Indonesia, celebrated for its breathtaking archipelago and kaleidoscopic cultures, harbours a quiet crisis: An alarming erosion of its indigenous languages. The fading of a language is not merely the loss of vocabulary and grammar; it’s the silencing of a unique worldview, the severing of a cultural lifeline, and critically, for the young Christians of ethnic minorities, the potential dimming of their connection to their faith.

Think back to Mordecai in the Book of Esther, whose strength lay not just in his wisdom but also in his ability to communicate and advocate for his people within their shared cultural and linguistic context. Imagine Esther’s plight and that of the Jews if Mordecai had to plead his case in Old Persian – the primary language of the Persian Empire at that time – devoid of the nuances and emotional resonance of Aramaic, the common language among the Jewish people.

For young Indonesian Christians who might feel pressured to downplay their faith in certain environments, Esther’s journey, spurred by Mordecai’s conviction, is a chilling reminder: “If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for [your people] will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die.” (Esther 4:14a)

Perhaps the story of Esther and the quiet strength of Mordecai that underpinned it, will serve as a beacon of hope and a powerful call that these youths, might be in a position for such a time as this (Est. 4:14b), empowered by the foundation of faith they can truly understand.