Esther 6:6-11

Esther 6:6-11 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  A few things to remember here.  First, when we last left the King, he was looking to honor Mordecai, who had saved the king's life years ago and never been rewarded.  Second, Haman has an ego the size of Montana.  Third, Haman hates Mordecai so much that he wants to kill his entire tribe.
  So Haman is called in to the King and asked what the best way to honor someone would be.  Hilariously, Haman can't possibly imagine why the king would want to honor anyone other than Haman, so Haman devises a very public way of honoring such a man, imagining himself receiving such honors and accolades.
  Only then does the King reveal that Mordecai, Haman's hated enemy, is the one receiving such an honor, and it is Haman who will be the one shouting his praises throughout the town streets.
  Beautiful, isn't it?
 
  Remember, God is the one who lifts up the lowly and the humble, and strikes down the proud.  Haman is somewhat lacking in self-awareness, and his own ego leads him so far out the cliff that he's like Wil E. Coyote, looking down too late to see that there is no ground beneath him.  Jesus told a parable similar to this, talking about the man who builds his house on the sand, only to discover there's no foundation there.
  We are but humble sinners, each of us, struggling to get it right.  We occasionally do well, and often fail to do so, either by acting wrongly or failing to act as we should.  Each of us, however, has been claimed by the eternal love of God, accepted as we are, and invited into the Kingdom through grace.  You are loved and redeemed, but remember that it was not by your own might or brilliance that you secured your salvation.  It was a gift, secured by the blood of a man on a hill thousands of years ago who knows you, strengths and faults, better than you know yourself. 
  So let us treat one another with extraordinary kindness, and may we strive to be the type of people who are willing to selflessly lift up one another.  I'm sure Haman hated walking around town exalting Mordecai, whom the king wanted to honor.  When God our King pours out the blood of God's Son, Jesus Christ, for another, even for our enemies, may we have hearts willing to celebrate the salvation and honoring of another sinner who has been redeemed.  We are no more worthy of such an honor than anyone else, and yet that gift has been freely given to us.