arise from another quarter” (4:14). Then he goes on to tell Esther that she has risen to her position as queen for “just such a time as this” (4:14).

God has been working in the background of Esther’s story for just this moment. For Esther to act does not mean that she lacks sufficient faith to wait for God to act. Rather, Esther’s action is God’s action. She has been waiting her whole life for God to act through her in just this way. If Esther chooses not to act, it seems, God will find another way. But God has long been preparing Esther for just this very moment.

Advent Waiting in Action

For us, too, Advent waiting means recognizing the ways has been preparing us for just such a moment as this one. We, too, live in a time when ethnic nationalism is on the rise, when people’s lives are in danger simply because of who they are. We, too, live amidst threats of violence—against people of color, against immigrants and refugees. We, too, live in a time when a person’s heritage can be excuse enough to threaten them, to dehumanize them, and even to kill them.

For us, Advent waiting means reminding ourselves that perhaps God has been preparing us, too, for this very moment. Advent waiting means taking action on behalf of God’s justice and mercy. Advent waiting means refusing to hide behind our positions and privileges, risking action on behalf of those without access to power. Advent waiting means realizing that our own well-being is tied up with those whose lives are threatened daily by the forces of bigotry and hatred. While relief may come from another quarter, perhaps God has been preparing us for just such a time as this.

To learn more about my interpretation of Esther in light of ethnic nationalism see The Forgotten Books of the Bible, available now from Fortress Press.