When Civility Fails: A Pastor’s Response to Violence, Rage, and the Hard Work of Truth

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  by Bart L. Denny, Ph.D. Introduction — Why I must speak I have been reflecting on recent events in our nation and wrestling with how best to speak into them. As a follower of Jesus Christ and as a pastor, I believe my calling is to shed more light than heat in times of turmoil, and to offer the seasoning of grace in a culture that often tastes bitter. This will not be an exercise in soft-peddling. It will be frank, pastoral, and, where necessary, unflinching. Somewhere, this post will fail to address a consideration that it might have spoken to. I own it, saying in my defense only that space prevents my discussing everything that might be said on a subject and my views on it. Yet undoubtedly, this will cover more ground than most newspaper op-ed articles. Some readers may focus on one thing I say in the post without taking the entirety of what I said here in context. I pray you won't. But I resign myself to the likelihood some will. What I saw this past week I saw a young...
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Hope Remembered, Hope Lived: A Legacy of Deliverance from the Book of Esther

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by Bart Denny

Weevil monumentIn the town of Enterprise, Alabama, there stands a monument not to a war hero or a statesman—but to a bug. That’s right, the town built a statue to the boll weevil. Why? Because in 1915, this little pest devastated cotton crops and threatened the local economy. But out of that disaster came innovation and resilience. The community turned to peanut farming and ended up more prosperous than ever before.

They didn’t just survive—they flourished. And they remembered.

That’s exactly what we see at the end of the Book of Esther. What began as a death sentence turned into a deliverance story. What started in silence ends in celebration. And the legacy wasn’t just about survival—it was about hope worth remembering and passing on.

The Old Testament book of Esther helps us to explore what it means to live out a legacy of deliverance.

Celebrate God’s Faithfulness with Purpose
(Esther 9:20–28)

When Mordecai and Queen Esther established the festival of Purim, they weren’t just throwing a party. They were building a holy rhythm of remembrance. They declared that every year, on the 14th and 15th of Adar, the Jews should celebrate “when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration” (Esther 9:22).

Why the emphasis on remembering?

Because remembering what God has done fuels our hope for what He will do.

The Bible is full of these rhythms:

  • Passover commemorated the Exodus.
  • Worship songs and Psalms pass stories of God’s goodness from one generation to the next (Psalm 145).
  • The Lord’s Supper reminds us of Christ’s sacrifice (Luke 22:19).
  • Baptism publicly celebrates our resurrection into new life (Romans 6:4).
  • Personal testimonies spark faith in others.
  • Spiritual markers—whether written in journals, commemorated in prayer, or shared in family devotions—keep our faith alive and visible.

One family I know celebrates the anniversary of their son’s healing from leukemia every year—not to dwell on the pain, but to praise the God who healed.

For followers of Jesus, every remembrance leads to the cross.

The festival of Purim remembered a temporary salvation. The cross and resurrection? That’s our eternal Purim. Jesus turned the world’s darkest Friday into the foundation of our living hope. As 1 Peter 1:3 puts it: “He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

So let me ask you: What has God brought you through? Don’t forget about it. Celebrate it. Share it. Let your story ignite hope in others.

Reflect God’s Deliverance Through Your Life
(Esther 9:22; 10:1–3)

Purim wasn’t just about feasting. Esther 9:22 also says it was about “giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.”

True joy overflows. It always does.

The Book of Esther doesn’t end with Queen Esther. It ends with Mordecai—faithfully serving, advocating, and seeking the good of his people. That’s legacy. That’s what hope does. It turns survivors into servants.

If you’ve experienced God’s deliverance, it’s not meant to stay bottled up. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:3–4 that we are comforted so that we can comfort others. And Micah 6:8 tells us plainly what the Lord requires: “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Mordecai became a public servant. Jesus—the true and better Mordecai—became the suffering servant. He didn’t cling to divine privilege. He humbled Himself, took on human flesh, and died on a cross (Philippians 2:5–8).

We reflect His deliverance when we do the same: serve, give, speak life, pursue peace.

Do you know someone who turned their grief into compassion? A widow who mentors young moms? A man freed from addiction who now helps others break the chains? That’s what it means to live out deliverance.

So where is God calling you to step up?

  • Who needs to hear your story?
  • Who could use your comfort, your resources, your presence?

Don’t waste your deliverance. Let it ripple outward.

Conclusion: A Hope That Outlives Us

The Book of Esther ends without a direct word from God. But His fingerprints are all over it.

It ends not with miracles, but with legacy.

Not with noise, but with enduring hope.

Because even when God seems hidden, He’s still at work.

Celebrate God’s faithfulness with purpose.

Reflect His deliverance through your life.

Because the God who delivered you once… is not done yet.

And this hope? It isn’t wishful thinking. It’s anchored in a cross, sealed by an empty tomb, and sustained by a living Savior.

That’s the legacy of deliverance.

That’s the legacy of hope.

About the Author

Dr. Bart L. Denny is the lead pastor of Pathway—A Wesleyan Church in Saranac, Michigan. A retired U.S. Navy officer and a seminary instructor for graduate courses in Christian leadership, he is passionate about church revitalization, biblical preaching, and helping people see the hope of Christ in every season of life. You can read more at Bart's Blog.

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All comments are moderated. I welcome respectful disagreement with my posts. Such discussions can cause me to consider perspectives I hadn't examined before. However, I also reserve the right to delete any comment for any reason. Why? Simple enough, this is MY blog, with MY thoughts, and I want to have a civil conversation that is, at all times, God-honoring in nature.

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