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“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”
Mark 16:6-7 (NIV)

Wendy and I read an article over the weekend in The Free Press about The Absurd Genius of Netflix Christmas Films. Apparently, Netflix has been producing an entire genre of Christmas themed romantic comedies aimed specifically at the Millennial generation. Hot Frosty?! Yes, it’s what you think, and you don’t want to know. No thank you. I enjoy a number of modern Christmas movies, but I’ll always be an It’s a Wonderful Life kind of guy.

In my lifetime, the Christmas movie genre has become a thing. Yes, there were a handful of classic Christmas movies that played annually on the four broadcast television channels we could get in home growing up. But then cable television became a thing with tons of channels looking for Christmas programming to attract viewers, including the Hallmark Channel. You might not know it, but no one had really heard or remembered It’s a Wonderful Life when I was a kid. It took on a life of its own because it had fallen into obscurity and no one claimed the rights to it at that time. This meant that every cable channel could broadcast it for free, and they did. For a few years it was on every channel all the time. Between that and the invention of home video cassette recorders, millions rediscovered the movie for the classic it is. Everyone today knows the story of George Bailey, and that’s a good thing.

I have a file in a drawer in my office. In this file are words of encouragement I’ve received from people across my life journey. I keep the cards, hand written notes, postcards, and the like because one of the things I’ve learned about myself across the years is that I have a penchant for occasionally spiraling into a pessimistic funk. People are always surprised to learn this, but you can ask Wendy. It’s a thing. Like George Bailey, I start to think that nothing I do in this life really matters. It’s funny to even write that sentence because it sounds silly and dramatic enough to be in a Hallmark Christmas movie. Still, that’s the point. I occasionally need a reminder that my feelings are silly and dramatic, and the words in that file folder remind me of that. I honestly can’t remember the last time I actually opened that file, but I know it’s there.

I thought of this in the quiet this morning because I noticed that when the angel announces to the three women that Jesus had risen from the dead, Mark records that the angel says, “tell his disciples, and Peter.”

When we last saw Peter in the story a couple of chapters ago, the rooster had just crowed. Peter’s rock solid commitment to be loyal to Jesus to the death had crumbled into three fear-driven lies. He claimed he didn’t even know Jesus.

It’s not hard for me to imagine Peter’s shame. He was the man Jesus had appointed leader of The Twelve. Peter was one of Jesus trusted inner circle. Jesus depended on Peter. It was Jesus who turned “Simon” into “Peter, the rock.” When it came to the crucial moment when Peter assumed that Jesus needed him the most, “the rock” turned out to be pea gravel. He failed the test. His faith in Jesus turned out to be a sham, and Jesus’ faith in him was all for nothing. At least, I can imagine Peter muttering that to himself.

Then, the angel names Peter specifically. Tell the disciples and Peter.

Peter, this isn’t finished.

Peter, don’t think for a second that you’ve been relieved of duty.

Peter, meet Jesus in Galilee. He needs to have a word with you.

Life is a marathon, and along the way I believe every person hits the wall, not just once, but multiple times. Along the race, we need occasional reminders like Clarence provided George, like the words in that file folder in the drawer behind me, like the angel gave Peter through the ladies at Jesus’ empty tomb.

I’d like to wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I am taking a break from this chapter-a-day journey for the rest of the holiday season, and will see you back here, Lord willing, in 2025. If you need a fix, please remember there’s an entire archive of past posts on the website at: https://tomvanderwell.com/2019/09/02/chapter-a-day-posts-by-book/

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!

“According to law, what must be done to Queen Vashti?” he asked. “She has not obeyed the command of King Xerxes that the eunuchs have taken to her.”
Esther 1:15 (NIV)

In the days after the end of Game of Thrones, I have suffered a bit of withdrawal. I know I am not alone in this. While nothing in the current entertainment market is going to really compare to the epic series, of late I have been catching up on the series, The Last Kingdom, (on Netflix) which has enjoyably filled the void. It follows the life of a young English noble who is captured and raised by Vikings while his uncle claims the title and land rightfully his by birth. The series is set in a period of actual history when Vikings threatened to conquer all the kingdoms of the British isle while Alfred the Great sought to join the disparate Kingdoms of the isle into one united England.

One of the interesting themes that I have noticed of late in multiple series and movies set in medieval times is how the role of women is handled. Certainly, the dark ages and middle ages were a time in which women had little or no social standing. Daughters of nobility were married off to create political alliances. Writers seem to enjoy creating female characters of strength and courage who challenge and undermine the status quo of that time. I laughed a lot as I watched the character of Brida (played expertly by Emily Cox) in The Last Kingdom (who, like the male protagonist was a young Brit captured and raised as a pagan Viking) who re-enters English society and all of the male priests and nobles have no idea how to handle this strong, fiery, female warrior. Earl the Bruce’s wife in the movie Outlaw King (also on Netflix) is another recent example.

Today we begin another chapter-a-day journey through the book of Esther. Along with the stories of Daniel and Jonah, which we just blogged through in the past few months, Esther is set in the period of exile when many of the Hebrew people were living in exiled captivity to a successive series of foreign empires (Babylonian, Mede, and Persian). Esther is one of the most enjoyable and unique reads in the entirety of God’s Message.

The first chapter sets the scene as the Persian Queen, Vashti, refuses her intoxicated husband’s demand that she present herself to him and the drunken, seven-day binge of a frat-boy party that he and his court were having. King Xerxes wanted to serve his wife up to be sexually ogled by his “noble” entourage. When Vashti has the self-respect and courage to refuse her husband’s demand, the boys decide that she must be punished so that all women would know their place and all men could cement their power over their wives and households.

Today’s chapter sets the scene for the story on which we are about to embark. It establishes the setting in an ancient culture in which men systemically dominated politics, society, and culture. Women had little or no power, and to challenge the system – even for the best of reasons – could lead to very negative consequences. The Hebrews, as a people living in exile, understood this position of powerlessness.

As I think about the historical setting of the story of Esther, of the courage of Vashti to stand up to her drunken husband, and the examples of strong women in weak social positions that I’ve been watching of late, I can’t help but think of my wife and my daughters. God has surrounded me with strong women whom I greatly respect. I am partnered with a fiery, Enneagram 8 of a wife, who compliments and challenges me in all sorts of healthy ways. I also know, however, that most of human history would not have treated her and her God-given temperament kindly, despite what Hollywood writers portray as they try to bring 9th-century realities to 21st-century audiences.

In the quiet this morning I find myself excited to once again wade through the amazing story of Esther. It reminds me of the spiritual paradoxes that lie at the heart of being a follower of Jesus: that strength is found in weakness, that spiritual power is often unleashed in temporal impotence, and that the power of Life is found on the other side of death.