Element Christian Church
Not So Little Women: Week 8 - Esther
Locations & Times
Element Christian Church
4890 Bethany Ln, Santa Maria, CA 93455, USA
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:45 AM
Welcome to Element
We strive to ensure the biggest thing people think when they hear about Element is Jesus! We are a Gospel centered community who finds our identity in Jesus.
Community Dinners
Throughout November, Element's Gospel Communities will be hosting community dinners to celebrate the season together--these will take place at various locations throughout our community! If you are interested in attending one of these gatherings you can click this link or come talk to us at the Welcome Center.
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/642121Youth Community Dinner and Cook Off
Students in grades 6-12 AND their families are invited to share a meal with 2 of our Gospel Communities and show off their baking skills! See details at link below.
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/508014Help Needed: Old Orcutt Christmas Eve
We still need a lot more help for our Old Orcutt Christmas Eve celebration. Click the link to see the various ways you can help.
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/603488Grief Share
Element's second round of Griefshare, a 13-week support group for those who have lost a loved one, will be taking place on Tuesday nights from 6-8 PM starting January 9th. The Griefshare process includes video lessons, group discussions, and workbook exercises to help participants process their loss and find support and encouragement from others
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/615934%20Youth Winter Camp
See dates and details at link below
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/calendar/event/140035913eKids Winter Camp
See dates and details at link below
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/638436Delta Staff Holiday Meal
A tradition that is near and dear to our hearts. Please sign up to help with a food item or decorations.
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/643414Delta Holiday Store
We are once again hosting the Delta High School Holiday store Dec 4th-8th. We need help with donations and staffing. List of items can be found at the Welcome Center and sign ups to help are at the link below
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/639461Missions Newletter Update
Get the latest on the various local and global ministries Element helps support.
https://www.ourelement.org/downloads/2023/2023_11_fall_MissionsUpdate.pdfWE NEED HELP
We are in GREAT need of help in all areas on Sunday mornings. Time commitment can be as little as 15 minutes once a month. Please consider serving your church in some capacity.
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/people/forms/395779Stay Connected - Download the Church Center App
https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/setupThis week's song list
Interested in looking for some of the songs we sang this week? Here's the titles and original artists:<br><br>One Thing Remains - Jeremy Riddle<br>Your Love Never Fails - Jesus Culture<br>Come As You Are - Crowder<br>Valley - Chris McClarney<br>Glorious Day - Passion<br>God Is For Us - Passion
Esther
When we see things that look sexist or misogynistic in the Bible, we must understand that those things came about because of the Fall. Rather than a reflection of God’s heart/character, such things reflect the damage of sin in our world and our own rebellion against God. Misogyny is a distortion of God’s original intent and design. Therefore, it’s important to understand God’s redemptive work, as opposed to blaming Him for the faults of sinful people.
The book of Esther is meant to show God’s providential care of His people. Providence is “the foreseeing care and guidance of God over the creatures of the earth.” God is not specifically mentioned in Esther, and the absence of His mention is especially striking.
• What do we learn? – How we begin is not how we have to end and we are to trust God in the world by living for Him and His glory in whatever “palace” He has placed us.
Esther got off to a horrible start, but the end of her story shows us how God stayed with her and brought transformation—even when she forgot Him. God is patient with her and grows her into a woman of maturity. We should be encouraged by this, as God intends to use all of us for His work in the world.
The most foundational thing the Scriptures teach is that our relationship with God is broken. Similarly, our world needs to be healed because our relationships with each other are broken. How do you heal that? We don’t, but God does in the Gospel. We must understand that we were all created by God and God gave us everything we have. We owe Him everything.
Esther saved her people in two ways: identification and mediation. She identified with her people and said, “If I perish, I’ll perish.” Because she identified with them, she could mediate on their behalf. She went before the throne of power, and because she received favor there, that favor was imputed to her people. Esther points to Jesus, who has both identified with and mediated for us.
Ask/ Discuss:
• What did you learn about God in this passage/ message?
• What did you learn about yourself/humanity in this passage/message?
• How can we better reflect Jesus together as we live in diverse community?
• How do you feel led to foster healthy, Gospel-centered community this week?