When he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her and held out the gold scepter to her. So Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter. (Esther 5:2)

Read: Esther 4:1-7:10, 1 Corinthians 12:1-26, Psalm 36:1-12, Proverbs 21:21-22

Relate: This is my fancy stick. OK, so it isn’t really mine and it isn’t all that fancy. It is just a climbing stick. I will be the first to admit that, despite my attachment to it, the thing is pretty ordinary. My stick started its life as a rake, or a hoe, or some other farming implement. Whatever was on the end has fallen away and now it is just a good, sturdy piece of wood with a little metal sticking out of one end. Most of the year it just sits along the wall of my uncle’s barn waiting for the next mountain to…