This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on 8th March 2026, by Navaz. For the audio , please click here. For the worship, please click here. Disruptive Faith: The
Esther Challenge
We often imagine faith as quiet, agreeable, and polite.
Many of us were taught that faith means patience, endurance,
and submission. And yes—faith often requires endurance.
But Scripture also shows something uncomfortable:
Sometimes faith disrupts.
Faith can look like:
- · Refusing what dehumanises
- · Risking what feels safe
- · Reforming what culture calls normal
When Jesus announced the Kingdom of God, His message
disrupted systems, challenged injustice, and brought those on the
margins—especially women—into the centre of God’s story.
The Book of Esther begins with exactly this kind of
disruption.
Not with a miracle.
Not with prophecy.
But with a woman who says no.
And that refusal sets redemption in motion.
Vashti: The Courage
to Refuse
In Esther 1, King Xerxes commands Queen Vashti to
appear before a drunken gathering of nobles to display her beauty.
She refuses.
For centuries, Vashti was often portrayed as rebellious or
disobedient. But a closer reading shows something different. She is the only
person in that chapter who preserves dignity.
Her refusal comes at a cost:
- · She loses her crown
- · She loses her position
- · She disappears from the story
But her “no” exposes the injustice of the system.
What looks like failure becomes a holy disruption. Her
refusal creates the space for Esther to later rise.
Sometimes obedience to God begins with refusing what
diminishes human dignity.
History gives us similar examples. Savitribai Phule refused
to accept a society that denied education to girls. She faced ridicule and
hostility, yet her courage changed history.
Not every “no” is rebellion.
Sometimes a faithful “no” is an act of courage.
Esther: The Courage
to Risk
If Vashti teaches us the courage to refuse, Esther teaches
us the courage to risk.
When a decree threatens the destruction of her people,
Mordecai challenges her:
“And who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such
a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)
Approaching the king without invitation could mean death.
Yet Esther responds:
“If I perish, I perish.”
She chooses courage over safety, voice over silence, and
sacrifice over self-preservation.
Like Esther, many have used their position to challenge
injustice. One example is Pandita Ramabai, who confronted caste discrimination
and the mistreatment of women despite great personal cost.
Esther reminds us that faith sometimes requires stepping forward when silence feels safer.
Two Women, One
Courage
Vashti refuses.
Esther risks.
Different strategies.
The same courage.
Disruptive faith takes more than one form.
Sometimes faith says no to injustice.
Sometimes faith steps forward to change the story.
Both require courage.
Jesus: The Ultimate
Disruption
At the centre of the Gospel is the greatest disruption of
all.
Jesus gave everything.
Again and again, He restored dignity to women who had been
shamed, silenced, or marginalised. One such moment occurs when a woman pours
costly perfume on His feet in an act of worship while others judge her.
What the world calls waste, Jesus calls worship.
Through the cross, Christ confronts the broken systems created by sin and restores humanity to its calling as God’s image-bearers.
For Such a Time as This
The question for us today is not:
Is this comfortable?
Is this safe?
The real question is:
Is this faithful to the Kingdom of God?
For such a time as this:
- · We must refuse what dehumanises
- · We must risk comfort for courage
- · We must give so others may live
Disruptive faith is not loud rebellion.
It is costly obedience rooted in love.
And until the day Christ restores all things, we are called
to live out that faith—right where we are.
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